Terms and Definitions
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The person appointed by the court to settle an estate when a person had died without a valid will.
Those allowable costs that benefit the grant or contract which they are being charged.
A cost that is reasonable for the conduct of the work approved; is consistent with regulations, policies, and procedures; is consistent with the policies and procedure of the Awardee; is applied uniformly to other activities of similar nature; and is allocable and reasonable.
The alumni participation rate is determined by calculating the percentage of alumni donors out of a pool of active alumni.
Amount of an individual?s gift that?s credited to the Annual Fund and factored into Fund totals.
A donation made each year, usually with few restrictions.
A contracted right to receive payments of a specific amount at stated intervals in life, or for a term of years, in consideration of a transfer of cash or other assets.
The individual formally authorized to bind the institution to grants, contracts and other agreements; the official ?signer? for the institution.
Financial assistance that provides support or stimulation to accomplish a specific purpose. Awards include grants and other agreements in the form of money or property in lieu of money, by a sponsor to an eligible recipient.
The person or organization that receives a bequest under a will, death benefits from a life insurance policy or payments from a trust.
A sum of money committed to an organization by will or trust and made available upon the donor?s death. The donor retains all assets during his or her lifetime.
This term is used to reference where a company?s logo could be featured, branding opportunities typically include on the event/program webpage, on social media posts, on event fliers and t-shirts, etc.
An estimate of expenditures proposed to be incurred in the performance of a proposed statement of work.
The act of amending the budget by reallocating funds from one category or line item to another. Budget Adjustments can arise from changes in project need/scope, or per request of the sponsor.
Provides written information for reviewers of the sponsor or other committees to determine whether all items of the budget are realistic and justifiable in terms of the aims and methods of the project and currently available resources.
Dates assigned by the sponsoring agency during which time funds may be expended, usually 1 yr period.
An organized drive to raise substantial funds in support of an institution?s major needs such as construction or renovations, endowment, or special programs.
Unobligated and unexpended funds from a previous budget year which are to be expended during the current budget period.
An individual who has met the requirements of the Research Administrators Certification Council?s (RACC) eligibility requirements and has demonstrated a level of knowledge necessary for a person to be a professional research or sponsored program administrator.
An agreement between the college and a generous donor whereby the donor makes a contribution in exchange for the College?s promise to pay one or two annuitants a fixed income for life. Funds remaining after the death of the last annuitant will be used by the College for purposes specified by the donor at the time of the gift. The minimum gift to fund a charitable gift annuity is $10,000.
The act of completing all internal procedures and sponsor requirements to terminate or complete a research project.
A courtesy title for a senior investigator who is not the Principal Investigator (PI), generally with responsibility for the conduct of a portion of the research or other activity described in a proposal or an award. NSF recognizes this title when there are multiple senior investigators, but states that? the first one listed will have primary responsibility for the project and the submission of reports.? Few other funding agencies recognize the title.
Spelman College
Adherence to the requirements imposed, often by federal regulation, and the responsibilities institutions assume in their receipt.
The institution signs certifications or representations regarding compliance for most proposals or awards.
An agreement signed by two or more parties that agree to maintain specified information as confidential for a specific period of time. Also referred to as Nondisclosure Agreements (NDAs).
Individuals, organizations, or businesses that provide goods or services for a fee, but not as an employee of the hiring entity. Consultants are experts outside the university who provide their professional services for a fee. They are more appropriately treated as vendors. OMB Uniform Guidance identifies vendors as:
1. Providing goods and services within their normal business operations;
2. Providing similar goods or services to many different purchasers;
3. Operating in a competitive environment;
4. Providing goods or services that are ancillary to the operation of the Federal program; and
5. Not subject to the compliance requirements of the Federal program.
A mechanism for procurement of a product or service with specific obligations for both the sponsor and recipient. Each contract document contains a statement of work (SOW) or services to be performed (scope of work) and represents a legal obligation by the contractor. Since a contract is a purchase or procurement, there will always be a deliverable.
An award of financial assistance that is used to enter into the same kind of relationship as a grant; and is distinguished from a grant in that it provides for substantial involvement between the federal agency/sponsor and the recipient in carrying out the activity. The sponsor and university work collaboratively and the reporting requirements are usually stricter.
Corporations that are supporting the College on multiple initiatives (scholarships, internships, sponsorships, department support, etc.)
The principles as set out in applicable statutes, regulations, grantor instructions, Office of Management and Budget Circulars and generally accepted accounting rules used for determining allowability, reasonableness, and allocability of costs applicable to grants, contracts, and other agreements.
The portion of project or program costs not borne by the federal government.
The excess of expenditures over revenues (authorized budget) during an accounting period or award/project period for grants and contracts.
An objectively measurable product or service that is a direct result of a project effort or a procurement. Deliverables must be stated as an integral part of the proposal and award documents. The deliverable for many projects can be a report or other objects, and in a time and effort project will be a specified amount of effort as demonstrated by the effort reporting system. A good deliverables list is very noun oriented.
Those costs that can be identified specifically with a particular activity within a sponsored project (i.e., supplies, salaries and wages, travel, etc.).
Transfer of equipment, money, goods, services, and property with or without specifications as to its use. Sometimes donation is used to designate contributions that are made with more specific intent than is usually the case with a gift, but the two terms are often used interchangeably. (Also see Gift).
A person or organization that receives a gift.
A person, organization, corporation, or foundation that makes a gift.
Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number is a unique nine-character identification number provided by the commercial company Dun & Bradstreet (D&B).
All monies committed for the purchase of an item or service; these funds have not actually been disbursed yet, however; they cannot be spent. These funds become expenditures when commitments have been paid.
The principal amount of gifts and requests that are stipulated to be kept intact and invested to create a source of income for an
organization.
Refers to opportunities we can offer to corporations that are looking to develop relationships with students, engagements are
typically woven into existing events and programs to ensure the greatest attendance, examples include a workshop on personal
branding, resume writing, or interview prep, an ?ask me anything? session with a company executive, a panel discussion on
careers available within the company, a book discussion that covers a topic important to Spelman students and the company, etc.
Tangible assets acquired through donation, gift, purchase, capital lease, or self-construction with a life expectancy greater than one year and valued over $5,000. Note: The decision to obtain equipment not budgeted for in the original proposal may require prior agency approval, even if within the budget adjustment threshold. Check your award terms and conditions.
Loaned equipment?is property provided by an outside party for use by the institution for sponsored project or research related activities.
All monies used during the budget period to purchase tangible items in addition to payment of services.
The date signifying the end of the performance period, as indicated on the Notice of Award (NOA).
An additional period of time given by the sponsor/funder to an institution for the completion of work on an approved grant. An extension allows previously allocated funds to be spent after the original expiration date. Most federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) allow an extension of the final period of up to one year by the institution with adequate notice to the sponsor/funder. Also referred to as a No-Cost Extension.
The number the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) assigns to every employer, also ?Entity Identification Number? (EIN) that uniquely identifies that taxable entity. Use of this number enables a sponsor to identify the correct recipient to receive the funds awarded under a contract or grant.
A person, such as a trustee or executor, responsible for the affairs or the estate of another person (such as a beneficiary or donor) or organization.
The final technical or financial report required by the sponsor to complete a research project.
A document the recipient sends to the Department showing the amounts and/or types of expenditures made under an ED discretionary grant or cooperative agreement; usually made on a federal form, SF-272; for some grants, the financial report is also made on another federal form, SF-269.
Any twelve-month period for which annual accounts are kept. Spelman?s Fiscal Year is July 1st through June 30th; the Federal Government?s (and Title III?s) Fiscal Year is October 1st through September 30th.
A publicly available document by which a federal agency makes known its intentions to award discretionary grants or cooperative agreements, usually as a result of competition for funds. Funding opportunity announcements may be known as program announcements, notices of funding availability, solicitations, or other names depending on the agency and type of program. Funding opportunity announcements can be found at Grants.gov and online at the funding agency?s or program?s website.
The raising of assets and resources from various sources for the support of an organization or a specific project.
Extramural support that satisfies the following criteria:
?Funds must provide general or unrestricted support of broadly defined activities in one or more program areas.
?Detailed reports are not required (periodic, final, fiscal, technical, etc.).
?No provisions are imposed by the donor related to publication of data or information related to the activity.
?There is no time limit for expenditure of funds; and
?Rights to any patents/copyrights are not retained by the donor.
Like memorial gifts, gifts in honor accomplish two significant goals at once: They honor someone whom the donor loves or admires, and they further the Institute?s service to society. Gifts in honor, like memorial gifts, may be designated toward a specific program or fund, or their use may be left to the discretion of the College.
A grant is awarded to an organization for the conduct of research or other program as specified in an approved proposal. A federal grant, as opposed to a federal cooperative agreement, is used whenever the awarding office anticipates no substantial programmatic involvement with the recipient during the performance of the activities. As with any agreement, a grant has terms and conditions that must be followed.
Official document signed by the grants officer stating the amount and the terms and conditions of an award for a discretionary grant or cooperative agreement. Also referred to as Notice of Award (NOA).
Token of appreciation paid to an individual for services performed for which payment is not required. There is no contract, the fee is not set or negotiated by the recipient, and the honorarium may not be paid to a third party. Typically, honoraria are paid to guest lecturers or experts for brief appearances at the College.
Non-cash gift of services or of tangible property?equipment, works of art, books, etc.?rather than of cash or appreciated property. In-kind contributions (also referred to as ?gifts in kind?) must be appraised or evaluated before they are accepted by the College.
