Guidelines for Preparing Performance Reports for Grants Supported by Title IV of the Older Americans Act

Guidelines for Preparing Performance Reports for Grants

Supported by Title IV of the Older Americans Act

INTRODUCTION

The Administration on Aging (AoA) views the Guidelines for Preparing Performance Reports, including semi-annual reports and final reports, as a template to assist grantees in organizing and preparing grant project performance reports supported by Title IV. These Guidelines discuss timelines and methods of delivery; content and organization; and information dissemination.

Through its Title IV Program, the Administration on Aging (AoA) supports projects for the purpose of developing and testing new knowledge and program innovations with the potential for contributing to the well-being of older Americans. Deliverables required by the AoA of all Title IV grantees are the semi-annual and final reports, as provided for in Department of Health and Human Services regulations, 45CFR Part 74, Section 74.51. These reports are a communication tool and should be clearly written and understandable for a wide range of readers. Performance Reports should document project findings, outcomes, activities, methods, lessons learned, and products of significance to the field of aging.

Recognizing that there may be reasonable variations depending on the grant opportunity, report authors should consult with the assigned AoA Program Officer about modifications of performance report requirements. Grantees should take note that failure to submit reports within the recommended timeframe may result in corrective action.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Performance reports are a significant tool for informing AoA regarding project development and outcomes and in maximizing dissemination and utilization of the project results and findings. Semi-annual and final reports provide the grantee the opportunity to document their innovative program from inception to completion and to assist AoA to understand the project experience and its implications for others. Success of a demonstration project is not measured by whether or not the project achieved anticipated outcomes, but rather by the lessons learned through the project and how well they are articulated so as to inform future activity. AoA encourages you to use performance reports as a tool to record your activities as well as to inform AoA and other interested parties of the significant knowledge you gained, what you would have done differently, and of any activities planned for the future.

A. Performance Report Submission

Title IV Semi-annual Reports are due 30 days after each 6-month reporting period. Final Reports are due within 90 days of the project’s completion date. The Final Report takes the place of the Semi-annual Report at the end of the final year of the grant. For example, a project funded for one year will have one Semi-annual Report and one Final Report, while a project funded for three years will have five (5) Semi-annual Reports and one Final Report. Regulations require that performance reports be signed and dated by the Project Coordinator and an authorized signatory.

Grantees are asked to either submit one copy of the performance report in electronic format. Electronic format is preferable and may be submitted by e-mail, on CD, or on disk. Grantees forwarding a CD or disk, or that have brochures, or other product attachments that are not available in electronic format, may mail these as follows:

The address for hand delivered/courier CD, disk or hard copy is:

Department of Health and Human Services

Administration on Aging

Office of Grants Management

(Note Grants Management Specialist name)

One Massachusetts Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20001

Electronic Transmission: As noted above, CDs and disks should be submitted to the address above. Reports sent by e-mail should be sent to the e-mail address: [email protected] and copied to the grantee’s Program Officer. Signatures on the report Title page may be scanned and included with the electronic report or may be faxed or mailed to the grantees Grants Management Specialist.

If it is not possible to submit electronically, please submit two hard copies of the report to the above address.

B. Performance Report Style

The Title IV performance reports should be written for all audiences. The author’s intent should be simplicity in approach and language, with professional jargon kept to a minimum. Technical terms should be defined. Sentence structure should be varied to keep the reader’s interest. Logical flow is critical. Thoughts should be developed to lead the reader from one concept to the next, with the appropriate use of transitions.

C. Performance Report Format

The length of a Title IV performance report will be determined by the reporting period and subject matter. Final Reports, for example, will be longer since they cover the entire project period rather than a six-month reporting period. Performance reports should:

• Use a font size of 12, preferably in Times New Roman

• Be double-spaced

• Include one (1) inch margins around

• Include footnotes on a separate page in single line spacing

PERFORMANCE REPORT ORGANIZATION AND CONTENT

Below is a description of the content for each section required for Semi-annual and Final Reports listed in the order they should appear in your report. Grantees should direct any questions they may have about report content to their assigned Program Officer.

Performance Report Organization Summary

Semi-Annual Reports

• Title Page

• Activities and Accomplishments

• Appendix

Final Reports

• Title Page

• Table of Contents

• Executive Summary

• Introduction

• Activities and Accomplishments

• Conclusion

• Appendix

Performance Report Contents

A. Title Page (All Performance Reports)

The title page should contain the following information:

• Project Title

• Project Director/Principle Investigator contact Information including grantee organization name, address, phone number and e-mail address

• The byline credit with the names of all other report authors in addition to the Project Director.

