Grants Management & Reporting

Awarded Grants

Foundations and granting agencies will often communicate their funding decisions directly to the principal investigator (PI) or project leader, so it is important to inform your designated grant contact right away of any funding decisions (including notification that a proposal has been declined). This helps ensure all post-proposal submission activities and responses to the foundation or government agency will be carried out in accordance with university policies and procedures.

After a grant has been awarded, complete both the Request for Grant Fund Number form and the Post Award Grant Information form (doc) to initiate the internal administrative support required for your grant. While overall management of the grant lies primarily with the PI or project leader, the Office of Foundation Relations (for foundation grants) and the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs (for government grants) remains involved to help review final reports before submission and provide whatever other assistance might be necessary to comply in full with the terms of the grant agreement.

The Office of Foundation Relations also tracks and oversees the stewardship of all corporate and foundation relationships by carefully monitoring grants and working directly with faculty and staff to coordinate any direct contact with foundations beyond that which is required to fulfill the commitments of the grant-funded project. Remaining well informed about any and all grant activities can be useful to the university in that it allows the foundation relations officer to more strategically develop future proposals and ensure a long-lasting relationship with our foundation funders.

The Office of Sponsored Research and Projects tracks all government grants and helps ensure compliance. For most government grants, electronic submissions are made by the PI and the agency usually electronically notifies the Bethel Business Office or the Office of Sponsored Research and Projects. It is essential that the PI track all reporting requirements and submit reports by the deadline.

Roles and Responsibilities: Grant Management

The Principal Investigator (PI) or project leader: (1) meets the objectives laid out in the grant application; (2) ensures that Bethel policies and procedures are followed during all phases of the project; (3) oversees the administration, financial management (including detailed tracking of grant fund expenditures and current balances), and narrative reporting of an awarded grant and (4) consults with and files copies of the proposal and all reports with the Office of Foundation Relations (foundation grants) or the Office of Sponsored Research and Projects (government grants).

The Business Office: (1) assigns a restricted account fund number to financial awards; (2) trains and supports the PI's use of the university's accounting system; (3) tracks grants balances (but not line item expenditures, which are the responsibility of the PI); (5) verifies all financial information and issues financial reports for interim and final grant reports.

The Office of Foundation Relations or the Office of Sponsored Research and Projects: (1) maintains a record of proposals planned, submitted, rejected, and awarded, as well as copies of all Bethel-related submissions.

What to Expect When a Grant is Awarded

1. Fill out the Post Award Grant Information Form (doc).

This form will ask you to describe your project at a high level for internal and external publicity, to identify compliance and reporting requirements, and any other pertinent information that might be helpful for the respective grants office to be aware of when tracking your grant. You will email this to your designated grant contact.

2. Submit the Request for Grant Fund Number form.

All grant funds received by Bethel must be assigned a unique grant fund number by which to manage and report income and expenses for the project being funded. If awarded a multi-year grant, a Business Office contact will work with you to determine whether more than one grant number will be assigned to facilitate annual reporting requirements. Important: Please note that while the Business Office will provide high level income and expense reporting by grant fund number, the PI or project leader is ultimately responsible for verifying grant funds have been received as expected and for tracking line item expenses according to the grant requirements. Do not rely on the business office to provide detailed expense reports often required by the granting agency, as this detailed tracking and reporting is ultimately the responsibility of the PI or project leader.

3. Tutorial on Managing Grant Budget

You will meet with a contact from the Business Office to set up proper management of your grant funds and budget reporting. 

Managing Your Project Budget (pdf)

4. Acknowledgement

Acknowledgement letters primarily serve as a formal receipt for funds received by Bethel, and as such, are authored by the Foundations Relations Officer in the Office of Foundation Relations. Acknowledgement letters are also an important stewardship tool to help strengthen the relationship between Bethel and foundations that fund Bethel projects and programs. Upon receipt of all grant funds from a corporation or foundation (not including government), the Foundations Relations Officer will draft an acknowledgement letter to be sent to the primary contact at the foundation. The PI or project leader will be asked to review the acknowledgement letter draft for accuracy and any additional details that will make it more meaningful to the granting agency. Acknowledgement letters also serve as official receipts, and as such, come from the Office of Development.