Additional funding granted to an existing award, also referred to as a supplemental award (supplemental funding).
Costs that are incurred for common or joint objectives and therefore cannot be identified readily and specifically with a particular sponsored project, an instructional activity, or any other institutional activity. Also referred to as F&A costs.
A committee responsible for oversight of protocols for research that involves animals.
A committee responsible for oversight of protocols for research that involves human subjects.
Refers to the results of research that may be protected by patents and copyrights. These may include patentable inventions, software, data, creative works, and the associated know-how.
Form to complete that starts the internal review process prior to submitting a grant. For Spelman, click here for form.
Funding opportunities where the sponsor restricts the number of applications or proposals a campus can submit to the agency. The guidelines for these programs require institutions to screen pre-proposals or nominations to determine which applications will be submitted for competition.
A grant program whereby a company will contribute a specific amount of money to the College based on the amount of a gift made by an employee (and sometimes by the employee?s spouse or a retiree) to the College. Specific guidelines are set by each employer. Matching gifts are included in the Annual Fund dollar total, and are added to an individual?s gift total for purposes of donor recognition.
An agreement that governs the transfer of tangible research materials between two organizations, when the recipient intends to use the materials for research. The MTA defines the rights of the provider and the recipient with respect to the original materials and any derivatives.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is commonly used as a confirmation of agreement upon terms when an oral agreement is reduced to writing. It sets forth the basic principles and guidelines under which the parties will work together to accomplish their goals. It is uniquely tailored to each individual circumstance and may be funded or unfunded. It is also known as a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).
Funds that are unexpended but are encumbered at the end of a budget period or project period.
Contributions made to cover an organization?s day-to-day, ongoing expenses (e.g., salaries, utilities, office supplies).
A participant is a non-Spelman employee who is a recipient of a service or training session associated with a workshop, conference, seminar, symposium, or other information sharing activity funded by a sponsored award. Participants do not perform work or services for the project or program other than for their own benefit. These participants are not required to deliver anything or provide any service to the College in return for these ?participant support costs.?
A report of the specific activities the recipient of a discretionary grant or cooperative agreement has performed during the budget period or the project period.
Goodwill to fellow persons; especially, active effort to promote human welfare.
A form of charitable contribution whereby the donor retains assets for life (in the case of bequests), or the donor and/or the donor?s beneficiaries are given payments for life or for a specified term of years (in the case of life income funds), after which all remaining funds are transferred to the College.
A commitment by an individual or corporation to make a future contribution. Some donors, especially when preparing to celebrate a major reunion, make multi-year pledges. Pledges are not included in Annual Fund totals, but are included in some Reunion Gift campaigns.
Typically, a faculty member who submitted a proposal that was accepted and funded by an external sponsor, also referred to as the project director. The PI has primary responsibility for technical compliance, completion of programmatic work, and fiscal stewardship of sponsor funds.
The period assigned to complete the awarded project, can be between 1 and 5 years long.
Any potential donor whose linkages, giving ability, and interests have been confirmed.
Form utilized to generate purchase orders (POs) for the purchase of supplies, etc. When utilizing the purchase order, expenses become encumbered until invoiced.
Process by which funds available for spending are reallocated between budget categories to allow best use of funds to accomplish project goals.
It means fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results.
?Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them.
?Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
?Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person?s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.
The practice of scientific investigation with integrity.
Contribution made for a clearly specified purpose and none other.
Professional personnel who are responsible for the scientific or technical direction of project. The principal investigator has final responsibility if there are more than one senior investigators on a project.
To ask (a person or group) for a contribution of money, resources, a service, or opinion.
Detailed description of a funding opportunity. Also known as ?request for proposals? (RFP) or ?funding opportunity announcement? (FOA).
The organization that funds a sponsored program received by the College. Also referred to as ?funder? or ?funding agency.?
Funds from an outside entity used to support an event or program, funds are typically tied to some type of branding or engagement to support their return on investment.
A standard grant application form, sometimes referred to as the application "cover page," used by the Department of Education and other federal agencies.
A document written under the authority of, and consistent with the terms and conditions of an award (a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement), that transfers a portion of the research or substantive effort of the prime award to another institution or organization. Subaward or Subgrant is usually used in relation to an agreement under a federal grant.
See incremental award.
A cost not in compliance with the terms and policies of the awarding agency.
Funds which are not encumbered nor spent during the life of the award.
Federal regulations for management of grants and cooperative agreements, formerly OMB A-21, A-110 and A-133.
Monies (or an accounting category for such funds) with no requirements or restrictions as to use or disposition. Grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements are considered to be restricted funds, while gifts are usually considered unrestricted funds.
A gift whereby the donor authorizes the College to decide how the money will be used.