Finding 1191659 (2025-001)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
P
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-03-28

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Reimbursable expenditures from federal grants were not fully recognized as revenue and expenditures in the correct fiscal year, leading to audit adjustments.
  • Impacted Requirements: This oversight violates GAAP and 2 CFR 200.303 and 200.510(b), affecting the accuracy of the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA).
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Strengthen internal controls by implementing procedures for identifying and recording reimbursable expenditures, including regular reconciliations and supervisory reviews.

Finding Text

Criteria: Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), including the proper timing of revenue recognition for costreimbursement grants in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 958. In addition, 2 CFR 200.303 – Internal Controls requires nonfederal entities to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and compliance to provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded in the proper accounting period. Further, 2 CFR 200.510(b) requires the auditee to prepare a Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) that accurately reflects federal expenditures for the fiscal year. Condition: During the audit, it was identified that cash received from federal granting agencies under cost-reimbursement grants prior to year-end were appropriately recorded as refundable advances; however, reimbursable expenditures incurred prior to year-end were not fully recognized as contribution revenue and federal expenditures in the appropriate fiscal year. As a result, audit adjustments were required to recognize contribution revenue and federal expenditures related to costs incurred prior to year-end and to update the SEFA to reflect the corrected expenditures. The updated SEFA resulted in an additional federal program being identified as a major program subject to audit. Cause: Internal controls were not sufficiently designed to ensure that reimbursement requests submitted to federal granting agencies were evaluated and incorporated into the revenue recognition and SEFA preparation process. Specifically, while cash received in advance was properly recorded as refundable advances, management did not have a control in place to identify reimbursable expenditures incurred prior to year-end and convert refundable advances to contribution revenue and federal expenditures in the appropriate fiscal period. Effect: Failure to recognize reimbursable grant revenue and federal expenditures in the proper fiscal year resulted in the understatement of contribution revenue and federal expenditures, including amounts reported on the SEFA, prior to audit adjustments. This condition affected the determination of major programs and increased the risk that federal awards may not be accurately reported for audit purposes. Questioned Costs: None. Recommendation: We recommend that management strengthen internal controls over cost-reimbursement grant accounting by implementing procedures to ensure that reimbursable expenditures are identified, reviewed, and recorded in the appropriate fiscal year. This should include reconciliation of reimbursement requests, refundable advances, recorded revenue, and amounts reported on the SEFA, along with documented supervisory review of year-end cutoff procedures. Views of Responsible Officials: Management acknowledges the above finding and will continue to enhance its year-end grant review and reconciliation procedures. During the year ended June 30, 2025, management implemented enhanced grant accounting practices, including engaging an outsourced accounting firm. Management also clarified roles and responsibilities related to federal reporting requirements and implemented additional oversight and training. Management remains committed to the ongoing improvement of internal controls over federal grant reporting and compliance.

Corrective Action Plan

Finding: 2025-001 Reimbursable federal grant revenue Responsible Person: Cecilia Frerotte Title: Contract CFO Phone Number: 617-261-8186 Anticipated Completion Date: June 30, 2026 Corrective Action: Management will enhance grant review and reconciliation procedures to ensure that reimbursable expenditures incurred under cost-reimbursement grants are properly recognized as contribution revenue and federal expenditures in the appropriate period. These procedures will include a grant-by-grant reconciliation of reimbursement requests, refundable advances, award terms, general ledger balances, amounts reported on the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) and amounts reported in all other grant-related compliance reports, as applicable. Management will also formalize and expand supervisory review and approval controls over all grant compliance reporting and year end financial reporting, including the SEFA. In addition, the Board plans to increase the size of the Audit Committee to include members with substantial experience in auditing and grant program oversight. The Audit Committee will meet regularly with both the external auditors and the outsourced accounting firm to provide enhanced governance and oversight of grant accounting and compliance matters.

Categories

Reporting Internal Control / Segregation of Duties

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1191657 2025-001
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1191658 2025-001
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
19.801 OFFICE OF GLOBAL WOMEN'S ISSUES $3.98M
19.345 INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND LABOR $328,881