GRANT
RELATED TERMS
501(c)(3): The Section
of the Internal Revenue Code which defines
nonprofit, charitable, tax-exempt
organizations. 501(c)(3) organizations are
further defined as public charities, private
operating foundations, and private
non-operating foundations.
Abstract: A short
summary of a project or program including all
pertinent aspects of the sponsored activity, a
summary of the objectives and expected
results. The abstract is usually less than
350 words and limited to one double spaced
typed page.
Application: a request for funds;
may imply the use of a special form supplied
by the funding source.
Appropriation: a federal, state or
local legislative enactment which allows
government agencies to incur obligations to
spend or lend money during specific time
periods, usually a fiscal year. Congress
may appropriate funds only on the basis of an
existing authorization.
Assurances: statement concerning
the institution's or organization's compliance
with Civil Rights, Title IX, Section 504
guidelines, lobbying, etc. Assurances
are required with many proposal applications.
Authorization: basic substantive
legislation that sets up a program or agency.
Such legislation sometimes sets limits on the
amount that can subsequently be appropriated
but does not actually provide or guarantee
that monies will be appropriated in any given
fiscal year.
Authorized signature: signature
of person legally responsible for making
agreements on behalf of an organization; must
appear on an application before it can be
considered an official request; implies that
if an award is accepted, the responsibility
for its proper administration is assured.
Award: the document, which may be
a letter, a special form, or a contract,
prescribing the amount of funds and
restrictions imposed; an agreement between two
parties.
Award letter: written
notification from the funding agency
indicating that a project has been funded, for
how long, and in what amount.
Beneficiary: In
philanthropic terms, the grantee receiving
funds from a foundation or corporate giving
program is the beneficiary, although society
benefits as well.
Bricks and Mortar: An
informal term for grants for buildings or
construction projects.
Boilerplate: Those
parts of a contract or grant proposal which
are standard and do not relate to the specific
project for which the application is made.
These include such things as capabilities
statements (facilities available, number of
staff, past experience), general statements on
the organization, or the negotiated indirect
cost rate.
Budget: financial plan for
conducting a project; should include whole
dollar amounts only. It is the estimated
cost of performance of the project as set
forth in a proposal or in the notification of
grant award or contract.
Budget detail: an itemized list
of expenditures and income that accompanies a
narrative proposal.
Budget justification (Budget explanation):
a detailed clarification of the budget;
explains how dollar amounts are determined.
Capital Support: Funds
provided for buildings, construction, or
equipment, and including, for example, grants
for "bricks and mortar".
Consortium: a group of
organization sharing in the finances,
administration, and/or activities of a single
grant.
Consortium grant: award made to
one grantee in support of a project being
conducted in conjunction with one or more
other participating organizations.
Consultant: a person with
expertise who is brought in to lend insight,
advise, do workshops, among other, as set in
the written agreement.
Contract: A written
statement that records the mutually agreed
promises of the contracting parties and which
gives rise to legally enforceable rights and
duties. Contracts generally outline very
specific goals and requirements for a task to
be completed by a certain date. They are
subject to an extensive body of law and
regulations which govern, among other
subjects, the manner of contract information,
terms and conditions, and remedies and
sanctions available to the parties.
Contracting Officer: An
agency official who is authorized to develop,
enter into, and administer contracts on behalf
of the agency that the or she represents.
Contribution: a service or item
donated in lieu of dollars to the operation of
a funded project; usually given by a third
party; e.g., donated equipment, percentage of
an administrator's time, or guest speaker's
time.
Cooperative Agreements:
Agreements that generally involve no exchange
of funds but involve either the use of an
agency's services, equipment, facilities, or
significant technical collaboration.
Cooperative Giving Program:
A grantmaking program established and
administered within a profit-making
corporation of company. Corporate giving
programs do not have a separate endowment, and
their annual grant totals are generally
directly related to the previous year's
profits. They are not subject to the same
reporting restrictions as private
foundations. Some companies may make
charitable contributions through both a
corporate giving program and company-sponsored
foundations.
Cost Sharing: The
university's support of a project through
either cash or in-kind services, required by
some sponsors. Cost sharing requirements
vary, but they generally represent a
percentage of the total cost.
