CAPLAW Online Toolkit on Governance, Grant Law and Financial Management

Welcome to the CAPLAW Online Toolkit on Governance, Grant Law and Financial Management.

Government officials, the press and the nonprofit community continue to spotlight the governance and financial management practices of nonprofit organizations and government grantees.  Community Action Agencies (CAAs) are responding by learning more about requirements in these areas, adopting best practices, and reviewing and updating their governing documents and various policies and procedures.  CAPLAW has created this toolkit to assist CAAs and others in the Community Action network in this endeavor.

The toolkit is an evolving document.  It will include user-friendly summaries of laws, rules and best practices regarding governance, grant law and financial management, as well as sample policies and procedures, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and links to other resources.  As we produce and assemble additional materials for the toolkit, we will post them on this site.

The first materials we have prepared are mostly governance-related:

 

  • “CAA Governance: Now More Than Ever” - an article by CAPLAW’s executive director and general counsel, Anita Lichtblau, Esq., outlining best governance practices for CAA boards;
  • “Tips on Updating CAA Bylaws” – an article by CAPLAW’s associate counsel, Eleanor Evans, Esq., on important issues to consider when reviewing and revising CAA bylaws;
  • Checklists of best practices in the areas of board composition and selection, board procedures, and board responsibilities;
  • Guidance from the federal Office of Community Services on Community Action Agency boards – Information Memorandum 82; and
  • A list of governance resources including board training materials and links to sample policies.

We also prepared a Lobbying and Advocacy – Q & A.

In addition, we have prepared an overview of issues for CAAs and other federal grantees to consider when making the suspension and debarment certifications required as part of federal grant applications.

Check this site periodically for updates – we will be adding more materials in the coming weeks and months, including materials on grant law and financial management. In particular, stay tuned for:

 

  • An introduction to federal grant law;
  • FAQs about the Community Services Block Grant Act;
  • An annotated version of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-122 (Cost Principles for Non-Profit Organizations), summarizing legal decisions interpreting the cost principles, as well as practical issues to consider when dealing with selected cost principles;
  • Sample board committee charters; and
  • Issues to consider and sample policies to use when working with sub-grantees.

 

A note about sample policies:  In response to the frequent requests we receive for sample policies on a variety of issues, we will be including a number of sample policies in the Online Toolkit.  These sample policies are just that – samples; they are intended to be a starting point for drafting your organization’s own policies, not to be adopted verbatim by all CAAs across the country.  You should review these policies thoughtfully and modify them as necessary to meet the individual needs of your organization and to comply with any applicable state law requirements and grant terms and conditions.  In some cases, this may require working with an attorney in your state.  If your organization does not have an attorney, contact CAPLAW so that we can assist you in finding one.  Also, keep in mind that having a policy that your organization does not follow is often worse than having no policy at all.  Therefore, once your organization has adopted a policy, you should be sure that someone (i.e., an officer, a board committee and/or a staff member, depending on the policy) is assigned to implement it and ensures that it is being followed.