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Table of Contents
Summary
Process Overview
Create Expenses
Review Expenses
Close Expenses with Reporting Period
Summary
Progress reports are due on a semi-annual basis for the duration of the project and until closeout. Every Quarter you will complete a 1) Quarterly Report and 2) Log Expenses.
Process Overview
To navigate to the Award screen:
From the AmpliFund Home Screen > Grant Management (left navigation) > Grants > [Choose Your Grant]
This guide describes how to submit a payment request to DED. There are three basic steps:
- Create Expenses
- Review Expenses
- Submit a Reporting Period with associated expenses, using a date range
You will add expenses to track against your Budget.
Attachments
1. Below is a summary of where you will and won’t add attachments to during this process:
- Expense(s) (Attachments tab) – Source Documentation and Proof of Payment
- Payment Request – No Attachments
Budget Overview
2. To see your budget: Award Screen > Post-Award > Financial > Budget
NOTE: If your budget is blank, please contact your Program Rep.
3. Select Match below the options to view the Match column.
Create Expenses
In AmpliFund, expenses will be allocated to line items. Line items will be allocated to Budget Categories.
4. There are three ways to access the pages necessary for Expense creation:
a. Activity (left navigation) > Expenses
b. Award Screen > Post-Award > Financial > Expenses
c. Award Screen > Post-Award > Financial > Budget > click the $ icon next to a line item
5. From the Expense page, click the + icon to add an expense.
Complete the General Tab
The expense window will appear where you can add an expense record.
6. Complete the General tab on the expense.
Category– [Choose the category in the dropdown menu.]
Line Item– [Select Line Item. Dropdown is pre-populated from what line items are in the chosen category.]
Direct Cost– [Enter the amount for the eligible Total Cost of the Expense. (Grant Funds + Match)]
Exclude From Match– [Select if all of the cost is covered by Grant Funds ($0 Match), or you can enter $0 for Match on the Financials tab.]
Expense Date– [Select the Date of the Expense.]
Expense Status– Reviewed.
NOTE: An expense must be marked as Reviewed for it to be included on the Payment Request.
Payee– Optional. If you wish to track your vendors/contractor/firm, use the dropdown, or choose Create New and type in the name of your vendor.
Description– Optional. Add in any details you would like to record.
Complete the Financials Tab
This tab allows you to allocate a portion of the expense to Grant Funds and a portion to matching funds. Grant Amount should be designated as grant-funded (e.g., if the Grant Amount is $10,000, only $10,000 may be designated as grant-funded).
7. Complete the Financials tab on the expense.
Cash Match Amount– [Toggle to Dollar. Enter the Cash Match for this expense. If this expense has no cash match, enter $0.]
In Kind Amount– [Toggle to Dollar. Enter the In-Kind Match for this expense. If this expense has no cash
match, enter $0.]
Grant Funded– Auto calculate based what is entered in the Direct Cost and Match Amount.
Direct Cost– Auto populate from General tab.
Best Practice
If you have additional eligible costs after running out of grant and match funds, use match amount again (not grant funds). Going over in matching funds is allowed. However, going over the grant-funded amount will cause processing delays and require you to correct expenses.
Review your current match amount entered by viewing the 'Grant Budget Variance' report. Checking this
report before you submit a Payment Request can save you time and effort and ensure your expenses are
accurate.
Complete the Attachments Tab
8. Complete the Attachments tab on the Expense
9. Attach your Source Documentation and Proof of Payment here. Source Documentation is required on ALL draws.
a. Source Documentation includes receipts, invoices, timesheets, bank statements, cleared checks,
etc.
b. Proof of Payment means a canceled check, bank statement, confirmation of debit or credit card
payment, confirmation of wire or automated clearing house transfer, or similar documentation
which provides substantiating evidence that payment of an invoice has been made.
10. Click Create to add that expense.
Edit Expenses
11. To edit an expense after creation, click the Pencil icon next to the description, make changes, and click Save.
NOTE: Expenses with an Expense Status of ‘Closed’ cannot be edited because they have already been approved by DED. If your expense status is “Reviewed”, but you do not have an edit pencil, DELETE the associated, unsubmitted payment request.
12. To delete an expense or more than one, select the expense row(s) then click the Trashcan icon.
Review Expenses
You will want to double check the ‘Reviewed’ expenses before creating a payment request.
The section below, Evaluate Created Expenses, shows you the best option to review your expenses individually. The following section, View AmpliFund Reports to Track Expenses, presents three different ways to review all your expenses and overall budget. This section is optional but is useful in monitoring that you are drawing down funds appropriately.
Evaluate Created Expenses
13. Navigate to your created expenses: Award Screen > Post-Award (tab) > Financial > Expenses
14. On the Expenses screen, set the appropriate filters:
- Time Frame: Custom (Typically, use date range from your payment request.)
