Policy Number: 12000.007
Unit: Grants and Contracts
1.0 Policy Statement
Any costs for items such as stipends or subsistence allowances, travel allowances, and registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees for conferences, meetings, symposiums, or training projects are classified as participant support costs. These costs are not subject to indirect cost recovery and must be specifically identified in the budget proposal and award notice. Requests to re-budget these specific budget items must be approved by the awarding agency.
2.0 Purpose
This policy is designed to outline the University’s policy in accordance with Uniform Guidance code §200.75 and §200.456 to ensure that sponsor regulations related to participant support costs are applied.
3.0 Definitions
3.1 Participant Support Cost – Direct costs for items such as stipends or subsistence allowances, travel allowances, and registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees (but not employees) in connection with conferences, or training projects.
3.2 Participant – An individual who is a recipient of a service or training session in a workshop, conference, seminar, symposium or other information sharing activity funded by an external grant or award.
4.0 Additional Information
4.1 Payments issued to speakers or to faculty and staff are not considered participant support costs.
4.2 Participant Cost account codes are excluded from the indirect cost base.
4.3 Participant Support Cost is restricted and cannot be re-budgeted without prior approval from the awarding agency.
4.4 The National Science Foundation specific restrictions and guidance on Participant Support Costs, which serves as the basis of this policy, will apply to all participant support cost budgets for all sponsored programs, unless otherwise specified in the award notice.