How CHRIS 180 Built a Scalable Grants Operating Model Through a Phased Investment

From Single Audit Collaboration to Embedded Post-Award Expertise and a Modernized Grants Operating Model

As nonprofit organizations grow their federal and state grant portfolios, the grants function naturally evolves in complexity. Reporting cycles compress, sponsor requirements diversify, and the volume of post-award activity expands. Leading nonprofits anticipate this trajectory and invest in specialized expertise and supporting systems before complexity outpaces capacity.

CHRIS 180, a leading behavioral health nonprofit serving children, youth, adults, and families across metro Atlanta, Georgia, exemplifies this forward-looking approach. Working closely with its CFO, the organization engaged Attain Partners across three deliberate phases, beginning with collaboration on Single Audit deliverables, expanding into embedded post-award expertise, and progressing into a modernized, systems-driven grants operating model. The sequence reflects the discipline of an organization that chose to scale its grants infrastructure intentionally, rather than letting growth dictate the timing.

Phase One: Specialized Support for the Single Audit

Single Audit cycles for federally funded nonprofits benefit from focused engagement with professionals who work in this space daily. CHRIS 180’s CFO engaged Attain Partners to bring that specialized expertise alongside internal staff. The work focused on preparing and confirming the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA), including Assistance Listing Numbers, expenditures, award numbers, and pass-through determinations, and on coordinating with staff to organize supporting documentation efficiently.

The collaboration extended beyond document preparation. It included addressing follow-up questions on selected transactions, engaging on policy and procedure topics, and contributing to discussions around audit findings and corrective action language. This kind of engagement, common at organizations with sophisticated federal portfolios, allows internal teams to maintain focus on day-to-day responsibilities while specialized advisors handle the technical dimensions of the audit.

The result was deeper leadership visibility into how awards were being tracked, documented, and reported, an informed view that helped shape decisions about where additional investment would deliver the most value.

Phase Two: Embedded Post-Award Expertise for a Grant Portfolio

Building on the audit collaboration, CHRIS 180 elected to expand the engagement into embedded post-award support. The decision reflected a deliberate choice to position specialized capacity inside the day-to-day grants function as the organization’s federal portfolio continued to grow.

The embedded model supported a broad range of post-award activities, including Federal Financial Report preparation, balance sheet and general ledger reconciliations, personnel allocation entries, cost transfers, reclassifications, and a parallel budget and expense tracking process that gave leadership additional real-time visibility into grant activity.

The support also connected internal operations more closely with sponsor-facing workstreams. Prior approvals, Federal Financial Reports, progress reports, federal drawdowns, state and local contract invoicing, accounts receivable entries, and indirect cost allocations all benefited from coordinated handling. Rather than simply adding capacity, the embedded model placed specialized post-award expertise directly alongside the work, a structure many sophisticated federal grantees use to support compliance and operational efficiency simultaneously.

The embedded expertise also helped CHRIS 180 navigate evolving federal policy. As guidance shifted, the team translated requirements into practical decisions around documentation, reporting, prior approvals, allowability, and program staff communication. That kind of operational interpretation is particularly valuable in a federal grants environment that continues to develop.

Coordinated post-award activity supported stronger sponsor invoicing as well. Timely, accurate invoicing supported by appropriate documentation helps any nonprofit convert earned revenue into cash on a predictable cycle. For CHRIS 180, disciplined invoicing reinforced the cash flow consistency that supports staffing, services, and mission delivery.

Phase Three: Modernizing the Grants Operating Model

Building on the foundation established through the embedded engagement, CHRIS 180 advanced into a systems-enabled grants operating model. This phase aligned with the organization’s broader investment in modern financial infrastructure.

Work in this phase included implementation of the Sage Intacct Grants and Project module, system-based invoicing, configured allocations, system-generated indirect cost allocations, Paylocity integration with Sage Intacct, payroll-related system entries, and refined separation of personnel charges at the employee level.

Moving grants activity into structured system workflows supports repeatability, traceability, and institutional knowledge that resides in the system rather than with any single individual. For a nonprofit managing a diverse grant portfolio, that infrastructure strengthens reporting, billing, and documentation while creating a stronger foundation for compliant invoicing and cash management.

Why the Phased Approach Succeeded

The clearest takeaway from this engagement is the value of sequencing. CHRIS 180’s leadership chose to invest in Attain Partners for their specialized expertise in deliberate stages, with each phase informing the next.

The first phase introduced specialized audit support. The second phase brought embedded post-award expertise inside the grants function. The third phase aligned that expertise with modern systems and process design.

This sequencing matters because many nonprofits face similar inflection points. Leadership recognizes that the grants function will benefit from additional capacity and infrastructure, but the right combination of expertise, systems, and internal capacity is rarely obvious from the outset. A phased investment allows organizations to align spending with realized value at each stage, build internal alignment along the way, and modernize without disrupting program delivery.

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Grants Operations as Mission Infrastructure

For mission-driven organizations, grants administration sits at the intersection of program delivery, sponsor confidence, and financial sustainability. It is part of the infrastructure that makes scale possible.

The CHRIS 180 engagement illustrates the value of aligning specialized support to the organization’s stage of growth. Audit collaboration delivered visibility. Embedded post-award expertise added capacity, supported response to evolving federal policy, and strengthened invoicing practices that reinforce cash flow. Modernized systems and process design positioned the grants function to scale with the mission.

For nonprofits planning their next phase of growth, a phased investment in specialized grants expertise and supporting infrastructure offers a structured path to a stronger grants function, one that protects current funding while supporting the organization’s long-term mission. Learn how Attain Partners can help.

About the Author

Anthony Cassese, MBA is a Manager at Attain Partners based in the Boston/Providence region. He has over 16 years of experience in grants management and research administration, with deep expertise in post-award and finance, with a strong foundation in pre-award processes. Throughout his career, Mr. Cassese has successfully led and managed multiple client engagements, serving as a trusted project manager responsible for coordinating with key stakeholders, ensuring alignment with project scope, and driving successful outcomes. His client portfolio spans R1 and R2 universities as well as small nonprofit organizations, providing him with a broad perspective on institutional needs and operational models.