Drawing Down Federal Funds Awarded On or After July 1, 2007

On July 1, 2007, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) streamlined the process for grantees to access their Federal grant funds. While AFI grantees that received awards before that date must follow slightly different procedures, the process to draw down funds from recent grants is now completely electronic. 

Grantees that received AFI awards on or after July 1, 2007, can access their Federal funds in a simple, two-part process.

• First, a grantee must set up its direct deposit arrangement using the Federal Standard Form 1199A so the HHS Division of Payment Management (DPM) can deposit grant funds into the grantee’s bank or credit union account.
• Second, the grantee must ask DPM to deposit Federal dollars into its Project Reserve Fund.

Be sure to contact the AFI Resource Center if you have any questions about accessing grant funds.

Set Up the Electronic Funds Transfer

To establish the electronic funds transfer process, the grantee must take the following steps to complete the Standard Form 1199A:

1. Download a copy of Standard Form 1199A
2. Follow the special, step-by-step instructions for completing the form provided on this Web site. Do not use the instructions on the form itself.
3. Submit the completed 1199A Direct Deposit Form to DPM and send a copy by mail or email OCS. DPM will review the form and let the grantee know when the direct deposit is set up.

Note: If the name of the financial institution listed on the Standard Form 1199A differs from the name listed on the application, DPM will contact the grantee for clarification. The grantee will be advised to submit a letter indicating it has changed its financial institution.

Draw Down the Federal Funds Electronically

After the direct deposit is set up, grantees with awards made after July 1, 2007, use DPM’s SMARTLINK electronic funds request process to draw down the Federal funds.

Grantees receive a username and initial password for the SMARTLINK electronic system at the beginning of their grants, in welcome packages from their DPM account liaisons. To prevent from being locked out of their accounts, all grantees—especially those with multiple Federal grants—should make sure they input the correct user ID and password.

The DPM welcome packages also include the names of grantees' DPM contact people and general instructions for accessing the DPM SMARTLINK system. SMARTLINK procedures can also be found on the DPM Web site.

When a grantee is ready to draw down Federal grant funds, it can request a specified amount through the SMARTLINK system using a high-speed or dial-up Internet connection. The grantee should make sure it has sufficient non-Federal matching dollars in the Project Reserve Fund before drawing from the Federal award. The Office of Grants Management (OGM) monitors the draw down process to ensure compliance.

Once DPM receives a draw down request, it will transfer the funds electronically. This process typically takes 48—72 hours.