Grants Management Guide

The Grants and Contracts Administration Guide on proper Grants Management, is currently under revision.  Starting January 1, 2019, Grants and Contract Administration began revising the policy guide to provide more up-to-date assistance to campus investigators and administrators. This guide supersedes the previous issue of the Sponsored Programs Policies and Procedures Manual, dated September 21, 2004 and March 25, 2003, as well as the Policy Manual published in 2005.   People who can benefit from this guide include principal investigators, grants coordinators, department chairs, deans and campus business officers, as well as others involved with Grant Administration responsibilities. The guide will help those responsible for any aspect of a sponsored program to correctly plan and document all related activities and purchases. Hard copy updates will not be issued; however, periodic updates and revisions will be provided here on our website.

  • What is the Department of Grants and Contracts Administration?

    The Department of Grants and Contracts Administration (Grants and Contracts Administration) is part of the Clemson University Office of Research and reports to the Office of the Controller. Grants and Contracts Administration oversees the post-award administration of restricted sponsored projects funded from external sources, including the administration of projects awarded to the Clemson University Research Foundation (CURF).

  • What is a sponsored program?

    A sponsored program is a project, normally in the form of a grant or contract or cooperative agreement, that is funded from external sources including federal, state and local governments or private corporations or foundations. The award of a contract or grant creates a legal relationship to achieve a purpose or objective under specified conditions. The purpose of the award, the nature of the relationship established, and the control exercised by the awarding agency can often make a grant indistinguishable from a contract. However, a chart located in the appendix section explains the differences between a grant, a contract and a cooperative agreement. Sponsoring organizations may grant awards directly to Clemson University, or to the Clemson University Research Foundation (CURF), which subcontracts to Clemson University. The projects are designated as restricted current funds because separate accounts are required for each project. These separate accounts document the receipt and expenditure of such funds for the "restricted" purpose or project for which the sponsor intends.

  • Who is involved in the administration of a sponsored program?

    Principal investigators, grants coordinators, department chairs, deans and campus business officers all work together with Grants and Contracts Administration to meet all contractual obligations and to follow regulations throughout the administration of each sponsored award. Since sponsored activities bring significant financial support to Clemson University, the proper administration of such programs increases the University’s position with our sponsors to support and manage new programs and research activities.

    The principal investigator (PI) is responsible for the sponsored project and must comply with the terms and conditions contained within the award. Grants and Contracts Administration assists the PI or other departmental personnel with sponsored post-award activities as needed throughout the life-cycle of the award. Recipients of federal grants and contracts must comply fully with the Office on Management and Budget (OMB) 2CFR 200 - UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS, COST PRINCIPLES, AND AUDIT REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERAL AWARDS.

  • How can Grants and Contracts Administration help me?

    Grants and Contracts Administrations (GCA) is the Post-Award Office of the Division of Research. The GCA staff assists Principal Investigators (PIs), department staff, and administrators with post-award financial and administrative matters related to their sponsored (Fund 20) projects. GCA provides administrative oversight for functions that include all post-award programmatic and financial activities, which include requests to sponsors for no-cost extensions, changes in scope, reduction in time, and disengagement greater than 90 days, as well as sponsored project setup, accounting, invoicing, financial reporting, cash receipts, collections, payroll confirmation, and audit functions from award receipt to close out. The office has University-wide responsibility for ensuring that project expenses and reports to sponsors are compliant with Federal, State, and University laws and regulations as well as specific sponsor guidelines.