November 2024

Greetings,

We are excited to share the November edition of the Grants Management Newsletter, highlighting the latest advancements across Oklahoma utilizing the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF). 

First, thank you all for your diligence in getting our office your quarterly metrics. Your swift reporting helped us meet the Q3 2024 Project and Expenditure Report deadline for the U.S. Department of the Treasury. We extend our gratitude for your assistance.

In October, our team had the pleasure of attending the Topping Out Ceremony for the OU Children's Behavioral Health Center. We had the incredible opportunity to observe the last beam get placed on the project site. Our team is grateful for the opportunity to see, firsthand, the work being carried out by these SLFRF funds. Although the Grants Management Office plays a small role in the larger ensemble that is SLFRF, it is nevertheless important to pause and reflect on the amazing work that all of you are accomplishing. These projects will certainly impact the lives of Oklahomans for years to come.  For more on the OU Children's Behavioral Health Center project, please see the subrecipient recognition section.

Every month in this newsletter, we direct agencies to request guidance from our office. The Grants Management Office recently received a request for guidance on a specific restricted use of funds. For more information, see the subrecipient guidance section.

As always, if you ever have any questions, please contact me or my team for assistance.

Sincerely,

Parker Wise
Director of Grants Management
Office of Management and Enterprise Services

Note: These metrics reflect data as of Nov. 1. Please visit the ARPA-SLFRF Program Tracker for the most up-to-date information.

• $780,570,000, or 41.74%, of total funds disbursed.
• $33,994,914.78 disbursed in October.
• 18 projects fully funded to date.
• $58,285,756.21 disbursed in Q3.

Our office recently added a resource to guide subrecipients through the Restricted Use of ARPA-SLFRF funds in regard to Settlements and Judgements. Please take some time to review and familiarize yourself with this new guidance.

GMO has recently refreshed templates live on the web. These templates were all updated last spring, and we had a few new additions over the summer. Please ensure that you are using the most up-to-date versions of these reporting templates. These are located at the bottom of our Subrecipient guidance webpage.

Additionally, if you would like GMO to consider drafting guidance for your agency on any ARPA-SLFRF-related questions or to submit a question to the U.S. Department of the Treasury on your behalf, please complete this online form.

For more federal guidance resources, visit the U.S. Department of the Treasury SLFRF website.

This month, we would like to highlight our partners at the University Hospitals Authority and Trust (UHAT) for their outstanding progress toward standing up the nation's most advanced pediatric mental health facility.

The state Legislature appropriated $39,400,000 from the ARPA-SLFRF for UHAT to fund a free standing pediatric behavioral health facility that serves pediatric patients from every county in Oklahoma.

In just under a year, OU Health and UHAT have broken ground on the facility and brought the project to the point of placing the final beam in the construction phase. In October, OU Health invited officials to celebrate the Topping Out Ceremony and watch as the last beam was placed on the behavioral and mental health center. This center will be the first children's mental health facility in the state. It will have a 72-bed capacity to deliver high-quality mental health care to pediatric patients across Oklahoma.

GMO is excited to see this project come to fruition under UHAT's leadership. We commend them for their dedication to increasing mental health access and transforming the mental health landscape of the state.

Know of any state or local grant programs? Let us know so we can feature them on the ARPA-SLFRF website and in this newsletter!

GMO is excited to spotlight grants programs from across the state to increase awareness for funds that are making an impact in the lives of Oklahomans.

The U.S. Small Business Administration recently announced that $290,000 in competitive grant funding has been awarded to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce (Commerce) through the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) grant program to help companies increase their exporting capabilities. Oklahoma is one of 43 awardees selected after a competitive application process. Since 2020, Oklahoma has received $1,718,600 in funding through the STEP grant program, supporting 135 Oklahoma small businesses to increase their export sales.  

Read more in Commerce's press release.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently awarded $1,109,322.27 in federal funding to the City of Shawnee, for permanent repairs as a direct result of severe storms, winds and tornadoes in April 2023. This funding is authorized under Section 406 of the Robert T. Stafford Act.

During the incident period, severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes caused damages throughout the City of Shawnee. This created an immediate threat to property, and the health and safety of the general public. The Shawnee Indoor Skate Park building, was directly impacted by tornado wind-blown debris and straight-line wind debris, which damaged the pre-engineered, rigid steel frame building’s walls and roof.

Know of any state or local grant programs? Let us know so we can feature them on the ARPA-SLFRF website and in this newsletter!

Did you know that the Uniform Guidance provides general provisions for selected items of cost?

For example, considerations for travel costs can be found at 2 CFR 200.475.

Oklahoma Broadband Office moving ahead with high-speed internet expansion

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education strengthens teacher recruitment through ARPA-SLFRF program

OU Health places last beam in behavioral health hospital for children

Several rural parts of Oklahoma to receive high-speed internet for the first time

Want to be highlighted in the newsletter or on the ARPA-SLFRF website? Share progress from your SLFRF projects by submitting them to our Outreach team.

Know of any upcoming events? Let us know so we can feature them on the ARPA-SLFRF website!

National Grants Management Association Conference

Mar. 12-14 | Washington, D.C.

OMES GMO and Agate Grants Management System webinar training for subrecipients

Workday@OK Course

If you know of any other training opportunities, please share them with us!

Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB)

• Ardmore Air Park.
• Fair Oaks Ranch.
• Luger-Altus Irrigation District.
• OKC 577.
• Port of Inola.
• Tinker Water needs.

University Hospitals Trust & Authority (UHAT)

• OU Health Technology Modernization.

Department of Health

• Redlands project.
• Bethany Children's Health Center.

Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission

• Tulsa Air and Space.

Center for Advancement of Science and Technology

• The Fab Lab.

Oklahoma Broadband Office

• Administration.

Healthcare Workforce Training Commission (HWTC)

• Administration.

Oklahoma Human Services

• Family Safety Centers.
• Tulsa First Step Male Diversion.
• Food Insecurity Grant.
• The Spring Shelter.

Department of Commerce

• Nonprofit program.

Visit the ARPA-SLFRF Program Tracker to view summaries for all projects.