Cover letter: letter of
transmittal accompanying a proposal
submission. Most used when submitted in
hard copy.
Deadline or due date: The date by
which an application must be submitted to an
agency to be considered for funding.
Usually the hour is also set. The
proposal will not be accepted for review if it
is one second late.
Deadline types are:
Postmark deadline: the last
date which may be affixed by the Post Office
in order for a proposal to be considered for
funding; set by the funding source.
Receipt deadline: Date by which an
application must be received by an agency; set
by the funding source.
Declining Grant: A
multiyear grant which grows smaller each year
in the expectation that the recipients home
institution will raise funds to make up the
difference.
Direct Costs: All costs
that can be directly attributed to the conduct
of the project and are specified in the
proposal budget. It includes salaries
and wages,
fringe benefits, consultants, subcontractors,
travel, equipment, supplies and materials,
communications, computer time, and publication
charges.
Discretionary Funds or
Programs: Programs or parts of programs
whose funds are awarded from the national
office based on priorities established in that
office.
Donee: The recipient of
a grant. Also known as the grantee or the
beneficiary.
Donor: An individual or
organization that makes a grant or
contribution to a donee. Also known as the
grantor.
Effective date: date award is
made, allowable project costs may not be
charged to the project until this date.
Employee benefits: direct
expenditures by an organization on behalf of
its employees for such items as workman's
compensation, disability insurance,
unemployment compensation, Social Security,
life and health insurance, and retirement.
Paid in addition to salaries Usually fringe
benefits are calculated as a percentage of
salaries. (Fringe Benefits).
Endowment: Funds
intended to be kept permanently and invested
to provide income for continued support of an
organization.
Equipment grant: award to be used
exclusively for the purchase of equipment;
typically for educational or research
purposes; usually requires a 50% match by the
grantee.
Evaluation: a quantitative
assessment of what was, or was not,
accomplished by a project; a comparison of
project objectives and actual project
outcomes; an increasingly important part of
proposal writing and project management.
Expiration date: last date of a
project; no charges may be made to a project
after this date (Grant Period).
Face Page (Cover sheet): first
page of a proposal; identifies project title,
agency to which proposal is submitted, project
director's name, title, address, project
duration, total dollar request, submitting
organization's name and address ant the name,
title, and signature of person authorized to
sign for submitting organization. For
all federal agencies this is the Standard
Form 424 (SF424).
Federal Register: (the
daily newspaper of the Federal government) is
a legal newspaper published every business day
by the National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA). It contains:
Federal Agency Regulations, Proposed Rules and
Public Notices, Executive Orders,
Proclamations, Other Presidential Documents.
Part of Public Notices are the requests for
proposals. When the guidelines of an
agency and the federal register notice have a
discrepancy, the federal register notice
prevails.
Fellowship: Awards that
enable individuals to pursue study in their
fields or to introduce them to related
fields. Although not consistently defined,
some sponsors place their emphasis on
contribution to the individual's own scholarly
development. A fellowship often advances,
synthesizes, or enlarges the applicant's
special area of interest. Or, it may enable
the recipient to study in a different area
which will extend his or her competence. The
salary support provided by a fellowship may be
referred to as a stipend. Fellowship types
may include: Research Fellowship; Training
Fellowship or Traineeship.
Fiscal year (FY): usually a
12-month period for which funds are
appropriated and during which expenditures
must be made. The federal fiscal year
runs form October 1 to September 30 and is
designated by the calendar year it ends.
For example, FY 2009 covers the period October
1, 2008 to September 30, 2009. For state
and local governments is July 1 to June 30.
FY for many corporations is the same as the
calendar year, January to December 30.
Formula grant: funds made
available on the basis of a specific formula
used by the granting agency and prescribed in
legislation, regulation, or policies of that
agency. The funds are awarded on the
basis of demographic and economic data.
Foundation: organization
established to disburse funds for
philanthropic purposes; usually privately
endowed.
Goals: general statements of
anticipated project outcomes; usually more
global in scope than objectives and not
expected to be measurable; if used, goals
should be supported by well-stated objectives.
Grant: