FAC Explorer

Audit 319739

FY End
2023-12-31
Total Expended
$827,814
Findings
6
Programs
2
Organization: National Farmers Union Foundation (DC)
Year: 2023 Accepted: 2024-09-17
Auditor: Gelman Rosenberg & Freedman

Organization Exclusion Status:

Findings

ID Ref Severity Repeat Requirement
496986 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
496987 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes P
496988 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes P
1073428 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
1073429 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes P
1073430 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes P

Programs

ALN Program Spent Major Findings
93.103 Food and Drug Administration_research $793,585 Yes 2
10.328 National Food Safety Training, Education, Extension, Outreach, and Technical Assistance Competitive Grants Program $34,229 - 1

Contacts

Name Title Type
V7MPK8TJVNJ5 Ethan Whitmore Auditee
2025541600 Lindsay Dean Auditor
No contacts on file

Notes to SEFA

Title: Note 1. Basis of Presentation Accounting Policies: Expenditures reported on the Schedule are reported on the accrual basis of accounting. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: Such expenditures are recognized following the cost principles contained in the Uniform Guidance, wherein certain types of expenditures are not allowable or are limited as to reimbursement. Negative amounts shown on the Schedule represent adjustments or credits made in the normal course of business to amounts reported as expenditures in prior years. The Organization has elected not to use the 10-percent de minimis indirect cost rate as allowed under Uniform Guidance. The accompanying Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (the Schedule) includes the Federal award activity of the Organization under programs of the Federal Government for the year ended December 31, 2023. The information in this Schedule is presented in accordance with the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance). The Schedule presents only a selected portion of the operations of the Organization; accordingly, it is not intended to and does not present the financial position, changes in net assets or cash flows of the Organization.
Title: Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Accounting Policies: Expenditures reported on the Schedule are reported on the accrual basis of accounting. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: Such expenditures are recognized following the cost principles contained in the Uniform Guidance, wherein certain types of expenditures are not allowable or are limited as to reimbursement. Negative amounts shown on the Schedule represent adjustments or credits made in the normal course of business to amounts reported as expenditures in prior years. The Organization has elected not to use the 10-percent de minimis indirect cost rate as allowed under Uniform Guidance. Expenditures reported on the Schedule are reported on the accrual basis of accounting. Such expenditures are recognized following the cost principles contained in the Uniform Guidance, wherein certain types of expenditures are not allowable or are limited as to reimbursement. Negative amounts shown on the Schedule represent adjustments or credits made in the normal course of business to amounts reported as expenditures in prior years. The Organization has elected not to use the 10-percent de minimis indirect cost rate as allowed under Uniform Guidance.
Title: Note 3. Reconciliation to Exhibit B Accounting Policies: Expenditures reported on the Schedule are reported on the accrual basis of accounting. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: Such expenditures are recognized following the cost principles contained in the Uniform Guidance, wherein certain types of expenditures are not allowable or are limited as to reimbursement. Negative amounts shown on the Schedule represent adjustments or credits made in the normal course of business to amounts reported as expenditures in prior years. The Organization has elected not to use the 10-percent de minimis indirect cost rate as allowed under Uniform Guidance. Grants administrative fee $ 222,775 Direct Federal grant revenue included in contributions total on Exhibit B 605,039 TOTAL FEDERAL REVENUE RECOGNIZED $ 827,814

