Award Setup

About Award Setup

Once an award is received, work with your assigned grant administrator to set up the budget. The budget awarded may not match the budget requested; the grant administrator will help revise the budget accordingly.  

The grant administrator creates a Budget Request form and Delegation of Signature form (one for each delegate) indicating who, aside from the PI, should be granted signature authority on the project. The grant administrator sends the PI these forms to print, sign where required and obtain any additional signatures (co-PIs and individuals delegated signature authority). The PI then returns the hard copy of the forms, with all required signatures.  

We review forms for completion (all signatures are required to be considered complete) and process them. In most cases, within five business days of receipt of the Budget Request and Delegation of Signature Authority forms, the PI can request a Procurement Card, hire staff and otherwise start to spend grant funds. 

Changes to Award Requiring Approval 

The following changes to an award require approval from the sponsor: 

  • Change in project or program scope or objectives 
  • Change in a key person specified in the application or award document
  • Project director’s absence exceeding three months, or a 25% or more reduction in time devoted to the project 
  • Transfer of funds allotted for training (e.g., participant stipends) to other expense categories 
  • Need for additional federal funding
  • Addition of a new subrecipient that was not approved in the original proposal 

Fund Advance 

If a federal award is delayed but work must begin, request a fund advance to incur project expenses before the award is finalized. The two types of fund advances are as follows: 

  • Pre-Award Spending Account: applies only to federal sponsors that allow pre-award spending up to 90 days before the award start date 
  • Advance Account: allows up to 120 days of spending while waiting for an award letter, continuation or subaward; only used when the sponsor has indicated confidence that funding is imminent 

Fund advances require approval from your dean and supporting documentation — correspondence with the sponsor, history of the project and justification for the advance. After obtaining approval from your dean, submit a Fund Advance Request through the Grants Management System (GMS). Once the awarded budget is approved and the project is activated, you may begin spending grant funds and hiring grant staff.