3.2 Period of Availability of Funds
Criteria for Award Extension
For OJP/OVW awards, requests for a no-cost extension of an award period must be submitted through the Grants Management System (GMS). Recipients are to use the Grant Adjustment Notice (GAN) module in GMS to request the extension.
For COPS Office awards, requests for a no-cost extension of an award period must be submitted through the COPS Agency Portal. Grant recipients may request a no-cost extension to receive additional time to implement the grant program. These extensions do not provide additional funding. Awards may be extended a maximum of 36 months beyond the award expiration date. Any request for an extension beyond 36 months will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Only those grantees that can provide a reasonable justification for delays will be granted no-cost extensions.
Action Item
For OJP/OVW awards, recipients may request a no-cost extension by submitting a GAN at least 30 calendar days prior to the end of the award.
The recipient should act as soon as possible to obtain their organization???s approval to submit an extension request and ensure that they submit the GAN via GMS at least 30 days prior to the end of the award period, allowing the program office sufficient time to process the GAN.
For COPS Office awards, a no-cost extension needs to be requested before the award end date, but cannot be requested prior to 90 days before the award end date.
OJP Specific Tip
Most awards are eligible to be considered for an extension of the award period in response to a GAN request. The request for extension must justify the need for the extension and indicate the additional time required. The grant-making component???s ability to grant an extension may be limited by statue for some programs (i.e., funding from OVC under the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 typically may not be extended beyond the year of award plus three subsequent fiscal years).
The criteria for extending the award period for a project or program include the following:
- All applicable Federal Financial Reports and Progress Reports must be on file and current.
- All special conditions attached to the award must be satisfied, except for those conditions that must be fulfilled in the remaining period of the award. This criteria also includes the performance and resolution of audits in a timely manner.
- A narrative justification must be submitted with the project or program extension request. Complete details must be provided, including the justification and the circumstances which require the proposed extension.The recipient must explain the effect a denial of the request will have on the project or program.
- You should receive a response from us within 15 working days of receipt of the request.
Financial Management Tip
NOTE: The award period will not be extended merely for the purpose of using unobligated funds.
COPS Office Specific Tip
Requests to extend the grant period must be submitted through the COPS Agency Portal and received by the COPS Office before the official award end date. Additionally, the COPS Office will contact your agency during the last quarter of the award period to determine whether a no-cost extension is needed; extensions will not be processed prior to 90 days of the grant end date.
OJP Specific Tip
To avoid the need to make a request to extend the obligation or expenditure deadline of a block/formula program, it is recommended that all subawards should be completed at least six months prior to the end of the obligation deadline for the award. Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program awards have specific requirements for requesting no-cost extensions. The recipient should contact the BJA grant manager for the additional requirements.
