§ 253.11 - Administrative funds.

§ 253.11 Administrative funds.

(a) Allocation of administrative funds to FNS Regional Offices. Each fiscal year, after enactment of a program appropriation for the full fiscal year and apportionment of funds by the Office of Management and Budget, administrative funds will be allocated to each FNS Regional Office for further allocation to State agencies. To the extent practicable, administrative funds will be allocated to FNS Regional Offices in the following manner:

(1) 65 percent of all administrative funds available nationally will be allocated to each FNS Regional Office in proportion to its share of the total number of participants nationally, averaged over the three previous fiscal years; and

(2) 35 percent of all administrative funds available nationally will be allocated to each FNS Regional Office in proportion to its share of the total current number of State agencies administering the program nationally.

(b) Allocation of administrative funds to State agencies. Prior to receiving administrative funds, State agencies must submit a proposed budget reflecting planned administrative costs to the appropriate FNS Regional Office for approval. Planned administrative costs must be allowable under part 277 of this chapter. To the extent that funding levels permit, the FNS Regional Office allocates to each State agency administrative funds necessary to cover no less than 80 percent of approved administrative costs.

(c) State agency matching requirement. State agencies must match administrative funds allocated to them as follows:

(1) Unless Federal administrative funding is approved at a rate higher than 80 percent of approved administrative costs, in accordance with paragraph (c)(3) of this section, each State agency must contribute 20 percent of its total approved administrative costs. Cash or non-cash contributions, including third party in-kind contributions, and the value of services rendered by volunteers, may be used to meet the State agency matching requirement. Funds provided from another Federal source may be used to meet the State agency matching requirement, provided that such use is consistent with the purpose of those funds and complies with this subsection. To use funds from another Federal source, the State agency must submit documentation for approval to the FNS Regional Office which shows the source, value, and purpose of those funds. In accordance with part 277 of this chapter, such contributions must:

(i) Be verifiable;

(ii) Be necessary and reasonable to accomplish program objectives;

(iii) Be allowable under part 277 of this chapter; and

(iv) Be included in the approved budget.

(2) Upon request from a State agency, an FNS Regional Office may approve a waiver reducing a State agency's matching requirement below 20 percent. To request a waiver, the State agency must submit compelling justification for the waiver to the appropriate FNS Regional Office. Compelling justification is based on either financial inability to meet the match requirement or the match requirement imposing a substantial burden. The request for the match waiver must be submitted with the following and in accordance with other FNS instructions:

(i) For a waiver based on financial inability, a summary statement and recent financial documents showing that the State agency is unable to meet the 20 percent matching requirement and that additional administrative funds are necessary for the effective operation of the program; or

(ii) For a waiver based on substantial burden, a signed letter from the leadership of the State agency or, in the case of an Indian Tribal Organization, from the Tribal Councilleadership of the Tribal agency that oversees the Food Distribution Program, describing why meeting the 20 percent matching requirement would impose a substantial burden on the State agency, and why additional administrative funds are necessary for the effective operation of the program, along with supporting documentation, as needed.

(3) The FNS Regional Office may not reduce any benefits or services to State agencies that are granted a waiver.

(d) Use of funds by State agencies. Any funds received under this section shall be used only for costs that are allowable under part 277 of this chapter, and that are incurred in operating the food distribution program. Such funds may not be used to pay costs that are, or may be, paid with funds provided from other Federal sources.

(e) Application for funds.

(1) Any State agency administering a Food Distribution Program that desires to receive administrative funds under this section shall submit form SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance,” to the appropriate FNS Regional Office at least three months prior to the beginning of a Federal fiscal year. The application shall include budget information, reflecting by category of expenditure the State agency's best estimate of the total amount to be expended in the administration of the program during the fiscal year. FNS may require that detailed information be submitted by the State agency to support or explain the total estimated amounts shown for each budget cost category. As required by 2 CFR part 200, subpart D, and USDA implementing regulations 2 CFR part 400 and part 415, agencies of State government shall submit the application for Federal assistance to the State clearinghouse before submitting it to the FNSRO. ITOs shall not be subject to this requirement.

(2) Approval of the application by FNS shall be a prerequisite to the payment of any funds to State agencies.

(f) Availability of funds.

(1) FNS shall review and evaluate the budget information submitted by the State agency in relationship to the State agency's plan of operation and any other factors which may be relevant to FNS' determination as to whether the estimated expenditures itemized by budget category are reasonable and justified. FNS shall give written notification to the State agency of

(i) its approval or disapproval of any or all of the itemized expenditures,

(ii) the amount of funds which will be made available, and

(iii) the period for which funds are available.

