Frequently Asked Questions
I am interested in applying for grant funding. Where do I start?
I have found a grant program to which I want to apply. What steps should I take?
How can I get internal grant funding?
Is grant proposal writing training available for faculty and staff?
Do I need to register in grants.gov?
I am working on grant application forms and need a DUNS number.
Where do I start if I need matching funds for a grant proposal?
Is the indirect cost rate negotiable? If so, how do I go about negotiating it?
What are Facilities and Administrative Costs?
Why does the University require project directors to budget for F&A costs?
How do I calculate Indirect/F&A costs in my budgets?
What is the fringe rate for faculty? Staff? Student workers? Part-time workers?
How many hours per week is the maximum a part-time worker can work without receiving full benefits?
Can I be paid extra for my work on a grant project?
How do I calculate my summer salary in a grant budget?
How do I budget for a graduate assistant?
Since my budget is based on estimated costs, what happens if I need to make changes later?
Grant Administration Questions:
I have a grant award and need to make changes to the budget. How can I do this?
My grant budget includes summer salary. How do I get paid?
I have a new grant award and need to initiate subawards. How do I make this happen?
Answers to Grant Proposal Questions:
I am interested in applying for grant funding. Where do I start?
If you are looking for funding opportunities that match your areas of interest, we encourage you to visit the Funding Sources section of our website. From there, you can access a video to help you get started and links to online resources. If you sign up for an account through the Sponsored Programs Information Network (SPIN), you can register to have funding opportunities that match selected keywords delivered to your inbox. If you have already identified a funding opportunity, please see the next question.
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I have found a grant program to which I want to apply. What steps should I take?
We ask that you notify us of your planned submission as early in the process as possible. In doing so, please send us a copy of the grant proposal guidelines as an attachment or through a link to the funding opportunity. This information will allow us to review the program for eligibility requirements, alert you to important conditions of applying, and verify whether online accounts are needed for the submission process. Providing us with the guidelines will also allow us to be familiar with the program in order to better answer any questions you may have and to provide support services to you during the proposal development process. If you wait until the last minute to request assistance, we may not be able to prioritize your request in order to provide the level of assistance needed. Once the proposal documents are complete, the Internal Review Form (IRF) must be completed and submitted through the InfoReady Review System. Submissions should be made at least five days in advance of the submission deadline and must include the IRF, full proposal, and detailed budget.
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What if I want to apply to a program that does not allow for indirect costs or that limits indirect costs?
In most cases, the University can accept limited rates that are imposed by the policies of sponsoring agencies. Written documentation from the sponsoring agency (i.e., a copy of the application guidelines) is required as an attachment to the Internal Review and Approval Form to document such limitations.
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How can I get internal grant funding?
The University-Funded Scholarship Program accepts applications for faculty scholarship funding in October and February annually. Complete guidelines and application forms are available online. In addition, some colleges have internal grant programs that can be accessed through deans’ offices. Other internal grant programs are announced through EKU Today when available.
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Is grant proposal writing training available for faculty and staff?
Yes, we offer an online self-paced Getting Funded course on grant proposal development. EKU faculty and staff may register for the course at any time and complete course modules online on their own schedule. In-person workshops are scheduled as needed and are announced through EKU Today and through an announcement on our website. We also provide one-on-one assistance as needed through email or in person.
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Do I need to register in grants.gov?
Individual investigators are not authorized to submit grant proposals on behalf of the University, but applicants will need to Register for an account and add a profile for EKU to work on grants.gov workspaces directly. An account is not needed for funding searches or accessing grant application instructions. When an application will be submitted through grants.gov, Sponsored Programs will create the workspace and fill in the general informational fields. Project directors will then be given access to the workspace to populate the project-specific fields and upload attachment files. An application view can be created in grants.gov that can be used for the internal review process.
I am working on grant application forms and need a DUNS number.
The University’s DUNS number and other information that is commonly needed for grant proposal documents are available online.
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Where do I start if I need cost share or matching funds for a grant proposal?
Cost share or matching funds can only be committed when required as a condition of applying for a grant. Project directors should first check with their department chair or director to see if matching funds may be available from within the department. Reassigned time for work on a sponsored project can be a good source of departmental matching funds. If department funds are not available to support a particular sponsored project, project directors should then seek support from within their college or administrative unit. There is no University-wide account for providing matching funds, and Sponsored Programs does not have access to funds that may be used for this purpose. Project directors are responsible for securing funds when matching funds are required.
