Award Management (Post-Award)

New Award Acceptance and Set-up Steps

Congratulations, you have received an email from the funding agency informing you that your grant proposal has been selected for funding. What happens next?

All external grant awards are made to the Regents of the University of Minnesota. The University’s Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) negotiates the terms of the grant contract, checks with you (the PI) to confirm that you agree with the terms, and then accepts the award on behalf of the Regents. This process can take weeks to complete (or months if the contract is particularly complex). Since awards are made to the University of Minnesota and not to faculty, staff, or others, these individuals cannot accept grants or sign contracts or agreements.

Once the contract is fully signed, the Grants Office will initiate setup of the award within the University of Minnesota system. An EFS account(s) will be established and a Notice of Grant Award (NOGA) will be prepared

Your NOGA

This award document is considered an official agreement of the scope of work, the amount the sponsor will provide, and other terms and conditions that govern the project. Once the NOGA is issued the Grants Office will schedule a meeting with the PI to go over the document and its terms. Award notices typically contain the following information:

  • budget strings to be used for award spending
  • title or description of the award
  • award beginning and ending dates
  • dollar amount of award
  • the terms of payment, e.g., letter of credit vs. invoicing
  • programmatic deliverables
  • financial invoicing/reporting requirements
  • cost sharing or matching expectations (if applicable), and
  • a budget, if it has changed from the proposed budget

The Grants Office will work with the PI to ensure the funds are set up appropriately and that the PI is aware of the terms and reporting requirements of the award. The Grants Office will activate budget lines in EFS and an allocation of the award amount will be made into the appropriate expense categories. Some sponsor’s categories do not correspond with the University’s account system. We consult with the PI in these situations. An email will be sent to the PI, Division Chair, Dean/VC and University Relations when the award is officially set up.

See Sponsored Projects Administration Awards Overview for more information

Grant Related Spending

Work with your Departmental staff to assure expenses are assigned to the appropriate EFS account strings. If your support staff have questions regarding grant related spending they should contact our office in advance. Always refer to your specific grant related terms when determining allowed or disallowed spending. Typically disallowed expenses are identified within Uniform Guidance, however, each grant is unique in this manner and a variety of sources may need to be consulted to assure compliant expense assignment. All spending must additionally comply with the University of Minnesota spending policies and procedures.

Table One. Categories of Allowable and Unallowable Costs
Allowable Unallowable
  • Audit services
  • Budgeting costs
  • Communications
  • Conference grant costs
  • Consulting services
  • Equipment and other
  • Maintenance and repair costs
  • Meals
  • Advertising
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Bad debt
  • Certain travel costs (e.g., flying first class)
  • Entertainment costs
  • Fines and penalties
  • Fundraising costs
  • Interest
  • Lobbying costs

https://www.ojp.gov/tfsc/ojp_tfsc_guide_sheet_allowable_vs._unallowable_costs_112421_508_1

Rebudgeting

There may be special circumstances when you need to re-budget your original approved budget. Your NOGA should state the terms and conditions related to budget flexibility. Changing the budget beyond the parameters laid out in your grant contract will require explicit permission from the funder. Contact the Grants Office if you have questions about re-budgeting.

Reporting

Please complete and submit technical reports. The sponsor will indicate the format and deadline for these reports. The Grants Office can help you with interim and final reporting.