Faculty Handbook

GIFTS, GRANTS, AND CONTRACTS

Some confusion may exist among the designations “Gifts,” “Grants,” and “Contracts,” and there are some gray and overlapping areas among these three forms of support for the University.  But in general:

Gifts to the University support broad faculty activities.  Three general features of gifts include:

• No deliverables are required from the activities supported.
• No formal technical reports are required.
• No formal financial reports are required.

In general, gifts are made to the University on behalf of faculty to perform a specific project.  The sponsor generally supports the project as outlined in a proposal.  Grant characteristics include:

• Project usually has stated goals and objectives.
• The sponsor has expectations about how the funds will be spent.
• Grant deliverables may include formal project reports.
• A financial report is required.

ALL grant applications for external sources of funding must be forwarded to the College Office for Research and Graduate Studies with a second copy for that office’s files.  A Proposal Internal Approval Form (PIAF) will be prepared and appropriate signatures gathered for those grant applications to be made to the University, as opposed to the individual faculty member (e.g., Fulbright, ACLS, Guggenheim, Getty).  The Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies will then forward the grant application with the PIAF attached to the Office of Sponsored Programs.

Contracts are the most formal type of award made to the University.  Under a contract the sponsor supports clearly defined activities.  Contract characteristics include:

• Specific deliverables are stipulated.
• Project performance is monitored by the sponsor.
• Technical reports are required.
• Detailed financial reports are required.

Normally, all three kinds of awards are negotiated by the University on behalf of faculty.  See:  http://grants.psu.edu/PSU/Prep/guide.pdf