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The funding opportunity to which I plan to apply requires a pre-proposal, and I would only submit a full proposal if the pre-proposal is accepted. Does the pre-proposal have to be reviewed and approved through the same process as a full proposal?
The pre-proposal does not require the same level of review and approval as a full proposal. However, Sponsored Programs is available to provide support during the pre-proposal development process. Certain electronic proposal submission systems (i.e., grants.gov, research.gov) will require that Sponsored Programs submit the pre-proposal; in these cases, project directors must work with Sponsored Programs to facilitate the submission of the proposal. In addition, any pre-proposal for a program that requires a budget submission or a cost share commitment must be submitted through the University's approval process with appropriate cost share sources outlined on the Internal Review and Approval Form (IRAF) and approvals formalized prior to submission.
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All the forms, budget, and final proposal need to be turned in 5 days before the proposal deadline. If I can get the forms and at least the budget complete, does the proposal need to be in "final" form?
The proposal should be in final form prior to submission for internal review and approval. Because they are responsible for the final technical review of a proposal, department chairs should not sign off on a submission unless they have reviewed the final proposal. There may be times when project directors notice errors at the last minute, and these may be corrected by contacting Sponsored Programs prior to the submission of the proposal. However, any revisions that alter the technical scope of the project will need to be reviewed by the department chair prior to submission. If a circumstance arises that prevents a project director from meeting the deadline, he or she should contact Sponsored Programs as early in the proposal development process as possible.
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Answers to Grant Budgeting Questions:
Is the indirect cost rate negotiable? If so, how do I go about negotiating it?
The University negotiates an indirect cost rate with its federal cognizant agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, on a periodic basis. The federally-approved rate must be used on all sponsored projects unless the rate is limited by a specific funding opportunity as a condition of submitting a proposal. If written documentation of the limitation is provided from the sponsoring agency (i.e., a policy statement in the grant proposal guidelines), the University can normally accept a lower indirect cost rate for a particular project. For more information about indirect costs, please see the next question.
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What are Facilities and Administrative Costs?
Also referred to as indirect costs, F&A costs are expenses incurred by an organization that cannot be identified readily and specifically with a particular sponsored project, but contribute to the ability of the University to conduct sponsored projects. Expenses of maintaining and operating the University’s sponsored project infrastructure include costs related to buildings (labs, offices, training facilities, etc.), utilities (water, electricity, heating, air conditioning, etc.), maintenance (custodial and facilities services, etc.), equipment, libraries, general administration (purchasing, accounting, payroll, human resources, legal services, etc.), departmental administration (deans offices, academic departments, etc.), and sponsored project administration. These costs are considered F&A costs, and sponsoring agencies reimburse organizations for these expenses through an F&A rate. The National Institutes of Health website has an informative video that provides an overview and history of F&A costs and rate agreements.
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Why does the University require project directors to budget for Indirect/F&A costs?
F&A costs are real costs that are incurred by the University in administering a sponsored award. Because it is not practical for a project budget to allocate funding for all such costs, the Federal government utilizes a rate model to account for these expenses and to provide a fair and consistent method through which reimbursement can be made. The University requires that sponsored project budgets include F&A costs because facilities and administrative expenses are incurred for each sponsored project, and without funds to cover these costs, the University would not have an infrastructure that could support sponsored projects. It would be unfair to require students to cover these costs through tuition revenue, especially for projects that are not for their direct benefit.
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How do I calculate Indirect/F&A costs in my budgets?
Current indirect costs are available online and are calculated as a percentage of a Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) base when the University's Federally-negotiated rate is used. The MTDC base includes all direct costs in the budget, with the exception of capital expenditures, equipment with a per-unit cost of more than $5,000, charges for patient care and tuition remission, rental costs of off-campus facilities, scholarships, fellowships, and the portion of each subaward exceeding $25,000. When a limited rate is required by a sponsoring agency, the rate normally applies to the total direct costs with no exclusions.
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What is the fringe benefits rate for faculty? Staff? Student workers? Part-time workers?
A composite fringe benefits rate for each class of employees is updated on an annual basis for budgeting purposes. Current fringe benefit rates are available online, along with other information that is helpful for the budget development process.
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How many hours per week is the maximum a part-time worker can work without receiving full benefits?
Part-time workers receive full benefits if they work 30 hours or more per week. This means that the benefits rate for full-time employees must be budgeted for employees who will work 30 hours or more per week. For employees who will work 29 or fewer hours per week, the part-time benefits rate may be used in budgets.
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Can I be paid extra for my work on a grant project?
