Tools of the Trade

How do I calculate F&A or indirect costs (IDC)?
Information on calculating F&A or IDC.

 
How do I document the salary rate on a proposal for faculty and staff?
The backup documentation can be printed to a PDF from Banner’s NBAJOBS screen for that employee.

 
I am submitting a proposal to a sponsor. If I voluntarily cost share, my proposal will be reviewed more favorably, so can I reduce include the voluntary cost sharing?
No. According to Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200.306), a sponsor cannot use cost sharing as a review criterion if cost sharing is not mandatory.

 
I am submitting a proposal to a sponsor. If I voluntarily reduce UAF’s F&A, my proposal will be reviewed more favorably, so can I reduce the F&A?
No. A sponsor cannot use reduced F&A as a review criterion in scoring an application. If a sponsor has a mandatory F&A rate that is lower than UAF’s federally-negotiated F&A rate for the activity, then UAF will honor that reduced rate. However, if a sponsor accepts UAF’s full F&A rate for the activity, then we must budget for the full rate. Voluntarily reducing the F&A rate in a budget is not allowed except for very extreme cases when there is a substantial benefit to UAF that outweighs the F&A recovered. It is very rarely approved.

 
I have received my award, what do I do now?
If you have received your notice of award directly from the agency in response to a proposal you submitted, please forward the documents to the OGCA general email: uaf-ogca@alaska.edu. OGCA will assign your award to a Grant and Contract Analyst (GCA) who will help you manage your award.

 
I received my Program Officer's approval, is this enough for me to move forward with the purchase(s)?
No. Depending on the agency, the program officer's approval may not be enough. A re-budget may also be required in Banner. An AwaRe form with justification should be sent to OGCA. If the program officer's approval was received in writing, it can be sent with the request as backup.

 
I work in a unit/department and I have never keyed before, where do I start?
Information on how you start is located on the Award Negotiaion, Acceptance & Setup page, under FRABUDP Keying process and Checklist.

 
It’s only a small amount of money with no overhead, so do I still need a proposal?
Yes, information regarding proposal review and endorsement can be found on the Proposal Submission page.

 
National Science Foundation (NSF) No Cost Extension (NCE) request process:
NCE requests for NSF need to be entered in Research.gov by PI:
  1. Log into Research.gov
  2. Go to Awards & Reporting
  3. Go to Notifications & Requests
  4. Click Prepare New
  5. Select No-Cost Extensions
  6. Click Go
  7. Enter NSF ID
  8. Click Prepare New
  9. Fill in the form with the necessary information.

National Science Foundation (NSF) requests that require PI’s entry in the Research.gov/Fastlane
Process:
  1. Log into Research.gov at https://www.research.gov
  2. Go to Awards & Reporting
  3. Go to Notifications & Requests
  4. Click Prepare New
  5. Select ______
  6. Click Go
  7. Enter NSF ID
  8. Click Prepare New
  9. Fill in the form with the necessary information.
Budget Activities
  • Additional categories of participant support costs other than those described in 2 CFR 200.75
  • Change in Person‐Months Devoted to the project
  • Pre‐award costs in Excess of 90 days
  • Reallocation of Funds Provided for Participant Support Costs
  • Rearrangement/Reconversion costs in excess of $25,000
  • Salaries of Administrative or Clerical Staff
  • Travel Costs for Dependents (UA POLICY DOES NOT ALLOW THIS ‐ SO CANNOT ASK NSF)
No‐Cost Extension
  • No‐Cost Extension (SYSTEM WILL AUTOMATICALLY DETERMINE WHETHER IT IS A GRANTEE, 1ST or 2ND NSF APPROVED NCE)
Changes in Objectives, Scope, Methodology or Significant Changes
  1. Changes in Objectives or Scope
  2. Significant Changes/Delays or Events of Unusual Interest
  3. Significant Changes in Methods/Procedures
Changes in PI/PD and co‐PI/PD
  • Long‐term Disengagement of the PI/Project Director (PD) or co‐PI/PD
    • PI/PD or co‐PI/PD Transfer from one organization to another
    • Substitute (Change) PI/PD or co‐PI/co‐PD
  • Withdrawal of PI/PD or co‐PI/PD
Other
  • Annual and Final Cost Share Notification by Recipient
  • Conflicts of Interest that cannot be satisfactorily managered, reduced or eliminated and research that proceeds without the imposition of conditions or restrictions when a conflict of interest exists
  • Subawarding, Transferring or Contracting Out part of an NSF Award
Other Request
  • These are in Fastlane not Research.gov. If you select one of these items, it will prompt you to go to Fastlane to finish the request there.
Full list with Policy References.

 
What is the F&A Under-recovery Fee (aka the 9% fee/tax, the “Frank Tax”, URF, etc.)?
The F&A Under-recovery Fee is the minimum amount of administrative costs determined to be applicable for administering a grant or contact. It is based on 9% of MTDC of the award amount, and is capped at $25,000 maximum over the life of the award. More information can be found on the  Facilities & Administrative Costs page

 
What is the requirement, for example number of hours or dollars, for emeritus employee to qualify to be a PI on a grant?
The UAF PI policy allows an emeritus faculty to submit a proposal without any special considerations. UAF Principal Investigator Eligibility Policy (PDF)

 
OGCA need to receive a proposal in order to provide a final review and approval by the sponsor’s deadline date?
The information can be found on the Submission Deadlines page, including the UAF policy on submission deadlines.

