United States Department of Education (USDE) Contents: What's New Proposal Guidance Budget Guidelines Compliance Award Guidance Subawards Prior Approvals Reporting Effort Reporting / Cost Share Record Retention Sponsor Resources Forms and Templates Archives What's New Agency news is available here: http://www.ed.gov/news Proposal Guidance The United States Department of Education’s (USDE) (http://www.ed.gov/) mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. USDE engages in four major types of activities: Establishes policies related to federal education funding, administers distribution of funds and monitors their use Collects data and oversees research on America's schools Identifies major issues in education and focuses national attention on them Enforces federal laws prohibiting discrimination in programs that receive federal funds Most solicitations require online submission of proposals. Please read your Request for Proposal (RFP) to determine whether grants.gov or paper submission is required. If grants.gov submission is required, please see information on how to prepare a S2S package in KR. More information on grant programs available through USDE, eligibility and application information can be found on the "Grants" page of the USDE website. Common application forms for application submission are available on the USDE's "Grant Application and Other Forms" page. Budget Guidelines The guidelines listed here are generally applicable to this sponsor. Please refer to the solicitation for any deviation to standard guidelines or specific requirements for a program. Personnel Salary Salaries should be based on KR values unless a known increase/decrease is expected, for example due to a change in title/rank; salaries are usually escalated in the out years using 2-3% inflation Fringe Fringe should be based on KR values Research Associate (Post Doc) Salary Salaries should be based on KR values if a current employee; the current minimum salary for a Post Doc can be found at this link Research Associate (Post Doc) Fringe Fringe should be based on KR values; Post Docs are eligible for retirement in the 4th year of employment, or immediately if they had participated in a retirement plan at a previous employer that made employer contributions. Please contact HR for more information. Graduate Student Stipend Stipend amounts should be based on standard/published college/department levels or HR levels Graduate Student Fringe Appropriate health benefits should be applied based on the current Grad Fringe Chart; 7.65% for summer hourly work Undergraduate Labor Usually based on hourly rates; see HR standard rates Undergraduate Fringe Fringe of 7.65% applied during the summer; fringe only applied during AY if student is not expected to be enrolled full time Administrative Staff Allowable per Uniform Guidance if justified and integral to the project; salaries and fringes should be based on KR values Equipment Allowable; equipment quote should be provided to OSP, or the department and/or PI should retain the quote for use at the Just in Time stage Participant Support Costs May be allowable for participants (not employees) who participate in conferences or other training projects; stipends, subsistence, travel, and registration fees may be included Travel Domestic Justification should include the purpose of travel, destination, dates of travel (if known) or estimated number of days, and the number of individuals for each trip International Justification should include the purpose of travel, destination, dates of travel (if known) or estimated number of days, and the number of individuals for each trip Other Direct Costs Communications May be allowable if not otherwise treated as F&A costs; should be allocable to the project Computer Services/ADP MSU services should be based on the established computer service rates (Financial Analysis approved rates); quotes or other justification for how rate was determined are helpful; if quotes/rates are not available at the proposal stage, they may be required at the Just in Time or award stage Conferences May be allowable if the conference is necessary to the performance of the project; allowable expenses may include facility rental, speakers’ fees, meals and refreshments, etc.; alcohol and entertainment are unallowable costs; refer to the solicitation for any restrictions on conference costs. Grantees are strongly encouraged to contact their project officer with any questions or concerns about whether using grant funds for a meeting or conference is allowable prior to committing grant funds for such purposes. Consultant Services Justification should include: services performed, total number of days, travel costs, names and organizational affiliations Equipment/Facility Rental Allowable to the extent rates are reasonable Graduate Student Tuition & Fees Should match the graduate student tuition chart; tuition should be prorated based on project dates Honoraria Unallowable; speaker's fees or other payments for services are allowable Materials & Supplies Budget justification should include a description of the supplies; computing devises may be included if less than $5,000 Meals/Refreshments May be allowable as part of conference costs; alcohol is unallowable; see Conferences above Publication/Dissemination Allowable Service Charges/CORE Services If using an MSU service center, the rate must be based on Financial Analysis approved rates; quotes or other justification for how service rate was determined are helpful; if not provided to OSP at the time of budget review, quotes/justification should be kept on file by PI/research administrator for use at Just in Time/award stage Subaward Subaward budget, budget justification, scope of work, and commitment form must be on file internally Contingency /Misc. Unallowable F&A NICRA rates should be used if not limited by the solicitation. Training grants allow an 8% F&A rate using an MTDC basis. Other grant programs may use a restricted rate, please refer to the solicitation. A memo of F&A restrictions on USDE projects is here: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/fund/guid/gposbul/financial-management-memo-2009.pdf Compliance Human Subjects If the project includes human subject’s research, IRB approval will be required prior to account set-up. Conflict of Interest Project-based Conflict of Interest disclosures are required for all key personnel prior to account set-up. Award Guidance No special award terms for USDE Subawards OSP Contract Teams draft subaward documents for USDE awards. Aside from the documents required at the proposal stage (commitment form, Statement of Work, budget, and budget justification), copies of the subrecipients F&A rate agreement and financial audit are needed. Prior Approvals Common prior approvals include, but are not limited to: Change in scope of work Reduction in PI effort (25% or more) No cost extensions Subawards not budgeted Reporting Financial Reporting This information must be collected with the frequency required by the terms and conditions of the federal award, but no less frequently than annually nor more frequently than quarterly except in unusual circumstances, for example where more frequent reporting is necessary for the effective monitoring of the federal award or could significantly affect program outcomes, and preferably in coordination with performance reporting. Performance Reporting Annual Grant Performance Report - The report should contain current performance and financial expenditure information for this grant. This is due 30 days after the end of the reporting period. A final performance report is due within 90 days after the expiration or termination of grant support. Contact CGA Cash Management Group for assistance with the financial portion of the performance report. Other Reports See award terms for applicable reports Effort Reporting / Cost Share Effort Reporting Key personnel and their required effort is listed in box 5 of the award notice. Reduction of 25% or more of the required effort requires prior approval. MSU effort reporting overview and FAQ’s can be found on the Sponsored Program Administration website at the following link: https://www.cga.msu.edu/PL/Effort/EffortReportingTools.aspx Effort reporting instructions can also be located on the Sponsored Program Administration website: https://www.cga.msu.edu/PL/Portal/231/EffortReportingInstructionsEffortAdministrators For additional questions and information, please contact the CGA Effort Reporting inbox at, effortreporting@cga.msu.edu Cost Share If cost share is required, it is listed in box 7 of the award notice. Information on cost share can be found on the Sponsored Program Administration website at the following link: https://www.cga.msu.edu/PL/Portal/249/CostSharePolicy In cases where salaried cost share has been committed, MSU uses the effort reporting system for tracking and documentation. Non-salary cost share is documented through PI certified operating statements. Record Retention Three years from the date of submission of the final financial report. Sponsor Resources Grants, Eligibility and Application information: https://www2.ed.gov/fund/grants-apply.html See Award Enclosure 3, using funds for conferences and meetings, as a guide when hosting a meeting or conference. Forms and Templates Grant Application and Other Forms: https://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html Archives None at this time
