Improving Grants Management in the U.S. Virgin Islands: Q&A with Tatia Monell-Hewitt

September 30, 2025 | Anya Groner

Public health agencies have an important role in piecing together federal and local funding to support a comprehensive, cohesive array of programs and services for their communities. Optimal management of these funds ensures communities maintain access to these crucial initiatives. In the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), decentralized and inefficient processing coupled with high staff turnover caused delays in grant procurement that, at times, caused funds to go unspent. In the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Category 5 storms that devastated the islands in 2017, USVI Governor Albert Bryan Jr. sought assistance to manage and spend the federal funds available for the massive recovery process.

In collaboration with ASTHO and the Department of the Interior, the territorial government began a three-year business process improvement initiative to streamline grants management. Nine agencies, including the governor’s office, came together to establish official grant and financial management systems, ensuring that federal funding could be accessed faster once approved. By maintaining a long-term vision, consistency of effort, and steadfast support from leadership and staff, USVI has been highly successful in streamlining the grants management process. Since the new system launched in 2023, initial sample data showed a range of 25-64% reductions across agencies in the time to set up federal grants, which enables the health agency to begin work sooner – highlighting what is possible with continual improvement. Furthermore, communication channels established through the business process improvement initiative have enabled interagency collaboration. This initiative built the foundations for improving grants management in USVI, and the Department of the Interior awarded additional funds to continue interagency communication, collaboration, and improvement to sustain the gains.

In this interview, the USVI Department of Health’s Chief Finance Officer Tatia Monell-Hewitt discusses how changes to USVI’s grants management process and increased interagency collaboration impact public health.

What prompted the update to USVI's grants management process? Was there a particular event or series of events?

The update was prompted by the USVI’s Department of Health’s successful Business Process Improvement initiative in 2019-2021, along with a broader recognition of inefficiencies and inconsistencies in how federal grants were being managed across government agencies. An analysis of several grants conducted by ASTHO throughout government agencies revealed that, in some cases, the setup process from the receipt of a Notice of Award (NOA) to having the budget available online, could take up to 255 days or the better part of a year. These delays significantly hindered program execution and the timely drawdown of funds. The findings highlighted the urgent need for a streamlined and standardized grants management process.

What were some of the biggest changes that you made to the grant process, and why are they so valuable?

The most impactful changes include adoption of a standardized federal grant planning and setup process across the nine agencies defined as receiving the NOA to having an approved budget online. We moved from paper to an electronic process to improve transparency, speed, and accountability, and agreed to/established defined time frames for each step. Lastly, the creation of the Federal grant community of practice allowed for ongoing training, problem identification and resolution, and building process consistency across and within agencies. These improvements reduce delays, increase first-time accuracy, and enhance compliance, ultimately allowing agencies to deliver services to the community more quickly and effectively.

The grants management process is often invisible to the public. Have USVI residents noticed the quicker turnaround?

Yes! A more efficient grants management process has strengthened community trust in the U.S. Virgin Islands public health system. Improved customer satisfaction, faster service delivery, increased outreach participation, and more responsive agency communication have made a real difference. The community sees that the department is being a responsible steward of federal funds, which builds confidence in our ability to serve and protect.

How did the improvements to the grants management process impact health agencies in particular?

The Department of Health benefits from clearer roles and responsibilities in grant execution. That translates to quicker access to funding. A key example is the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity grant. The budget was approved and online within 30 days of the NOA. This enabled a swift response to the dengue outbreak that began in December 2024 on St. Thomas and St. John. Using real-time surveillance from the dengue dashboard, the epidemiology team targeted mosquito control efforts in hotspot communities. Supported by case mapping and proactive prevention strategies, the combined efforts — surveillance, lab testing, provider education and resource deployment — helped contain the outbreak and safeguard public health.

How have partnerships strengthened health access and preparedness? Has that culture of collaboration and communication across government agencies continued in other projects?

Absolutely. Agencies such as the Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Department of Finance, Department of Justice, and the Office of Management and Budget now coordinate processes, resolve issues collaboratively, and share training initiatives. Strong partnerships ensure that the Department of Health can align financial resources quickly to support health programs and improve access to care and emergency preparedness. Shared accountability has enabled timely and effective service delivery for the community.

Have other improvements to grants management and agency coordination resulted from the business process improvement initiative?

Definitely. The process has led to a uniform process across departments. Shared expectations include ongoing performance measures, a focus on timelines, a standard operating procedure checklist, and shared tools such as Adobe Acrobat Sign. Regular communication and updates shared in the community of practice meetings have made the grants management process more efficient, trainable, and adaptable to new challenges.

What does the Department of Health’s grants management data collection show, and how does it use this data for continued improvement?

The Department of Health uses a scorecard to track critical metrics such as milestone completion times, low spending rates, slow drawdowns, and the number of corrections needed. This data driven approach has helped us identify bottlenecks, guide training, and informed standard operating procedures. It has also highlighted programs that consistently manage their grants well.

How do you see this work continuing over the long term?

This work is built for long term sustainability. We’ve set up continuous education using the-train-the-trainer model, ongoing performance reviews and interagency meetings, and accountability by the community of practice and the cross-agency leadership team. We have a shared vision of efficiency and citizen-focused service delivery.

What about this work are you most proud of?

I am most proud of how multiple agencies came together to build a unified, efficient system. We've significantly shortened the time between the NOA and getting the budget online. We’ve established timeframes for each step of the grant procurement process — two days to receive the NOA, 10 days to adjust the spending plan, three days to obtain financial codes, seven days to submit the budget, and three days to get the budget online. That’s 25 days total for the entire grant turnaround. That alone has enabled us to serve our community much faster, which is what matters most.