Post-Award Grant Management Toolkit
Overview
This toolkit provides information and guidelines for post-award processes for grants managed by the Office of Foundation Relations (OFR). Please use the expandable tabs below to navigate to each section. If you have a question that is not covered, please contact us.
For awards managed by the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR), please see OSR's Website. For clarification on a particular award's cognizant office, please find more information on our FAQ page or contact us. For RFP opportunities, the cognizant office is noted on the relevant Funding Opportunity Posting.
Documentation Required:
To accept and process an award, the following forms are required. Typically, these are completed at the time of full proposal:
- Approved DAF.
- Signed PI Eligibility Sponsor Memo, if required.
- Approved MORA.
- If the award amount received is different than the amount of the proposal, the MORA will need to be updated accordingly.
- All proposal documentation, including narrative and budget.
- Grant agreement, award documentation, and/or additional terms, as applicable.
Award Document/Agreement Processes:
Once all supporting documentation is received, OFR will route grant agreements for the authorized signature. Timeline: Please allow up to 2 weeks for full execution, if possible. The review process is as follows: Grant Agreements are reviewed by the Office of General Counsel (OGC) and, when necessary, the Office of the Provost, and the Office of Technology Transfer and Corporate Partnerships (OTTCP), prior to being sent for signature by the authorized Institute representative (typically the Vice President for AAR).
Award Documents
Upon receipt and full execution of the award documents, and prior to activation, OFR will distribute internal award setup documents via email to the PI and support staff. These include:
- Award Summary: A one-page summary of grant information and terms.
- Award Setup Packet: Contains the grant agreement, MORA, DAF, proposal, etc.
PTA Setup
OFR will also send award setup documents to Fund Accounting (FA) to initiate PTA setup. FA will provide the grant manager (GM) with a ‘Funding Source' number, which can be used to request the PTA account in Oracle.
- PTA start and end dates must be the same as the grant period dates specified on the award summary. All award expenditures must fall within the specified period. Unlike federal awards, typically private funders do not allow pre-award spending or have grace periods.
- If funds are received by Caltech prior to the official award start date, the account will not be chargeable until the approved start date.
Terms
Award terms vary by funder and are detailed on the internal award documents. For specific questions about an award's particular requirements, please contact your OFR contact listed on the award summary.
Indirect Costs/Overhead
Indirect costs are assessed as noted on the MORA for each award. When the minimum required overhead is met through general budget relief, it is the responsibility of the GM to track spending to ensure compliance is upheld. If minimum overhead is not met in actual expenditures as budgeted, the GM will need to supply the Fund Accounting analyst with a discretionary PTA to charge.
Subawards
GMs are responsible for setting up and managing outgoing subawards in consultation with Caltech Purchasing/Contracting. For a detailed process, please see Procurement's Guide to Setting up Subawards and the Subaward and Modification Processing Checklist. GMs and the assigned contracting officer are responsible for tracking sub-awardee spending for compliance to award terms.
Reporting
Reporting requirements are detailed on OFR-issued Award Summaries. Typically, funders require both narrative and financial reporting. Prior to report deadlines (approx. 4-5 weeks), OFR will send out reporting reminders detailing the requirements. For additional details on reporting, please see 'Reporting' section below.
Grant Changes
Budget Changes: Funders often have specific policies related to re-budgeting of grant funds. Please refer to your Award Summary and Grant Agreement for detailed information. If you wish to request a change, please contact OFR to coordinate with the funder.
Changes affecting indirect costs: If a proposed grant change affects the award's indirect costs (amount; internal recovery mechanism; etc.), a new approved MORA will be required.
No-Cost Extensions (NCEs): NCEs can typically (though not always) be requested if funds are projected to remain unspent as of the grant end date. Please refer to the NCE section of the award summary for details. As with budget changes, if you wish to request an NCE, please contact OFR to coordinate. Generally, the basic information needed is:
- Length of extension/new proposed end date.
- Approximate amount of unspent funds projected to remain as of the current award end date.
- Brief justification for the request.
- Note if the funds will be used as originally planned, or if a budget reallocation is also needed. If the latter, please provide a justification for the changes.
Cost Extensions: Funders may invite a grant extension and provide additional funding to support the project during the additional period. These cost-extensions require the same documentation as new proposals (DAF, MORA) and may also require new grant agreement execution. Please reach out to the OFR contacts listed on the award summary to coordinate.
Other Changes: Please refer to the award summary and/or reach out to OFR with any questions regarding any other changes (e.g., transfer, termination, etc.)
Processing Changes: If changes are approved, OFR will update and re-circulate award documents. PTA end date extensions are requested by OFR from Fund Accounting upon distribution of the updated award documents.
Close-Out
Unless otherwise approved, grant accounts must be at a zero-balance at the time of the final financial report (generally 30-60 days after grant close). PTAs become non-chargeable after the approved grant end date. However, if needed, GMs may request that FA re-open the PTA after the grant end date in order to perform necessary cost transfers. However, all expenditure dates (according to the General Ledger) on transferred costs must fall within the grant period. GMs should work with FA to ensure all commitments have cleared prior the final financial report.
Narrative/Progress Reports
- Generally, the PI will develop the narrative report. OFR is available to assist with editing and/or formatting as needed. Report requirements vary by funder. Specific requirements will be detailed in the reporting reminder.
- In the case the PI receives a specific template directly from the funder, they should share this with OFR.
- If financial variance explanations are needed in the narrative portion, the GM and/or OFR will consult with the PI to obtain these.
Financial Reports
- OFR requests financial report drafts from Fund Accounting (FA), providing any specific guidelines.
- In the case the PI receives a specific template directly from the funder, they should share this with OFR.
- FA will distribute the draft financial report to the GM and OFR for review.
- All reports should be reviewed for accuracy and compliance by the GM. Applicable considerations include:
- Ensure no non-allowable costs are included (per funder restrictions);
- Ensure indirect costs are accurate (per the funder restrictions and MORA);
- Ensure applicable budget relief is being charged, if applicable (per the MORA);
- Ensure reported budget is accurate, if reporting budget-to-actual;
- Ensure expenses are categorized correctly;
- Ensure that variances are adequately addressed.
- If changes are needed, the GM should work with the FA analyst to make any edits and re-circulate for review.
- Note: For a cost transfer to reflect on the report, the transfer needs to have occurred within the reflected reporting period. If a transfer is made after the specified period, it will not reflect until the following report.
- Exception: For final reports, GMs may request that FA re-open the PTA after the grant end date in order to perform necessary cost transfers. However, all expenditure dates (according to the General Ledger) on transferred costs must fall within the grant period.
- Note: For a cost transfer to reflect on the report, the transfer needs to have occurred within the reflected reporting period. If a transfer is made after the specified period, it will not reflect until the following report.
- All reports should be reviewed for accuracy and compliance by the GM. Applicable considerations include:
- If variance explanations are needed within the financial portion, the GM and/or OFR will consult with the PI to obtain these.
- All expense reports need to be approved by both the GM and OFR prior to submission. Once approved, FA obtains the Assistant Controller's final approval and (if applicable) signature. FA will send the final version to OFR for submission.
Important Notes Regarding Financial Reporting
- FA cannot approve future (i.e., estimated, projected) spending on financial reports.
- FA cannot report on committed expenses.
- FA requires GM approval on financial reports prior to submission.
- FA reports using the General Ledger, not Oracle.
- Financial reports are due at the time specified by the Foundation – unlike federal awards, there is no ‘standard deadline' after the close of the grant.