Program Income from Sponsored Programs

Program Income from Sponsored Programs

Procedure: 8-25

Effective: October 21, 2009

Owner: Office of Sponsored Programs

Latest Revision: January 21, 2021

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

Scope

The purpose of this procedure is to assist Principal Investigators and departmental administrators in understanding the regulations and guidelines concerning program income derived from sponsored programs. The University is required to report program income from Federal Grant Sources. This procedures documents established practices.

Definitions

Program Income – Program income is defined as revenue earned by grantees, consortium participants, or contractors under a federal grant. This revenue is either directly generated by the grant-supported activity or earned as a result of the award. Many federal agencies require grant applicants to list anticipated amounts and sources of program income, and grant recipients to report and account for such income.

Examples of program income may include, but are not limited to: 

  • Income from fees for services performed.
    • Money generated from the use, or rental of equipment purchased with project funds.
    • Proceeds from the sale of supplies or equipment fabricated with project funds.
    • Fees from participants at conferences, including registration, publications, proceedings, etc.
    • Funds generated from the sale of research materials, such as animals, research tools, reagents, and license fees.

Unless otherwise specified in the terms of the award, program income does not include:

  • The receipt of principal on loans, rebates, credits, discounts, or interest earned on these.
  • Interest earned on advances of federal funds.

Responsibility

Principal Investigator – The Principal Investigator, with departmental administrative support, is responsible for ensuring that generated program income, as a result of sponsored projects, is properly used, accounted for, and reported. Principal Investigator is responsible for requesting an account to document the receipt of income.

Office of Sponsored Programs – The Office of Sponsored Programs is responsible for overseeing the reporting of program income generated during the performance of the grant in accordance with sponsor guidelines. Upon receipt of an eSPAR from a department requesting a program income account the Office of Sponsored Programs will create an account and associate it with the federal account generating the program income.

Distribution

  • Principal Investigators
  • Research Administrators
  • Fiscal Administrators
  • OSP

Ownership

The Senior Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs is responsible for ensuring that this procedure is necessary, reflects actual practice, and supports University policy.

Procedure Steps

Use of Program Income

Per the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements, 2CFR200.307, program income shall be retained by the recipient and, in accordance with Federal awarding agency regulations or the terms and conditions of the award, shall be used in one or more of the ways listed in the following:

Option 1 (Additive Alternative) 

Added to funds committed to the project by the Federal awarding agency and recipient and used to further eligible project or program objectives.

Option 2 (Matching Alternative)

Used to finance the non-Federal share of the project or program.

Option 3 (Deductive Alternative)

Deducted from the total project or program allowable cost in determining the net allowable costs on which the Federal share of costs is based.

Agency regulations or the terms of the award normally specify the option to be used. If the awarding agency does not specify, the Office of Sponsored Programs will always choose the ADDITIVE method for reporting.

Option 4 (Combination Alternative)

Uses all program income up to (and including) $25,000 as specified under the additive alternative and any amount of program income exceeding $25,000 under the deductive alternative.

Program Income Accounts

Principal Investigator should request an account to document the generation of program income using the eSPAR form.

Upon receipt of the eSPAR the Office of Sponsored Programs will create an account and associate it with the federal award generating the program income.

Reporting

The University is required to report program income generated during the performance of the sponsored project. The Principal Investigator, with departmental administrative support, is responsible for ensuring that generated program income, as a result of sponsored projects, is properly used, accounted for, and documented for reporting.

The Office of Sponsored Programs has oversight for reporting program income generated during the performance of the grant in accordance with sponsor guidelines in such communications as Financial Status Reports (FSR’s).

Reporting Exceptions and Special Handling

Unless otherwise noted in the terms and conditions of the award or in the awarding agency guidelines and regulations the Government does not require reporting of the following types of income as program income:

  • Income resulting from licensing fees and/or royalties from copyrighted material, patents, patent applications, trademarks and inventions produced under an award.
  • Income earned after the end of the grant or contract project period.