All compensation from sponsored projects is subject to the University’s Salary Compensation on Grants Policy, in compliance with Federal guidelines. In general, full-time 12-month employees are not eligible to receive supplemental compensation on sponsored projects. Faculty with appointments of less than 12 months may earn summer salary for work performed when not on contract with the University. Such compensation is paid at a pro-rated amount from the individual’s salary for the immediately preceding academic year. Please see the next question for more details on how to calculate faculty summer salary.
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How do I calculate my summer salary in a grant budget?
Summer salary is calculated based on the amount of time to be worked during the summer when faculty are not on contract. The total compensation is limited to 3 months multiplied by a monthly rate pro-rated from the individual’s salary for the immediately preceding academic year. This limit applies to all sources of income earned through the University, including teaching and other duties. Vacation time cannot be paid during the summer, and the expectation is that all faculty will take time off during the summer. Therefore, summer effort budgeted on a sponsored project generally does not exceed the equivalent of two months. To determine the amount of summer compensation, calculate a monthly rate based on 1/9 of the previous academic year salary (i.e., $45,000 / 9 = $5,000). Use that monthly base to calculate the amount based on the amount of time to be worked on the sponsored project (i.e., $5,000 x 2 months = $10,000; $5,000 x 3 months x 50% effort = $7,500; $5,000 x 0.5 month = $2,500).
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How do I budget for a graduate assistant?
Graduate assistants may work on sponsored projects, subject to the same policies and processes as University-funded graduate assistants. Current rates for graduate assistants are available online. In addition to payroll and benefits, sponsored project budgets must include the cost of tuition remission at 6 hours per fall and spring semester. Current rates should be used for baseline budgeting with an estimated increase of 5% annually.
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Since my budget is based on estimated costs, what happens if I need to make changes later?
Project directors are advised to carefully plan a budget that thoroughly and accurately reflects program needs, but the proposed budget is still an estimate of those costs. Reasonable changes can be accommodated through a budget revision process once the award has been set up and project implementation has begun. The revision process can be initiated by submitting a Budget Revision Request online. Some changes will require sponsor approval, and others can be approved internally, depending on the terms and conditions of the award. Sponsored Programs will determine the level of approval required and advise project directors when additional justification is required.
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Answers to Grant Administration Questions:
I have a grant award and need to make changes to the budget. How can I do this?
Budget revisions are processed in accordance with the terms of the grant award. In some cases, budget revisions require prior approval from the sponsoring agency. In others, the University has the authority to approve budget revisions. To request a budget revision, submit a Budget Revision Request online. If sponsor approval is required, please attach a copy of the approval to your request. If you are uncertain whether prior sponsor approval is required for your revision, please contact Sponsored Programs for guidance. If a Budget Revision Request Form is submitted that requires, but does not include sponsor approval, Sponsored Programs will make arrangements to request the approval. Some sponsors will require the use of specific forms and processes for requesting approval, and others will accept requests by email.
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Most agencies require progress reports or a final report for a funding period. Will Sponsored Programs need something similar?
Project directors are responsible for filing programmatic reports with sponsoring agencies. Financial reports are filed by the Sponsored Programs Accounting office and should be not be completed by project directors. Project directors should send copies of all technical progress or final reports to Sponsored Programs.
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I have new positions budgeted in my grant. How do I begin the process of hiring individuals to fill these positions?
Project directors will work with Human Resources to begin the process of developing a job description and creating new positions. The org code for the grant account is required for the posting process. All hiring on grant awards is subject to the University’s equal opportunity and other policies. For more details, please see our Guide to Managing Sponsored Project Awards.
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My grant budget includes summer salary. How do I get paid?
Summer salary requests must be initiated by the project director. Work performed during the summer by faculty who are not on contract with the University is payable at a rate not to exceed an amount pro-rated from the individual’s academic year salary and in accordance with the approved budget. HR's Additional Assignment Request Form is used to request payment. Questions regarding summer pay should be addressed to the accountant assigned to the project in Sponsored Programs Accounting. For more details, please see our Guide to Managing Sponsored Project Awards.
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I have a new grant award and need to initiate subawards. How do I make this happen?
The project director is responsible for initiating subawards by completing an online Subaward Request for each subrecipient. Upon receipt, Sponsored Programs will process the request and prepare the subaward for the subrecipient's signature. For more details, please see our Guide to Managing Sponsored Project Awards.
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The amount of work involved in managing a sponsored project award can certainly be overwhelming. We have put together resources to help. For additional assistance, please feel free to reach out to Sponsored Programs or your grant accountant as needed.
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