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This handbook has been prepared by the Office of Sponsored Research and the Controller's Office and is intended to serve as a guide to faculty members who are seeking or have received external support for their research or other projects. It provides information about both pre-award (application) and post-award (grant administration) matters and should help to answer common questions about college policies and procedures as well as federal and other regulations. In addition, many of the policies discussed apply to all faculty research being conducted at Wellesley College, whether externally funded or not.
Most pre-award functions are handled by the Office of Sponsored Research, while most post-award functions are the responsibility of the Assistant Controller in the Controller's Office. Often the distinctions between these categories are blurred, and the Office of Sponsored Research can advise on many post-award faculty concerns. In general, the Office of Sponsored Research provides information on possible sources of support for a project and individual assistance in identifying appropriate sponsors; helps in preparing a proposal and developing a budget; oversees the institutional approval process; and transmits the proposal to the funding agency. The Controller's Office provides complete fiscal management of an award; assigns a budget number which allows access to the College accounting system; tracks grant balances; requests payment from funding agencies; assists in interpretation of grant regulations; and files required financial reports.
Definitions: grants, fellowships, contracts, subgrants/subcontracts. Government and private agencies or organizations support research (or other) projects by using one of several award mechanisms. Most faculty at Wellesley receive research support through grants or fellowships.
A grant is an award made to the College to fund activities in which the funding agency has an interest but takes no active part in the conduct of the project. A proposal for a grant typically includes a detailed budget estimate in addition to a project description and always requires the signature of an official representative of the College. Funds awarded through a grant must be spent according to the rules of the agency, financial reporting is required, the award is subject to external audit, and unexpended funds must be returned to the agency at the conclusion of the project. Projects in the sciences and social sciences are frequently supported by grants. The National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are the most common federal granting agencies at Wellesley; common non-federal granting agencies include Research Corporation and the Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society.
A fellowship is an award made directly to an individual and carries with it many fewer restrictions than a grant. A proposal for a fellowship usually does not require detailed budget information and (except in certain special instances) does not need any signature other than that of the applicant. A faculty member who receives a fellowship usually has to provide a report on the work completed while supported by the fellowship but ordinarily does not have to provide an accounting for how the fellowship stipend was spent. Most of the procedures and regulations described in this handbook do not apply to fellowship applicants, although the Office of Sponsored Research often provides assistance to faculty members seeking fellowship support for their research. Projects in the humanities are most likely to be supported by fellowships. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is the most common federal agency from which Wellesley faculty receive fellowships; private organizations include American Association of University Women (AAUW), American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), American Philosophical Society, Bunting Institute, and Guggenheim Foundation.
A contract is similar to a grant, in that it is an award made to the College and therefore requires institutional approval (at the time of submission) and oversight (after the award has been made). It differs in that it is a legal instrument in which the Wellesley project director promises to perform certain designated services. Contracts are very unusual at Wellesley, although in recent years we have received contracts from the Department of Labor and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
A subgrant or subcontract is a grant or contract that comes to the College from another institution that has been awarded a grant or contract from a funding agency. The rules and conditions described for grants and contracts generally apply to subgrants and subcontracts.