Award Setup & Budget Modification

Award Setup in Accounting

Once TTU executes an award agreement, Accounting Services assigns a project grant ID and fund-organization-program (FOP) in the TTU accounting system (Banner). Budgets for FOPs are established based on proposal and award documents by Accounting Services.

Occasionally departments need to start spending in advance of receiving an award document or prior to an official project start date. There are several options to assist in funding expenses in these cases.

  • Pre-Award Spending: Many federal awards allow for pre-award spending with prior approval (except for participating FDP agencies, some of who waive prior approval requirements) up to 90 days in advance of an official project start date. Spending would occur in the project FOPs.
  • Advance FOP: Advance FOPs are setup in sponsored project funds and coincide with the expected start date of the award. Advance FOPs are approved by the Office of Research Services in accordance with TTU OP 65.10 Budgeting Sponsored Project Prior to Receipt of Award. Budgets for advance FOPs are typically limited and established at the department or college's risk if a negotiated award doesn't come through.
  • Temporary Salary FOP: Temporary salary FOPs reside in the 18T fund class and are provided at the college level for use during budget prep if departments do not have other funds to appoint personnel to for the upcoming fiscal year. Setup of these FOPs are approved by Accounting Services and are typically required to be cleared by late fall after the new fiscal year begins.
  • Department FOP: In the event an advance FOP is not requested/approved, departments may always charge expenses to department funds and cost transfer them to a newly established sponsored project within 90 days of setup and in accordance with TTU OP 65.04 Cost Transfers Involving Sponsored Projects and Cost Share Funds.

Program Income

For projects that are budgeted for and expected to generate program income, the principal investigator will work with the Office of Research Services (ORS) to fill out the Sponsor Project Income Certification Form. Upon receipt of the form from ORS, