1. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: RECOMPETE PILOT PROGRAM
The Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recompete Pilot Program) will invest $200 million in persistently distressed communities to create and connect people to good jobs. This program will create renewed economic opportunity in communities that have for too long been forgotten. To do so, the program targets areas where prime-age (25-54 years) employment significantly trails the national average, with the goal to close this gap through large, flexible investments. As part of EDA’s place-based economic development approach, the Recompete Pilot Program aims to meet communities where they are by offering grant opportunities that ensure sustainable and equitable economic growth across the United States.
EDA will deploy funding through a two-phase competition.
On June 29, 2023, EDA published the Phase 1 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). This Phase 1 NOFO invites applicants to apply for:
- Strategy Development Grants
- Approval of a Recompete Plan
- Both
Applicants who receive approval of a Recompete Plan in Phase 1 will be invited to apply to Phase 2. In the Phase 2 NOFO, investments can support a wide range of implementation activities across workforce development, business and entrepreneur development, infrastructure, and additional planning, predevelopment, or technical assistance.
EDA will host two informational webinars on July 7th at 12:00 pm EDT and July 11th at 4:30 pm EDT, about the Recompete Pilot Program.
2. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: POSTGRADUATE TECHNICAL ASSISTANT PROGRAM
Both the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board sponsor a postgraduate technical assistant program twice a year (programs commence in summer and winter) for individuals who are planning a career with an emphasis in accounting. Each program is a one-year term, during which the individual becomes highly involved with the accounting standards-setting process and comes to have an in-depth understanding of the roles played by preparers, auditors, and users of financial information.
Invitation letters, including an information packet, are sent to schools each September. A school can nominate one qualified candidate for each of the four programs: FASB summer program, GASB summer program, FASB winter program, and GASB winter program. Faculty members submitting nominations must submit the nominee’s resume, transcripts (master’s transcript or undergraduate double major transcript), faculty letter of recommendation which should include the nominee’s program preference (e.g., FASB Summer), and an essay written by the nominee on why they want to participate in the FASB/GASB PTA Program (no more than 2 pages). The essay should also describe coursework, work experience, grades, standardized test scores, and other qualifications.
3. FROM THE NAFOA NAVIGATOR: MITIGATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FRAUD
By Arledge & Associates
The risk of fraud has never been higher for Tribal organizations. With the issuing of ARPA and CARES act funding, tribal governments have large amounts of excess cash that can’t be used on normal operational activities in all cases. Meanwhile, employees are seeing inflationary pricing in their normal expenses and rising interest rates, putting pressure on their monthly household expenses. Fraud requires three components. You’ll hear accountants refer to it as the fraud triangle. Those components are opportunity, incentive, and rationalization. For most tribal governments, two of those components are already present:
Incentive – “The prices of my monthly expenses continue to rise and/or I’m about to see a rise in my mortgage interest rate on my home. Unfortunately, my wages have not increased at the same rate of these increases. I might need to find another job or get a second one to make ends meet.”
Rationalization – “You know, the tribe has a LOT of extra cash in the bank at the moment. I wonder if there would be a way to get some of that cash in my hands for a little bit until I can be in a better position financially.”
Well, what about opportunity? Well, that is the question Tribes should be asking themselves: Are we limiting the opportunities for fraudsters by ensuring we have effective internal controls and adequate segregation of duties? The failure to have these controls leaves Tribes vulnerable and mismanagement of funds and lack of controls can jeopardize funding from federal sources and reduces public trust in the tribal government.
4. WEBINAR: INDIRECT COSTS: NOT-FOR-PROFITS, GOVERNMENTS, AND TRIBES
Thursday, July 27, 2023, 10:00 AM PT
Understanding how to structure your direct cost base and indirect cost pool is a key way to help your organization save money and increase the use of federal funds.
Join Moss Adams for a webcast, Indirect Costs: Not-for-Profits, Governments, and Tribes. We’ll discuss indirect costs and how they affect your organization, then go over strategies to increase the potential benefits of indirect costs.
Indirect costs can be confusing, so we’ll walk through practical examples and calculations using different strategies, then answer questions.
5. JOBS: SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS IS SEEKING PARALEGAL
Under the direction of the Director of Legal Operations and designated attorneys, Paralegals play a key role in providing legal-related assistance and administrative support for different functional areas of the organization including government, litigation, real estate, employment and labor, transactions and intellectual property management, as applicable based upon individual experience and need.
The Paralegal role is an integral part of the Legal Department, supporting a team of attorneys and a legal operations team in enabling the efficient and effective delivery of legal services to Tribal government and enterprise partners. This Paralegal role offers an unparalleled opportunity to increase your professional network, gain valuable experience, and grow with the organization as we pursue strategic initiatives in 2022 and beyond.
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