• The Title IV Grant Award Number

• Total Project Period

• Reporting Period (Semi-Annual Reports Only)

• The Date of Report

• AoA Program Officer

• AoA Grants Management Specialist

• Project Coordinator and Authorized Signatory Signatures

C. Table of Contents (Final Reports Only)

A table of contents should contain page references to all major sections of the report. List all main headings on the left side, and type corresponding page numbers for the start of each heading on the right.

D. Executive Summary (Final Report Only)

All Title IV final reports must begin with a 1 page Executive Summary. An Executive Summary should capture the project’s purpose and scope; target population; results/important findings; products developed (including intended use and audience); program and policy implications; and recommendations, if any.

E. Introduction (Final Reports Only)

The introduction sets the stage for the detailed discussion that follows by briefly describing the problem the project was designed to address, the goals and objectives the project was designed to meet, and the anticipated outcomes. The author should provide a brief overview of the project and any background information that is necessary to understand the project planning strategies, activities, findings, and conclusions.

F. Activities and Accomplishments

The Activities and Accomplishments section serves as the body of your report. Below we have outlined the areas to be covered for Semi-annual Reports as well as for Final Reports. For each of these reports, grantees are asked to respond to a series of questions. Grantees should organize this section of their report by listing the question, followed by the response.

Semi-Annual Reports

1. What did you accomplish during this reporting period and how did these accomplishments help you reach your stated project goal(s) and objective(s)? Please note any significant project partners and their role in project activities.

2. What, if any, challenges did you face during this reporting period and what actions did you take to address these challenges? Please note in your response changes, if any, to your project goal(s), objective(s), or activities that were made as a result of challenges faced.

3. How have the activities conducted during this project period helped you to achieve the measurable outcomes identified in your project proposal?

4. What was produced during the reporting period and how have these products been disseminated? Products may include articles, issue briefs, fact sheets, newsletters, survey instruments, sponsored conferences and workshops, websites, audiovisuals, and other informational resources.

Final Reports

1. What measurable outcomes did you establish for this project and what indicators did you use to measure performance? To what extent did your project achieve the outcomes?

2. What, if any, challenges did you face during the project and what actions did you take to address these challenges?

3. What impact do you think this project has had to date? What are the lessons you learned from undertaking this project?

4. What will happen to the project after this grant has ended? Will project activities be sustained? Will project activities be replicated? If the project will be sustained/replicated what other funding sources will allow this to occur? Please note your significant partners in this project and if/how you will continue to work on this activity.

5. Over the entire project period, what were the key publications and communications activities? How were they disseminated or communicated? Products and communications activities may include articles, issue briefs, fact sheets, newsletters, survey instruments, sponsored conferences and workshops, websites, audiovisuals, and other informational resources.

G. Conclusion (Final Reports Only)

This section provides a summary of project outcomes, lessons learned and recommendations or implications. Use this to alert the Program Officer about significant issues that may be used to brief agency officials.

H. Appendix (All Performance Reports)

Include a copy of each project product as a separate attachment and identify each by capital letters in sequence, i.e. A, B, C, etc.

PERFORMANCE REPORT FOLLOW-UP

Upon receipt of each Performance Report, the Program Officer will review the report and communicate with the grantee should there be any questions or concerns. Program Officers are required to complete a Grants Monitoring Statement following the receipt of each report which summarizes the report and any follow-up recommendations and designates each report as either acceptable or unacceptable. If a report is found to be unacceptable, the Program Officer makes recommendations for any corrective action to be taken. The Program Officer will then seek AoA approval and work with the grantee on any approved corrective action. Approved Performance Reports become a part of the official grant file.

FINANCIAL STATUS REPORTS

Financial Status Reports (SF-269) are due annually 90 days after the end of each twelve month period throughout the project period. The Final Financial Status Report (SF-269) is due 90 days after the end of the total project period. This report can be found at : http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/grants_forms.html

AoA requires cumulative financial reporting through consecutive funding periods. SF-269 reports requires the signature of the Authorized Organizational Representative and should be mailed or faxed as follows:

Mail: The address for mailed bound copies is:

Department of Health and Human Services

Administration on Aging

Office of Grants Management

(Note Grant Management Specialist name)

Washington, DC 20201

Hand Delivery: The address for hand delivered/courier copies is:

Department of Health and Human Services

Administration on Aging

Office of Grants Management

(Note Grant Management Specialist name)

One Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Room 4410

Washington, DC 20001

FAX: The SF-269 should be faxed to the attention of the Grants Management Specialist assigned to your grant at the following number: 202-357-3467

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