In a thrilling update that surely has grant administrators on the edge of their seats, NASA has issued a fresh set of guidelines for its grant and cooperative agreement recipients, complete with deadlines, acronyms, and a rather pointed reminder about diversity initiatives.
First, the bureaucratic basics: if you're itching to know the status of your grant, you can fill out the NASA General Information Request Form and receive an automated email - because nothing says "space exploration" like a form email. For those already funded, NASA has helpfully separated the Terms and Conditions from the Grant and Cooperative Agreement Manual (GCAM) into a standalone document, effective FY2025, covering all awards under 2 CFR 1800 (which, for the uninitiated, is NASA's adoption of 2 CFR 200). Thrilling stuff, we know.
But wait, there's more! In a move that has probably made some contractors spill their coffee, NASA's Office of Procurement issued a memo on January 23, 2025, instructing all grant and cooperative agreement recipients to immediately cease and desist all DEIA activities required for their grants. That includes DEIA plan requirements, training, workshops, reporting, staffing considerations, and any other direct or indirect activity related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. If you spot any grant requirements that violate this guidance, you're supposed to notify your cognizant Grant Officer - whose contact info is on your NF 1687, Notice of Award. Because nothing says "partnership" like a cease-and-desist.
For those looking to tweak their grants, there are handy templates for Administrative Supplement Requests and Principal Investigator (PI) Change Requests, which you can email to NSSC-ADMIN-SUPPLEMENT REQUEST and NSSC-Grants-PI-Transfer, respectively. And please, for the love of all that is holy, use the NASA Insignia Format from the guidelines - it's for awareness, they say, for a broader and more diverse population. (We're not sure if the irony is intentional.)
Money comes via the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Payment Management System (PMS), which will give you instructions for registering and requesting funds. And yes, there's a help desk: 1-877-614-5533, because even federal agencies know you'll need help.
Now, the fun part: reporting. All recipients must submit annual performance reports 60 days prior to the anniversary of the award's period of performance (POP) start date. Semi-annual Federal Financial Reports (FFRs) are due by April 30 for Period 1 (October 1 - March 31) and October 30 for Period 2 (April 1 - September 30). Final FFRs are due 120 days after the end of the POP. Mark your calendars, folks - or better yet, set a recurring reminder.
If you feel you've been discriminated against (which, given the DEIA pause, might be a bit awkward), you can file a complaint with the NASA OIG Hotline at 1-800-424-9183 or online at https://oig.nasa.gov/hotline.html. The address is 300 E Street, S.W., Suite 8V39, Washington, DC 20546-0001. And don't forget to check out Grants.gov, NSSC Grants Payment Package, NSPIRES, and SAM for all your other bureaucratic needs.
So there you have it: NASA wants your money spent right, your reports on time, and your DEIA activities on ice. Godspeed.