 
Where can I find helpful statistics for UAF?
Statistics including facts and figures for UAF can be found on the Facts & Figures page.

 
Where can I find institutional (boilerplate) data to help fill out a form or application?
Boilerplate data can be found on the Institutional Data page.

 
Supplemental Funding

Supplemental Funding Decision Tree

 How Do I Find Funding

NIH eRA Commons

Subrecipient versus Contractor 

My award is going to end but I'm not finished with the work. What can I do?

Gift vs Grant Determination
What Prior Approvals are required
Who is an Authorized Representative 

Award with Negotiation
What is ORCD iD? 

What is SciENcv?
Can I Charge Administrative or Clerical Salaries Directly to My Sponsored Project?
Verification of Charges (VOC):  What Is Their Purpose and Why Do We Use Them?
What is a Contract?

NIH Proposal Basic Information: The Most Necessary Items
Other Transaction Authority (OTA)
Intergovernmental Support Agreement IGSA
Reference Letters vs. Letters of Support: What’s the Difference?
Impacted Research due to COVID-19: Communication with your Sponsor is
the Key
Where do I find funding opportunities for COVID-19?
What are the Common Elements of a Proposal?
The Importance of Annual and Final Project Report
Participant Support Costs (PSC): Everything you wanted
to know but were afraid to ask
What is Debarment and Suspension?
What are Certifications, Representations and Assurances?
Risk Assessment and Risk Management
Acknowledgement of Federal Funding, Why it is Important?
How do I Connect With a Program Officer/Manager at a Federal Agency?
 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
Embellished Credentials in a Grant Application
Types of Awards
Types of Grant Funding Instruments
Data Management Plans and Data Sharing
Management Plan
NIH Your One Page Guide to Rigor and Reproducibility
Reviewer Guidance on Rigor and Transparency
Are You On the Fence About Whether to Resubmit?
Updated NSF C&P FAQs
NIH Resource Sharing Plan
What is a UEI?
What Is a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)?
Honorarium
Cost Principles
FRABUDP Refresher
Cost Sharing
Welcome the NIH New RePORT and RePORTER Tools
Required Submission of Financial Conflict of Interest Policy into the eRA Commons Institution Profile (IPF) Module
A short History of Federal Grant Policy
Indirect Cost (F&A) Rates
Not Clear if Funding is a Grant or Contract?
What Are the Reporting Requirements for the Inclusion Across the Lifespan Policy?
Who's Who in the Federal Grant Policy-Making Community
OGCA's Forms and Templates Library
Sample Funded Proposals
Tips for Proofreading Your Next Grant
Systems and Tools Supporting Federal Awards
Annual and Final Reporting
What Are the Differences Among Fixed Price and Cost Reimbursement Agreements?
Federal Agencies and Funding
Sponsor Compliance
Match/Cost Sharing Commitment vs. Match/Cost Sharing Certification
Disclosing Innovation Information/OIPC
Master Agreement 101
Nondisclosure Agreements
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) versus Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)

 Travel Terms by Sponsor
No Cost Extension Request  and Checklist
CUI in Sponsored Research
Determination of on vs Off Campus
Developing and Monitoring Sub-Recipeient Relationship
Proposal Development Resources by Agency
Limited Submission Opportunities - Updated Process
Small Business Subcontracting Plan
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC)
Cost Accounting Standards
CAS Board Areas of Consistency
Award Mechanisms Processed by Office of Grants and Contracts Administration (OGCA)
Understanding Award Terms
Severity of Terms Requiring Negotiation
Progress Reports
Internships vs Fellowships
Guidance for Contacting your Program Officer
How to Review the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and Deconstruct the FOA
Generating Your Idea - Assess Your Idea's Potential for Success
Resubmitting your Proposal

Reading and Understanding Award Sponsor Guidelines

Expanded Authority Actions

Final technical Reports

NIH Just In Time Process

Audits, Desk Reviews and Sponsor Inquiries

Types of Audit

Final Technical Reports

PI and Award Transfers

General Process for Transferring an Award

Assess Your Idea's Potential for Success

Guidance for Contacting your Program Officer or Equivalent

Page One Guidelines

Requesting Funding from Non-Governmental Organizations

Sponsors

Understanding a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)

Understanding a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) – Continued

Components of a Proposal

Current and Pending/Other Support for Proposals and Awards - What to Include

Current and Pending- What Not to Include

Who Does What to Prepare Current and Pending / Other Support

The Importance of FRAPROP Entry

Distinguishing Between Stipends for Training and Salaries/Wages for Student Compensation

Fellowships vs. Internships

Senior/Key Personnel

Sponsored Research Agreements (SRAs)

Resubmitting Your Proposal

Rules for Changing Salary Charges or Effort Commitments

NSF Project Reporting Reminders