Does the small grants waiver make a line compliant?

No. It has to be requested from the funding agency and granted before you can rely on it. Until then the line stays non-compliant. In a determination it is marked waiver-eligible, which is a prompt to file, not a pass.

Waiver category

Small Grants Waiver

Q: Is there an objective test for the small grants waiver?

Yes: Total Federal award does not exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (currently $250,000).

A public interest waiver agencies may consider for awards at or below the Simplified Acquisition Threshold. OMB notes the SAT is currently $250,000, and the award, inclusive of other funding sources, is not anticipated to exceed the SAT over the life of the award.

Objective test: Total Federal award does not exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (currently $250,000)

The objective test

Total Federal award does not exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (currently $250,000).

What the applicant must show

The total Federal award is at or below the Simplified Acquisition Threshold and is not expected to exceed it over the life of the award.

Source

Verified

OMB M-24-02, general applicability public interest waiver examples

A waiver is not compliance

An item that fails its standard but matches this category is marked waiver-eligible in a determination. That is a prompt to assemble the evidence and file the request with the funding agency, not a green light to use the item. Treating waiver-eligible as a pass is exactly what shows up in an audit.

Run a determination

Other waiver categories

Public Interest Waiver Nonavailability Waiver Unreasonable Cost Waiver De Minimis Waiver