REI Systems’ Grants Management Breakfast (GMB) Forums made new strides this year on November 10th; for the first time, REI and the George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration (TSPPPA) presented and discussed the results of the Grants Management Survey 2016 conducted by REI, TSPPPA, and the National Grants Management Association (NGMA). Nearly 80 participants gathered both in-person and online to participate in the GMB Forum. These bimonthly events bring together professionals from government, academia, and industry to share first-hand experiences in managing the full grants life cycle, resulting in real-world opportunities for process and performance improvement.

The morning began with a presentation of the Grants Management Survey 2016 results. Katherine Dawes, who is the Visiting Scholar at TSPPPA and the Director of Evaluation Support Division at EPA, along with TSPPPA Director Kathy Newcomer presented notable findings based on feedback from over 240 government respondents. After the presentation of results, REI’s Jeff Myers moderated a discussion with the three invited panelist: Amy Haseltine, Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Administration at HHS, drew grants expertise from her time at HHS’s Office of Grants and Acquisition Policy and Accountability; Dale Bell, Director for Division of Institution and Awards Support at NSF, offered insight from his association with grants systems at NSF; and Arlene Simpson Porter, Director of the Grants Management Division at NOAA, shared knowledge stemming from her 25-year career in Federal grants. Audience members participated in a robust Q&A with the panelists to interpret meaning from the survey results and to discuss how grants management might be improved in the future.