Courses
CDBG Fundamentals
This course provides an overview of the Community Development Block Grant Program, including key requirements for each eligible activity type. To help participants make sense of it all, the course provides a framework for rules on National Objective basis and ensures that they understand the roles and responsibilities applicable to the CDBG entitlement grantee, its subrecipients, partners, and low-income beneficiaries. Find out more here.
CDBG Refresher with Exam
Perfect for participants who work in CDBG but have not been to CDBG Fundamentals training recently. This one-day session spends the morning doing a review of CDBG key concepts and requirements, with the examination being administered after a break during the afternoon. Find out more here.
Cost Allocation in HOME & HTF Rental Projects
When funding multi-unit projects, how do you know which units are your HOME units? Which ones are your Housing Trust Fund units? HOME regulations require Participating Jurisdictions to identify and allocate eligible costs among HOME-designated units within a project. Similarly, Housing Trust Fund regulations require the same review be done by State HTF grantees. Cost allocation reviews guide the determination of how many units must be designated as HOME and HTF units and which units within a project those must be. This course guides participants through the process of determining unit comparability, distinguishing between HOME and HTF eligible and ineligible costs (hint, it’s different than the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit basis!), and allocating costs using HUD’s HOME Cost Allocation Tool, originally developed by TDA. Find out more here.
Fundamentals of Federal Grants Management
This course is designed around the key elements necessary for successfully managing federal funds and, in particular, for successfully managing HUD funds. You will learn the basics of sound grants management practices covering the entire lifecycle of a grant – from allocation of funds through grant closeout. We focus on real world issues and, to better help participants apply the principles, include time to review your specific program challenges. Find out more here.
HOME Fundamentals
HOME Fundamentals is a three-day course that provides an overview of the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, including key requirements for each eligible activity type – homebuyer, homeowner rehabilitation, rental, and tenant-based rental assistance. To help participants make sense of it all, the course provides a framework for rules on a program wide, project, and assisted-unit basis and ensures an understanding of the roles and responsibilities applicable to the HOME Participating Jurisdiction (PJ), its subrecipients, property owners/developers, Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs), and low-income beneficiaries. Find out more here.
HOME Rental Housing Compliance
Focused on the five P’s of compliance, this course helps ensure projects serve the right "People" at the right "Price", while maintaining the quality of the "Property" throughout the affordability "Period" – and through it all, getting the "Process" right. New staff and seasoned veterans alike will benefit from learning about new and ever-evolving expectations of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In addition to topics such as income verification, dealing with over-income tenants, and lease requirements, the course will cover the latest information on HUD’s new Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) rule explaining roles and responsibilities for both Participating Jurisdictions and property owners. Find out more here.
HOME Rental Housing Underwriting
GRP, GRO, EGI, NOI, DCR, AMI, NPV, IRR, and ROI... It’s enough to make a grownup cry. This two-day course helps break through the “math phobia” and identify a common framework for underwriting HOME rental projects – preparing PJs (and developers) to ask better questions, make sound decisions, and satisfy their regulatory requirements. Through hands on exercises, participants will have the opportunity to review, manipulate, and improve project assumptions – beginning to apply their own local knowledge to a proforma “based on a true story.” Participants will leave the training with a proforma they can customize for their own projects and learn to recognize how all proformas seek to answer five core questions. Find out more here.
IDIS Fundamentals
This two-day course provides hands-on training for those new to IDIS as well as the occasional user. In addition to providing finance and program staff with the necessary exposure and practice to system features related to their expected IDIS duties and responsibilities, this training also serves as an introduction to the basic terms, regulations, and reporting requirements of the CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA programs. Rather than focusing on presenting training material, this program relies on the intuitive design of IDIS Online during instructor led exercises. To provide a more practical learning experience, the course uses actual local program data. Supplemental resources are provided to support the training content and participants will be directed to other valuable training-related materials on HUD’s website. Participants must bring their own laptop computer and have an active IDIS ID. (Procedures for securing IDIS ID will be provided.) Find out more here.
Written Agreements - Keystones to Success
Written agreements are the keystones of your HOME and CDBG programs – it is the document that locks the pieces of your programs together and upon which your programs can succeed or falter. This six part virtual course will cover the basics of written agreements and teach participants how well-structured written agreements are not just a HUD requirement, but your strongest contract management and monitoring tool. Learn about required provisions and best practices, how to use written agreements as roadmaps with your partners during activity delivery, how to structure agreements to ensure effectiveness in enforcing obligations, and what to do about past agreements that may fall short. Find out more here.
