1. Programmatic Changes. The State Commission or Parent Organization must first obtain the prior written approval of the AmeriCorps Program Office before making the following changes in the approved Program:
a. Changes in the scope, objectives or goals of the Program, whether or not they involve budgetary changes;
b. Substantial changes in the level of participant supervision;
c. Entering into additional sub-grants or contracts for AmeriCorps activities funded by the grant, but not identified or included in the approved application and grant budget.
Programmatic changes require final approval of the Corporation’s Office of Grants Management (see M.4. below).
2. Program Changes for Formula Programs. State Commissions are responsible for approving the above changes for state formula programs.
3. Budgetary Changes. The grantee must obtain the prior written approval of the Corporation’s Office of Grants Management before deviating from the approved budget in any of the following ways:
a. Reallocation of Funds from the "Member Support Cost” category to other categories of the approved budget. However, the grantee may reallocate funds within the line items in this category, except for increases in health care cost per member, which must be approved. The specific line items covered by this sub-clause are:
i. Living allowance,
ii. FICA, worker's compensation, and unemployment insurance and
iii. Health care (or alternative health care).
b. Specific Costs Requiring Prior Approval before Incurrence under OMB Circulars A-21, A-87 or A-122. For certain cost items, the cost circulars require approval of the awarding agency for the cost to be allowable. Examples of these costs are overtime pay, rearrangement and alteration costs, and pre-award costs.
c. Purchases of Equipment over $5,000 using grant funds, unless specified in the approved application and budget.
d. Unless the Corporation share of the award is $100,000 or less, changes to cumulative budget line items that amount to 10 per cent or more of the total program budget must be approved in writing in advance by the Corporation. The total program budget includes both the Corporation and grantee shares. Grantees may transfer funds among approved direct cost categories when the cumulative amount of such transfers does not exceed 10 percent of the total program budget.
4. Approvals of Programmatic and Budget Changes. The Corporation’s Grants Officers are the only officials who have the authority to change the requirements of the grant. The Grants Officers will execute written amendments, and grantees should not assume approvals have been granted unless documentation from the Grants Office has been received.