Managing
Your Grant
Congratulations on receiving your grant!
If you have been awarded an internal grant, please see Internal
Grant Instructions. If you have been awarded a new grant
from an external funding source, please contact Michelle Scott, Accountant/Grant
Specialist, who will help you with the following:
1. General Ledger Account Numbers:
The grant money will be placed in a newly assigned general ledger account
used specifically for the grant’s financial record keeping. You
will need a set of account numbers to be used for spending that are consistent
with the approved budget for the grant. Working with the Director of Budgets,
Grants will assure that the accounts are set up in a manner that will
make managing your grant easier.
2. Access to Datatel General Ledger Accounts:
Since you will be responsible for managing your own spending, you and/or
an assistant will need access to these accounts in Datatel. With proper
access, you will be able to view your account, print reports and monitor
amounts available for each line item within your grant. If you and/or
your assistant do not have access to the Financial System in Datatel,
email the Help Desk for instructions. If your assistant will be accessing
Datatel on your behalf, you will also need to email Wendy DiMaio, Director
of Accounting to give that person account access to your grant. Please
provide the Director of Accounting with the person’s name and the
account numbers for your grant.
3. Datatel Training:
If you and/or your assistant are unfamiliar with the Financial System
in Datatel, the Director of Budgets, Grants can provide the necessary
training. Email the Director of Budget, Grants to request an appointment.
Please note that it is necessary to already have your accessibility to
Datatel in place for the training session.
4. Time & Effort Reports:
If you have received a federally funded grant, Time & Effort reports
will need to be completed by all personnel working on the grant. Faculty
and staff members are required to complete a report once per semester.
Students are required to complete one on a monthly basis.
5. Grant Reports:
Most grants require reporting at certain intervals. You will need to be
aware of the grant report due dates. You will be responsible for writing
all technical and progress reports and submitting them by the required
due dates. The Director of Budgets, Grants will provide any required financial
reports that are needed to accompany your reports.
6. Spending :
If you do not currently have spending authority, it will be necessary
to complete an Authorized Spending Limits form for yourself and/or your
assistant. Please send the completed form to Nancy Montez, Director of
Purchasing. If no authorization for spending is on file with the Finance
Office, the Chair of your department or the Dean will have to sign off
on all of your expenditures.
For non-payroll expenditures, you will need the check request form and
travel expense report. Make sure to obtain a current version of the travel
expense report since the personal auto mileage rate changes every year
effective January 1. An electronic version is also available from the
Director of Budgets, Grants. Completed check requests and travel expense
reports should be forwarded to Michelle Scott in the Finance Office for
processing.
It would be advisable to familiarize yourself with the current Travel
Policy, which can be found at http://www.intra.valpo.edu/depts/prov/prov/policy/travel.html.
Please note that all travel expense reports need to be co-signed by your
supervisor, even if you have your own signing authority.
7. Matching Costs & Cost-Sharing:
Matching costs (also called cost-sharing) are the University’s contribution
to the project and are usually a required element of most Federal grants.
Matching costs can either be in the form of actual money or in-kind dollars.
If the match is in actual money (funded by either donations or University
funds), you will need to make arrangements for accessing these funds.
If the match is in-kind dollars (represented by such things as release
time, housing for students, indirect costs, etc.), you will need to document
the detail of the arrangement or expenditure since matching costs usually
need to be reported to the funding agency.
8. Budget Changes:
You will need to be aware of any requirements by the funding agency for
over-spending the line items of the grant. At times, it may be necessary
to request the funding agency to approve a budget change to reallocate
funds from one line item to another.
There are certain limitations in the Datatel system concerning compensation.
For example, you may have employee compensation budgeted in various line
items specific to your grant that will be paid under payroll accounts
in the Datatel system. This will cause reports in Datatel to look different
from your grant budget. You should work with the Director of Budgets,
Grants to make sure these funds are reported correctly to the funding
agency.
9. Compensation:
If there is payroll budgeted in your grant, you will need to know and
comply with the correct procedures involved with hiring and authorizing
stipends.
a. Authorizing Faculty stipends:
If your grant provides a stipend for a faculty member, please email
the request to the Executive Assistant to the Provost who will forward
it to payroll. You will need to specify whether this payment is subject
to full or partial benefits. Partial benefits do not include Health,
Retirement, Life or Disability benefits.
b. Hiring Student Aides:
Complete the On-Campus Student Employment Job Description Form so the
position needed for the grant can be set up in Datatel. You also need
to complete the Student Employment Request Form to hire the specific
student(s). This is a 4-part form supplied through the Human
Resource Department. These forms must be submitted to the
Financial Aid Office so they can determine if the student qualifies
for Federal Work Study. If the student has not been previously employed
through the University, he/she will need to visit the Human Resources
office to complete additional paperwork.
c. Hiring Temporary, Part-time or Full-time Employees:
To hire a temporary, part-time or full-time employee, you will need
to complete the
Notice of Employment form (contact the Human
Resource Department). If the person has not been previously
employed through the University, he/she will need to visit the Human
Resources office to complete additional paperwork. Please note that
students who will be working during the summer and not enrolled in a
class will be classified as temporary employees, not student aids, and
therefore will be subject to normal tax withholding and your grant will
in turn be charged with benefits at the stipend rate, not the student
aid rate.
10. The End of the Grant:
Upon completion of your grant, you will need to submit final reports to
the funding agency. Most grants require final technical and financial
reports. Most federal grants require additional closeout reports. Your
grant agreement should specify which reports are needed. The Director
of Budgets, Grants can help you with these final reports.
If you have been paying temporary, part-time or full-time employees from
your grant, you will need to complete a Change of Information form (contact
the Human Resource Department)
in order to terminate or discontinue payments for these employees. If
you have been paying a student, use the Student Change of Status Form
to terminate or discontinue payments.
Additional Information
Internal
Grant Instructions
VU
Change of Information Form
VU
Notice of Employment Form
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