Series
Fundamentals of Financial Management Series
These stand-alone sessions are offered as part of a financial management series focused on helping participants understand and implement the basics of sound financial management practices.
Key Components of 2 CFR Part 200
Uniform administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit requirements for federal awards! Not sure what the big deal is, or how this is different from your CDBG or HOME requirements? Join us as we cover 12 key requirements of 2 CFR Part 200 and review how they impact you and your partners. Find out more here.
The Core of Compliant Financial Management Systems
Strong internal controls, a “compliant” accounting system, budget controls – what do these look like when they are successful? This training reviews the core requirements of compliant financial management systems, with a focus on key uniform administrative requirements. Find out more here.
Approaches to Successful Procurement
Procurement is the process by which goods and services are acquired. This session combines the key elements of procurement best practices with the nuances of 2 CFR Part 200. We cover the 10 things that make a successful procurement and leave participants with a to-do list of their own design. Find out more here.
Federal Cost Principles in 5 Letters
Federal costs principles identify costs that may be charged to federal grants and contracts, and those charges that cannot be charged to grants and are considered unallowable expenses. This training reviews federal cost principle requirements in 5 easy-to-remember letters – R.A.D.A.R. – to help you make sure costs will be eligible for reimbursement. Join us to talk about what prudent really means and common approaches to allocating direct costs in HUD CPD programs. Find out more here.
Financial Statements: The Story Behind the Numbers
Financial statements are written records that convey the business activities and the financial performance of a company. While numbers don’t lie, they can hide. This training demystifies the numbers found in financial statements and provides participants with an approach that allows you to uncover the hidden story that the numbers are telling you. Find out more here.
What’s in An Audit?
An audit is an independent examination of the financial information of an entity. While many grantees collect audits from those they fund, they are often just a “checkbox item” and end up in the drawer. This training examines what is required in an audit and uses actual audit documents to identify and discuss key areas to be reviewed. Find out more here.
Financial Management Advanced Practice Series
These stand-alone sessions are offered as part of an advanced financial management series focused on helping participants gain a deeper understanding of the principles of sound financial management practices and to implement them in their organizations.
Advanced Procurement Practices
Following federal acquisition standards involves identifying goods and services needed, determining the most appropriate method for purchasing these items, and carrying out the acquisition. This course focuses on the challenges and best practices for two of the five methods – sealed bids and requests for proposals (RFPs). Find out more here.
Financial Statements: From Numbers to Action
Financial statements tell you how much money an organization has on hand, how much debt is owed, and its monthly income and expenses. To gain an understanding of how to read and analyze financial statements, this session focuses on the key ratios that help to determine the financial health of your partners and examines strategies to address what you may find. This is a case-based webinar. Find out more here.
Audits: What to Do with What You Know
Audits provide a verification of the financial statements and internal controls of an organization by an objective third party (such as a CPA). They let you know that financial information is presented fairly and it is materially correct, and that the organization’s internal controls are working properly as designed. This session focuses on strategies you can use to address what you may find when reviewing audits and how to align your review to your monitoring and risk assessment process. This is a case-based webinar. Find out more here.
Staffing Your Program: Administrative Funds vs. Activity Delivery Costs
Programmatic oversight requirements are always expanding, and yet the administrative funds that can be used to pay staff for these activities never seem to be enough to cover the real costs agencies incur. This session looks at options for utilizing activity and project delivery to offset staff costs, and the practical considerations around time-tracking and staffing assignments. Find out more here.
A Primer on Indirect Cost Rates
Indirect costs are costs for common or joint purposes within an organization that benefit all programs or projects. While the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provides guidance on indirect cost rates in 2 CFR 200, for many people they remain a mystery. Join us as we pull the curtain back on indirect cost rates and explore the requirements and options you and your partners have. Find out more here.
Workshops
Build Your Monitoring Plan
This workshop provides a hands-on opportunity to develop the monitoring plan you wish you had! Addressing monitoring requirements for CDBG and HOME, this course walks you through the process of creating a plan that meets requirements while remaining manageable for staff to implement. At the end of the workshop, participants will have a draft monitoring plan to share with their teams at work and to guide them moving forward. Find our more here.