Audit: A formal examination of an organization’s or individual’s accounts or financial situation. An audit may also include examination of compliance with applicable terms, laws, and regulations.

Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): An announcement of a federal agency’s general research interests that invites proposals and specifies the general terms and conditions under which an award may be made.

Budget Period: The interval of time—usually twelve months—into which the project period is divided for budgetary and funding purposes. (Also see Project Period.)

Continuation Project (Non-Competing): A project approved for multiple-year funding, although funds are typically committed only one year at a time. At the end of the initial budget period, progress on the project is assessed. If satisfactory, an award is made for the next budget period, subject to the availability of funds. Continuation projects do not compete with new project proposals and are not subjected to peer review beyond the initial project approval.

Contract: The procurement of a product or service. Typically, the sponsor specifies a research topic and the methods for conducting the research in detail, although some sponsors award contracts in response to unsolicited proposals.

Cooperative Agreement: An award to an organization in the name of a Principal Investigator to conduct research in cooperation with the sponsor’s personnel (usually a federal agency). Sponsor staff are actively involved in both proposal preparation and research activities once the award has been made.

Cost-Reimbursement Type Contract/Grant: A contract/grant for which one party pays the other party for the full costs incurred in the conduct of the work.

Cost-Sharing: A general term—used as a noun or adjective—that can describe virtually any type of arrangement in which more than one party supports research, equipment acquisition, demonstration projects, programs, institutions. Example: A university receives a grant for a project estimated to have a total cost of $100,000. The sponsor agrees to pay 75% ($75,000) and the university agrees to pay 25% ($25,000). The $25,000 is the cost-sharing component.

Direct Costs: Clearly identifiable costs related to a specific project. General categories of direct costs include but are not limited to salaries and wages, fringe benefits, supplies, contractual services, travel and communication, equipment, and computer use.

Donation: Transfer of equipment, money, goods, services, and property with or without specifications as to its use. Sometimes donation is used to designate contributions that are made with more specific intent than is usually the case with a gift, but the two terms are often used interchangeably.

Endowment: A fund usually in the form of an income-generating investment, established to provide long-term support for faculty/research positions (endowed chair).

Expiration Date: The date signifies the end of the performance period, as indicated on the Notice of Grant Award.

Extension: An additional period of time given by the sponsor to an organization for the completion of work on an approved grants or contract. An extension allows previously allocated funds to be spent after the original expiration date.

Fiscal Year (FY): Any twelve-month period for which annual accounts are kept (at Antioch University New England, June 1 through May 31).

Fixed-Price Contract/Grant: A contract/grant for which one party pays the other party a predetermined price, regardless of actual costs, for services rendered.

Funding Cycle: Range of time during which proposals are accepted, reviewed, and funds are awarded. If a sponsor has standing proposal review committees (or boards) that meet at specified times during the year, application deadlines are set to correspond with those meetings. For some sponsors, if proposals are received too late to be considered in the current funding cycle, they may be held over for the next review meeting (i.e., National Science Foundation’s Target Dates).

Gift: Gifts and bequests are awards given with few or no conditions specified. Gifts may be provided to establish an endowment or to provide direct support for existing programs. Frequently, gifts are used to support developing programs for which other funding is not available. The unique flexibility, or lack of restrictions, makes gifts attractive sources of support. (Also see Donation.)

Grant: A financial assistance award to an organization in the name of a Principal Investigator or Project Director to assist the organization in the conduct of research or other activities as specified in an approved proposal. A grant—as opposed to a cooperative agreement—is used whenever the awarding office anticipates no substantial programmatic involvement with the recipient during the performance of the activities.

In-Kind: Consisting of other than money. Equipment, materials, or services of recognized values that are offered in lieu of cash, and dedicated to the particular project that is described in the proposal.

Indirect Cost Rate: The rate, expressed as a percentage of a base amount established by negotiation with the cognizant federal agency on the basis of the institution’s projected costs for the year and distributed as prescribed in OMB Circular A-21. The indirect cost rate is charged on a set of direct costs known as an indirect cost base. (Also see Modified Total Direct Costs.) Antioch University New England’s current negotiated indirect cost rate is: 43.0% of direct salaries and wages including vacation, holiday, sick pay and other paid absences but excluding all other fringe benefits..

Indirect Costs: Costs related to expenses incurred in conducting or supporting research or other externally funded activities but not directly attributable to a specific project. General categories of indirect costs include general administration (accounting, payroll, purchasing, etc.), sponsored project administration, plant operation and maintenance, library expenses, departmental administration expenses, depreciation or use allowance for buildings and equipment, and student administration and services. Also referred to as overhead or facilities and administration [F&A].

Investigator-Initiated Proposal: A proposal submitted to a sponsor that is not in response to an RFP, RFA, or a specific program announcement.

