Participant Support Costs

Participant Support Costs

Procedure: 8-24

Effective: October 21, 2009

Owner: Office of Sponsored Programs

Latest Revision: January 19, 2021

Procedure Steps | Scope | Policy | Responsibility | Distribution | Ownership

Scope

This procedure provides guidance and documents procedure related to participant support costs. Since the majority of participant support funding is received by the University from the federal sponsors the procedure will follows more restrictive guidelines.

System References

Notice of Award

Definitions

Participant support costs means direct costs for items such as stipends or subsistence allowances, travel allowances, and registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees (but not employees) in connection with conferences, or training projects. (2CFR200, Section A. Definitions)

  • Funds provided for participant support may not be used by grantees for other categories of expense without the specific prior written approval of the sponsor.
  • Participant support allowances may not be paid to trainees who are receiving compensation, either directly or indirectly, from other Federal government sources while participating in the project.

Policy & Procedure

Responsibility

Principal Investigators:

  • Budgeting of costs in the proposal to the sponsor
  • Assigning and charging costs appropriately

School/Departmental Administrators and Fiscal Contacts are responsible for:

  • Maintaining documentation of costs that are associated with the participant support budget.
  • Tracking participant support costs on a sponsored project.

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP):

  • Ensure participant support cost budgets are not used for other categories

Distribution

  • Deans Offices
  • Research Administrators

Ownership

The Office of Sponsored Programs is responsible for ensuring that this procedure is necessary and supports University policy.

Procedure Steps

Principal Investigators must clearly request and justify participant support costs in proposal budgets.

Participant Support Costs do not generally carry F&A; however, there may be exceptional situations where administrative allowances are offered by the sponsors. In such cases, OSP will set up the grant in the system with appropriate F&A burden schedule.

When an award with participant support costs is received the Office of Sponsored Programs will setup the budget under unique project or expenditure category. Departments must monitor costs closely to ensure the appropriateness of this category and ensure that participant support costs are not used for reimbursing employee travel/training. OSP will work with department administrators to confirm participants and their associated costs.

Investigators and Departments must monitor participant support cost expenditures closely. At award closeout, the Office of Sponsored Programs will ask departments to verify participants and their appropriate costs. 

End of Activity