- Grant: [Choose Grant]
- Category: Leave this as ‘Select a Category’ to see them all. You can filter further if you need to.
- Line Item: Leave this as ‘Select a Line’ Item’ to see them all. You can filter further if you need to.
- Options:
- Total Budgeted – The total Budgeted amount for that line item.
- Total Expensed – The total Expensed amount for that line item.
- Total Remaining – The formula for that line item = Total Budgeted – Total Expensed
- Cash Match: Cash Match Amount for that Expense.
- In Kind: In Kind Match Amount for that Expense.
- Amount: Expense’s Direct Cost (Grant Funded + Cash Match amount)
15. Click Run. This will now list all expenses from your filtering criteria.
16. You can click into the expenses (clicking the green description name), if it is easier, to view and read the description.
Expense Status: The ones that can be included in a payment request are ‘Reviewed’. ‘Closed’ Expenses have already been submitted.
Budget Category: What the line item is tied to.
Line Item: What the Expense is tied to in the category.
Total Budgeted– The total Budgeted amount for that line item.
Total Expensed– The total Expensed amount for that line item.
Total Remaining– The following formula for that line item: Total Budgeted – Total Expensed
Cash Match: Cash Match Amount for that Expense.
In Kind: In Kind Match Amount for that Expense.
Amount: Expense’s Direct Cost (Grant Funded + Cash Match amount)
View AmpliFund Reports to Track Expenses
This section is optional but can be used to help review your expenses in a different format and monitor your overall budget. There is one dashboard (Analytics) and two reports (Grant Budget Variance and Grant Expense Detail) that you can view to review or track your expenses and monitor your budget.
Analytics (Total Expenses per Category)
17. To view your total expenses that have been entered that do not have an expense status of ‘Denied’ (not necessarily approved): Go to Grant Management > Grants > [Choose the Grant]. Click on the
Analytics tab.
18. View the Category Budget graph at the bottom.
Standard Reports
Two reports are available to you for budget and expense tracking: Grant Budget Variance and Grant Expense Detail.
19. Go to Reports (left navigation) > Post-Award > [Choose Report]
a. Additional Filters (such as date and Grant) are on the right side.
b. To export this report, select the down arrow on the left side and choose the export type.
Grant Budget Variance
20. Summarizes the budgeted and actual expensed amounts (line items and category totals). Includes all
expenses, not necessarily approved expenses and do not have an expense status of ‘Denied’.
NOTE: This report will show you have not fully contributed your Cash Match in a category or if you have over requested Grant Funds.
Grant Expense Detail
21. Lists entered expenses. You can use this report instead of searching in theGrant Expensessection
(Grants > [Choose Grant] > Post-Award > Financial > Expenses).
NOTE: Includes ALL expenses (approved and unapproved).
Create Reporting Period
NOTE: You can submit a Budget Reporting Period with no expenses if you do not have expenses during that time frame. You can also submit a Budget Reporting Period with only Cash Match expenses.
Reporting Periods can be accessed in two ways:
- Activity (left navigation) > Reporting Periods
- Award Screen > Post-Award > Management > Reporting Periods
Click the + icon (top right) to start a Reporting Period.
Select Expenses, the Time Period for the report, and click Save.
Review the Reporting Period in the Overall Expense Details section.
Total Awarded Amount: This is your total grant funded amount.
Total Expense Amount for Period: This will include grant funded + match expenses that have been marked as ‘Reviewed’ during this Reporting Period.
The number Expenses that have been entered and not marked as Reviewed will appear in the Number of Unreviewed Expenses field. Please click on the number and ensure all expenses that need to be included in the Reporting Period have been marked as Reviewed.
Comments: Optional.
Attach Documentation: Optional.
You will not need to upload your documentation here; it is on your individual expenses.
Expense Analytics: Not applicable; it takes the total in your categories and divides it by the number of months (periods). This is not accurate with how we allocate money.
Expense Closeout: Keep this as ‘Select All’. Expenses need to be ‘closed’ in order to show up in the Payment Request. Like the ‘Expense Analytics’ section, the ‘Budgeted Amount’ column is not applicable.
If you are ready to submit your Reporting Period to Nebraska DED, click Close.
If you wish to save progress but not submit to Nebraska DED click the Save button.
You cannot edit Reporting Periods after they have been ‘Closed’. If you need to edit an expense from a ‘closed’ reporting period, contact your Program Manager.
Found Expense After Reporting Period Is Closed
If you have an item that should have been included in a previous Reporting Period, include it in the most recent Reporting Period you can. The date of the expense can be from a ‘Closed’ Reporting Period. If it is marked as ‘Reviewed’ it will roll-up into the next one.