Grant Terms
- Definitions
Definitions
Application Types
Pre-proposal (preliminary proposal; pre-application)
Solicited or unsolicited, a brief presentation by the PI of goals, methods, personnel and budget submitted to a funding agency. Pre-proposals are usually used by funding agencies to determine the eligibility of the applicant and the suitability of the proposed project for support. Most often, the pre-proposal is in letter form for private agencies and can be an abbreviated form of the standard proposal format for public agencies. Unsolicited pre-proposals must include a statement that it is not an official offer and TCNJ reserves the right to submit a full proposal prior to award.
New
A project proposed to a sponsoring agency for the first time.
Non-competing continuation
A request of support for a second or subsequent budget period within a previously-approved project period.
Renewal
A continuation of a project for which the proposal submission is competitive.
Supplement
A request for funding for a new idea related to a funded project, for expansion of the project's scope, or for special purposes which may enhance the progress of the research, such as purchasing a piece of equipment or to support undergraduate and minority students.
Award Mechanisms
The type of award mechanism to be utilized is determined by OAGSR based on the requirements of the award, regardless of what it may be called by the Sponsor in the application or award documents. PI’s should consult with the OAGSR.
Contract
A legally binding fee for service agreement, usually to provide expertise to conduct research, training, or other service.
Cooperative Agreement
Legal document that transfers money, property, services or anything of value to the recipient in order to accomplish a public purpose. Substantial involvement is anticipated between the sponsor and the recipient during performance of the activity.
Grant
The purpose of a grant is to provide funds from a public or private source to support research, training, outreach, or service.
Subaward (subcontract, subgrant)
A document written under the authority of, and consistent with the terms and conditions of an award (a grant, contract or cooperative agreement), that allocates a portion of the research or substantive effort of the prime award to another institution or organization.
Budgetary Items
Budget Period
Usually 12 months, one or more budget periods make up the Project Period (see Project Period below).
Cost sharing
Cost sharing is a contribution, mandatory or voluntary, of cash or services provided by the grantee institution or a third-party to the overall costs of a sponsored project. If cost sharing is required by the funding agency (mandatory cost share), the level and type of contributed support are generally specified in program guidelines or application instructions.
Cost sharing commitments are not normally made in a proposal unless required specifically in the program announcement. The percentage of the mandated cost share and the potential significance of the proposed scholarly activity to the overall mission of the institution and the academic or interdisciplinary unit will be considered in the approval of institutional cost share.
Direct costs
Direct costs are those costs that can be specifically identified and charged to a particular project or program, such as salaries and benefits of project personnel, travel, equipment, services, and supplies.
Equipment
Often otherwise defined by a funding agency, for TCNJ purposes, equipment is defined as a tangible article that has a useful life of more than 1 year and an acquisition cost of $3,000 or more.
Facilities and Administrative costs
Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs, sometimes referred to as Indirect Costs, are those expenses related to research that cannot be easily identified with a particular sponsored project, instructional activity, or any other institutional activity. These costs are classified under two broad categories: Facilities (depreciation and use allowances, equipment, operation and maintenance, and library expenses) and Administrative (general, sponsored projects, departmental, and school administration, and student administration and services). (See PotoSSA for TCNJ F&A policy) F&A is expected to be charged as an element of every proposal budget, unless it is disallowed by the sponsor. The current negotiated rate at TCNJ is 65% of salaries. This is the rate charged to a proposal unless a different rate is specified in writing by the sponsor.
Fringe benefits
Fringe benefits are direct costs associated with salaries and wages and include the following items: FICA (Social Security); retirement; insurance for medical, dental, life, unemployment insurance, long-term disability and employee liability coverage; and worker's compensation.
Project period
The total time approved by the funding agency for a supported project, including any extensions approved by the institution or the funding agency. The project period consists of one or more budget periods which are usually 12 months each.
Stipend
A payment made to an individual to provide for the individual's living, or project-related, expenses during the period of training or education as part of the grant. A stipend is not for services rendered; it is not salary or wage, subject to income tax withholding or FICA/Medicare taxes, although the value of a stipend may be taxable as income.
General Definitions
Fiscal Year (FY)
A 12-month period for which annual accounts are kept. TCNJ's FY is July 1 to June 30. The federal government's FY is October 1 through September 30. Many private agencies have a fiscal year that coincides with the calendar year.
Instrumentation
Equipment
Principal Investigator/Project Director (PI or PD)
The individual designated by the grantee institution to direct the project or activity being supported by the grant and who is responsible and accountable to the institution for the proper conduct of the work.
Program/Project Officer
A sponsor's designated official responsible for the technical, scientific or programmatic aspects of the award, including monitoring progress and working with PIs on project-related issues.
Reassigned Time
Time and effort for an employee is temporarily reassigned from normal duties to other approved assignments such as, for faculty, research or administrative duties.
Research
Systematic study of an idea directed toward new and/or more complete knowledge and understanding of a particular subject.
Service/Outreach
Providing services to students and to the community at large.
Training
Providing teaching and learning experiences.