(2) FNS shall review and evaluate applications submitted by State agencies for administrative funds available under this section in the following order of priority and shall give preference in making payments of funds under this section in the same order of priority:

(i) Applications from State agencies which desire to continue a Food Distribution Program now in operation,

(ii) Applications from State agencies, in the order received, which FNS determines are immediately capable of effectively and efficiently administering the Program, and

(iii) Applications from other States agencies, in the order received.

(g) Method of payment to State agencies.

(1) Payments are made to State agencies through a Letter of Credit or an advance by Treasury check. The Letter of Credit funding method shall be used by FNS except when the advances to be made within a 12 month period are estimated to be less than $120,000. However, FNS may, at its option, reimburse a State agency by Treasury check regardless of the amount in response to a valid claim submitted by the State agency.

(2) The Letter of Credit funding method shall be done in conjunction with Treasury Department procedures, Treasury Circular No. 1075 and through an appropriate Treasury Regional Disbursing Office (RDO). The Standard Form 183, “Request for Payment on Letter of Credit and Status of Funds Report,” shall be correctly prepared and certified by a duly appointed official of the State for requesting payment from an RDO.

(3) The advance by Treasury check method shall be done by use of the Standard Form 270, “Request for Advance or Reimbursement,” and procedures associated with its use. State agencies receiving payments under this method may request payments before cash outlays are made.

(4) Any State agency receiving payment under the Letter of Credit method or the advance by Treasury check method shall have in place and in operation, a financial management system which meets the standards for fund control and accountability prescribed in part 277 of this chapter, as amended. The State agency shall demonstrate on a continuing basis its willingness and ability to have and to function within procedures that will minimize the time lapse between the transfer of funds and its disbursement to meet obligations. For any State agency which does not meet the requirement of this paragraph, the reimbursement by Treasury check method shall be the preferred method for FNS to make payments to that State agency.

(h) Accounting for funds. Each State agency which receives administrative funds under this section shall establish and maintain an effective system of fiscal control and accounting procedures. Expenditures and accountability of such funds shall be in accordance with the appropriate provisions of part 277. The accounting procedures maintained by the State agency shall be such as to accurately reflect the receipt, expenditure and current balance of funds provided by FNS and to facilitate the prompt preparation of reports required by FNS. The accounting procedures shall also provide for segregation of costs specifically identifiable to the Food Distribution Program from any other costs incurred by the State agency. Any budget revisions by a State agency which require the transfer of funds from an approved cost category to another shall be in accordance with the budget revision procedures set forth in 2 CFR part 200, subpart D and USDA implementing regulations 2 CFR part 400 and part 415, and shall be approved by FNS prior to any transfer of funds.

(i) Return, reduction, and reallocation of funds.

(1) FNS may require State agencies to return prior to , during the end of the fiscal year period of performance of their administrative grant and after receipt of administrative funds, any or all unobligated funds received under this section, and may reduce the amount it has apportioned or agreed to pay to any State agency if FNS determines that:

(i) The State agency is not administering the Food Distribution Program in accordance with its plan of operation approved by FNS and the provisions of this part, or

(ii) The amount of funds which the State agency requested from FNS is in excess of actual need, based on reports of expenditures and current projections of Program needs.

(iii) Circumstances or conditions justify the return reallocation or transfer of funds to accomplish the purpose of this part.

(2) The State agency shall return to FNS, within ninety (90) days following the close of each Federal fiscal year the period of performance of each administrative grant, any funds received under this section which are unobligated at that time.

(j) Records, reports, audits.

(1) The State agency shall:

(i) Keep such accounts and records as may be necessary to enable FNS to determine whether there has been compliance with this section, and

(ii) Adhere to the retention and custodial requirements for records set forth in § 277.4 of this chapter.

(2) The State agency receiving funds either through a Treasury RDO Letter of Credit system or Treasury check shall submit quarterly reports to FNS on Form SF-425, “Financial Status Report,” by the 30th day after close of the reporting quarter and shall submit such other reports as may be required by FNS.

(3) The appropriate provisions of part 277 are adaptable to this section for additional guidance.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0584-0071)

(44 U.S.C. 3506)

[44 FR 35928, June 19, 1979, as amended at 47 FR 746, Jan. 7, 1982. Redesignated and amended by Amdt. 1, 47 FR 14137, Apr. 2, 1982, as amended at 62 FR 53731, Oct. 16, 1997. Redesignated at 64 FR 73385, Dec. 30, 1999, as amended at 77 FR 50907, Aug. 23, 2012; 81 FR 66498, Sept. 28, 2016; 84 FR 45877, Sept. 3, 2019; 85 FR 42303, July 14, 2020]