Grants Administration Frequently Asked Questions

• To oversee activities for the proper dispensing of grant funds and ensure fairness in all aspects of the grant process including grant development, application, evaluation, and award.
• To oversee compliance with mandated and procedural requirements by grantees and all DCH staff involved in the grant process.

All Grant announcements are posted on the DCH website at: https://dch.georgia.gov/meetings-notices/grant-announcements

Review tips for submitting a Request for Grant Application (RFGA) here .

An Applicant who submits a proposal in response to a RFGA must visit the DCH website at https://dch.georgia.gov/ to review the Notice of Award (NOA) under Grant Announcements for the specific RFGA, for which a proposal was submitted.

DCH (pass-through entity) receives federal awards and is responsible for administering and disbursing the federal award as a sub-recipient and the award is disbursed to non-profit organizations, universities, or targeted programs to support the initiative.

The Business Owner (BO) or Program Manager (PM) assigned to the grant project will contact the Grantee via e-mail to request the documents required prior to the execution of the Notice of Grant Award Agreement (NOGAA). The NOGAA is the official award document, which must be executed by the Grantee and DCH prior to beginning any work related to the grant award. The following is a list the documents that will be requested, but this list is not inclusive:

1. Vendor Management Form (if the Grantee is new to working with the State of Georgia)
2. Current Certificate of Insurance
3. E-verify Contractor Affidavit Form
4. Sales Tax Compliance Form

The BO or PM may request additional information not included on the list above as deemed necessary.

Best Practices: Grants vs. Contracts

Grant Agreement (Sub-recipients)	Contract Agreement (Vendors)
Typically, a not-for-profit or government entity that provides services to a government entity or the public such as a city, town, hospital, or university.	Vendor provides goods or services commercially to both government and non-government entities.
Awarded state or federal funds to be used to fulfill the state or federal program purposes.	Vendor operates in a competitive environment.
Has responsibility for adherence to applicable state and federal program compliance requirements.	Provides similar goods or services to many different purchasers.
Uses the state or federal funds to carry out a program of the entity as compared to providing goods or services for a program of the pass-through entity.	Vendor provides the goods or services ancillary to the operation of the program.

• Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC)
• Migrant Farm Workers
• Rural Health Homeless/ Rural Health Network
• Georgia Cancer for Oncology and Research and Education
• Small Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP
• Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (FLEX)

RFGAs are posted to the DCH website based on the following guidelines:

RFGA Competitive Posting Guidelines

If the Estimated Grant Value is…	Then, the Posting Period is…
$25,000 - $100,000	Minimum of Ten (10) Calendar Days
$100,001 or more	Minimum of Fifteen (15) Calendar Days

All requests for copies of solicitations should be directed to the following at DCH:

Georgia Department of Community Health 
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE, East Tower
Atlanta, GA 30334

Email: [email protected]

Office: (404) 656-5950
Fax: (770) 344-3774

DCH will allow up to 10 percent of the total grant award to be allocated as administrative expenditures, unless otherwise approved or allowable by grant funding source, and documented within the Notice of Intent to Award.

Grant advances may be approved when the grantee clearly demonstrates a financial need for the advancement of funds in order to sufficiently operate the intended program. Advances are allowed based on source of funding. Grantees that do not have sufficient funds from other sources may be considered eligible for grant advances. However, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funds are not available as an option to subsidize cash flow. HRSA only allows advances in rare extreme hardship. This applies to DCH as the recipient of HRSA funds and sub-recipients.

Grantees that feel that they meet the financial needs requirement must submit a written request for a grant advance to their DCH Program Manager. The request must clearly state the need and the financial status of the requesting organization. Additional documentation, such as verification of the financial need, may be required with the written request. The final approval of the request is at the discretion of the Director of Procurement.

Grant advances may not be used for any purpose other than the performance of Grantee’s obligations under the grant Agreement. Grant advances shall reduce the amount of compensation the Grantee is otherwise authorized to receive under the grant award. Recoupment of the grant advance, if necessary, may be affected by DCH through withholding of the outstanding portion of the Maximum Award Amount payable to the Grantee. Upon the termination of this Agreement for any reason, Grantee shall immediately return any unexpended grant advances to DCH.

The amounts advanced will cover the estimated needs of the grantee for the period of one quarter, not to exceed 25 percent of the total grant amount, without considerations for extraordinary circumstances such as disasters and legislative intent.

Appeals, complaints or protest (ACP) must be submitted in writing, signed by an authorized grantee official. An ACP has been “filed” when it has been received by the Agency Procurement Officer (APO). Failure to file within the timeframe established in the chart below will not be considered. Although the Grants Manager may elect to provide individual notice of the NOIA to participating grantees as a courtesy, there is no requirement for personal notice. Grantees are responsible for checking the DCH website as applicable to view the NOIA.

Protest Types & Filing Deadlines

Type of Protest	Protest Filing Deadline
Challenge to Competitive Solicitation Process	Two business days prior to the closing date and time of the solicitation as identified on the DCH website or within the posted application.
Challenge to Direct Award Notice	Prior to the closing date and time of the Direct Award Notice as published on the DCH website.
Challenge to Notice of Intent to Award (competitive process only)	In the event the state entity posts a Notice of Intent to Award, the protest filing period begins and no grant award may occur until after at least ten calendar days have passed from the publication date of the Notice of Intent to Award.

All protests must be submitted to the following address:

Georgia Department of Community Health
Attention: Director of Procurement/ Agency Procurement Officer
Office of Procurement Services
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, SE
17th Floor
Atlanta, Georgia 30334