Finding Details

Finding 2023-001
Finding 2023-001 Procurement Information on the Federal Programs: 93.103 Criteria: Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200, paragraph 318 “General procurement standards” states that the non-Federal entity must use its own documented procurement procedures which reflect applicable State, local, and tribal laws, and regulations, provided that the procurements conform to applicable Federal law and the standards. Furthermore, paragraph 319 “Competition” states that all procurement transactions must be conducted in a manner providing full and open competition consistent with these standards. Condition: We noted instances where procurement procedures were not documented for purchases in accordance with the Organization's threshold. Cause: The Organization did not adhere to its procurement policy in that it failed to perform the prescribed procurement procedures throughout the fiscal year. Effect: Purchases of goods and services could be made above the prevailing market rates if the prescribed procurement procedures are not adhered to, and thus, there lies the potential that the Organization will not receive the best value for its purchases. The procurement process should also allow for an evaluation of potential conflicts of interest with prospective vendors and contractors. Furthermore, failure to perform the proper procurement procedures could result in disallowance of Federal Expenditures based on lack of fair competition. Questioned Costs: None noted. Context: The Organization failed to adhere to its procurement policy, and hence, noncompliance with Federal standards. Our audit work in this area consisted of internal control testwork over a random sample of expenditures, as well as substantive testwork over transactions above a defined threshold from select expense accounts that were charged to the Federal program. We consider our samples to be representative of the respective populations, and thus, are statistically valid samples. The issue is considered systemic in nature. Identification as a Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that the Organization ensure its policy is distributed and communicated in a formal manner to its employees, and that management properly enforce compliance with its policy. All procurement actions should be clearly documented in writing and maintained in the vendor or contractor files.
Finding 2023-002
Finding 2023-002 Year-End Closing Process Information on the Federal Programs: All Criteria: In accordance with 2 CFR 200.303, the Organization must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in ‘‘Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government’’ issued by the Comptroller General of the United States and the ‘‘Internal Control Integrated Framework’’, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Condition: We had several current year audit adjustments including an adjustment to tie out opening net assets, adjustments to update the year-end balance of investments, and additional audit adjustments were provided late during the audit process that impacted the numbers on the Schedule of Federal Expenditures. We will continue our prior year recommendation. Cause: The monthly and year-end closing process did not detect these corrections. Effect: If all accounts are not properly reconciled as of year-end, the Organization's consolidated financial statements may contain undetected misstatements. Questioned Costs: None noted. Context: Our audit included testwork over significant asset and liability balances. Identification as a Repeat Finding: See Finding 2022-001 Recommendation: We recommend that the Organization pay additional attention to the closing process to ensure that all accounts are reconciled in advance of the audit. Review and approval procedures should be in place to ensure that errors are detected.
Finding 2023-002
Finding 2023-002 Year-End Closing Process Information on the Federal Programs: All Criteria: In accordance with 2 CFR 200.303, the Organization must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in ‘‘Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government’’ issued by the Comptroller General of the United States and the ‘‘Internal Control Integrated Framework’’, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Condition: We had several current year audit adjustments including an adjustment to tie out opening net assets, adjustments to update the year-end balance of investments, and additional audit adjustments were provided late during the audit process that impacted the numbers on the Schedule of Federal Expenditures. We will continue our prior year recommendation. Cause: The monthly and year-end closing process did not detect these corrections. Effect: If all accounts are not properly reconciled as of year-end, the Organization's consolidated financial statements may contain undetected misstatements. Questioned Costs: None noted. Context: Our audit included testwork over significant asset and liability balances. Identification as a Repeat Finding: See Finding 2022-001 Recommendation: We recommend that the Organization pay additional attention to the closing process to ensure that all accounts are reconciled in advance of the audit. Review and approval procedures should be in place to ensure that errors are detected.
Finding 2023-001
Finding 2023-001 Procurement Information on the Federal Programs: 93.103 Criteria: Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200, paragraph 318 “General procurement standards” states that the non-Federal entity must use its own documented procurement procedures which reflect applicable State, local, and tribal laws, and regulations, provided that the procurements conform to applicable Federal law and the standards. Furthermore, paragraph 319 “Competition” states that all procurement transactions must be conducted in a manner providing full and open competition consistent with these standards. Condition: We noted instances where procurement procedures were not documented for purchases in accordance with the Organization's threshold. Cause: The Organization did not adhere to its procurement policy in that it failed to perform the prescribed procurement procedures throughout the fiscal year. Effect: Purchases of goods and services could be made above the prevailing market rates if the prescribed procurement procedures are not adhered to, and thus, there lies the potential that the Organization will not receive the best value for its purchases. The procurement process should also allow for an evaluation of potential conflicts of interest with prospective vendors and contractors. Furthermore, failure to perform the proper procurement procedures could result in disallowance of Federal Expenditures based on lack of fair competition. Questioned Costs: None noted. Context: The Organization failed to adhere to its procurement policy, and hence, noncompliance with Federal standards. Our audit work in this area consisted of internal control testwork over a random sample of expenditures, as well as substantive testwork over transactions above a defined threshold from select expense accounts that were charged to the Federal program. We consider our samples to be representative of the respective populations, and thus, are statistically valid samples. The issue is considered systemic in nature. Identification as a Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that the Organization ensure its policy is distributed and communicated in a formal manner to its employees, and that management properly enforce compliance with its policy. All procurement actions should be clearly documented in writing and maintained in the vendor or contractor files.
Finding 2023-002
Finding 2023-002 Year-End Closing Process Information on the Federal Programs: All Criteria: In accordance with 2 CFR 200.303, the Organization must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in ‘‘Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government’’ issued by the Comptroller General of the United States and the ‘‘Internal Control Integrated Framework’’, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Condition: We had several current year audit adjustments including an adjustment to tie out opening net assets, adjustments to update the year-end balance of investments, and additional audit adjustments were provided late during the audit process that impacted the numbers on the Schedule of Federal Expenditures. We will continue our prior year recommendation. Cause: The monthly and year-end closing process did not detect these corrections. Effect: If all accounts are not properly reconciled as of year-end, the Organization's consolidated financial statements may contain undetected misstatements. Questioned Costs: None noted. Context: Our audit included testwork over significant asset and liability balances. Identification as a Repeat Finding: See Finding 2022-001 Recommendation: We recommend that the Organization pay additional attention to the closing process to ensure that all accounts are reconciled in advance of the audit. Review and approval procedures should be in place to ensure that errors are detected.
Finding 2023-002
Finding 2023-002 Year-End Closing Process Information on the Federal Programs: All Criteria: In accordance with 2 CFR 200.303, the Organization must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in ‘‘Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government’’ issued by the Comptroller General of the United States and the ‘‘Internal Control Integrated Framework’’, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Condition: We had several current year audit adjustments including an adjustment to tie out opening net assets, adjustments to update the year-end balance of investments, and additional audit adjustments were provided late during the audit process that impacted the numbers on the Schedule of Federal Expenditures. We will continue our prior year recommendation. Cause: The monthly and year-end closing process did not detect these corrections. Effect: If all accounts are not properly reconciled as of year-end, the Organization's consolidated financial statements may contain undetected misstatements. Questioned Costs: None noted. Context: Our audit included testwork over significant asset and liability balances. Identification as a Repeat Finding: See Finding 2022-001 Recommendation: We recommend that the Organization pay additional attention to the closing process to ensure that all accounts are reconciled in advance of the audit. Review and approval procedures should be in place to ensure that errors are detected.