Environmental Protection: EPA's Oversight of Nonprofit Grantees' Costs Is Limited
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides millions of dollars to various types of grantees to conduct research, demonstrate pollution control techniques, and perform other activities. Oversight of this large pool of grantees has proven to be difficult. Some grantees have spent all of their grant funds but completed only a portion of the work required in the grant agreement. In addition, some grantees, particularly nonprofit organizations with inexperienced staff, may not have adequate controls in place to ensure that funds are spent as intended or allowed. The wide-ranging problems with grant oversight have been identified in congressional hearings and EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) reviews. These problems included spending funds for unallowable activities such as lobbying. In recognition of these problems, EPA had identified grants oversight as an agency-wide material weakness and is now in the process of validating whether the steps taken by EPA have addressed the weakness.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA389539
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office