Matching Grant: A grant that requires a specified portion of the cost of a supported item of equipment or project be obtained from other sources. The required match may be more or less than the amount of the grant. Some matching grants require that the additional funds be obtained from sources outside the recipient organization. Many matching grants are paid in installments, the payments coinciding with the attainment of pre-specified levels of additional funding. (Also see Challenge Grant.) Matching grants are very common in the sciences, especially for equipment. They are standard practice in some government agencies.

Mission: A sponsor’s stated purpose, which is designed to address a specified set of problems. Almost all federal research agencies are designated as mission agencies.

New and Competing Proposals: Proposals that are submitted for the first time or unfunded proposals that are resubmitted; either must compete for research funds. Ongoing projects must compete again if the term of the original award has expired.

Notice of Grant Award: The legally binding document that serves as a notification to the recipient and others that a grant or cooperative agreement has been made; contains or references all terms of the award; and documents the obligation of funds.

Pre-Proposal: A brief description—usually 2-10 pages—of research plans and estimated budget that is sometimes submitted to determine the interest of a particular sponsor prior to submission of a formal proposal. Also termed Preliminary Proposal.

Principal Investigator/Project Director: The individual responsible for the conduct of research or other activity described in a proposal for an award.

Program/Project Officer: A sponsor’s designated individual officially responsible for the technical, scientific, or programmatic aspects of a particular grant, cooperative agreement, or contract. Serving as the counterpart to the Principal Investigator/project director of the grantee/contractor organization, the program/project officer deals with the grantee/contractor organization staff to assure programmatic progress. (Also see Grant/Contract Officer.)

Project Period: The total time for which support of a project has been programmatically approved. A project period may consist of one or more budget periods. (Also see Budget Period.)

Proposal: A complete proposal that contains all information necessary to describe project plans, staff capabilities, and funds requested. Formal proposals are officially approved and submitted by an organization in the name of a Principal Investigator.

Reporting: The project director/principal investigator is primarily responsible for complying with all reporting requirements. Failure to do so can jeopardize future awards to the University.

RFA: Abbreviation for Request for Applications. RFAs are announcements which indicate the availability of funds for a topic of specific interest to a sponsor. Proposals submitted in response to RFAs generally result in the award of a grant. Specific grant announcements may be published in the Federal Register and/or specific sponsor publications. (Also see Broad Agency Announcements.)

RFP: Abbreviation for Request for Proposal. RFPs are announcements that specify a topic of research, methods to be used, product to be delivered, and appropriate applicants sought. Proposals submitted in response to RFPs generally result in the award of a contract. Notices of federal RFPs are published in the Commerce Business Daily.

Sponsored Program: “Sponsored Programs” are projects or programs conducted by faculty, staff, students, alumnae, or community partners that are supported in whole or in part by externally restricted funds awarded to the University. Sponsored programs may support research, instruction, or service.

Stipend: A payment made to an individual under a fellowship or training grant in accordance with pre-established levels to provide for the individual’s living expenses during the period of training.

Student Proposals: Students are encouraged to apply for grant funding to support graduate research and projects related to their education or degree requirements, and the Institute will help research funders and review proposals. For AULA/I to serve as the applying entity, students must be enrolled, and must identify a faculty advisor who endorses and oversees the proposal and project. Student grant applications must follow the same internal review and authorization procedure as faculty proposals. Equipment purchased with grants to Antioch New England are the property of the University, and must be returned to the department or school on completion of grant activities.

Subcontract, Subgrant, or Subagreement: A document written under the authority of, and consistent with the terms and conditions of a prime award (a grant, contract or cooperative agreement), that transfers a portion of the research or substantive effort of the prime award to another institution or organization. Antioch University may receive a grant and subcontract with outside entities to perform part of the work, or another grantee may subcontract with Antioch University to perform services specified in the grant.

Terms of Award: All legal requirements imposed on an agreement by the sponsor, whether by statute, regulation(s), or terms in the award document. The terms of an agreement may include both standard and special provisions that are considered necessary to protect the sponsor’s interests.

Total Project costs: The total allowable direct and indirect costs incurred by the institution to carry out an approved project or activity.

Unrestricted funds: Funds having no requirements or restrictions as to use or disposition. Grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements are considered to be restricted funds.

Unsolicited Proposal: Proposals submitted to a sponsor that are not in response to an RFP, RFA, or program announcement. (See also Investigator-Initiated Proposal.)

 

501(c)(3) not for profit organization: IRS designation of a not-for-profit organization; charitable contributions to such organizations are deductible by the donor. Antioch University is a private, not-for-profit institution of higher education. IRS certification of Antioch’s not-for-profit status (often required by grant funders) is available in the Grants Office.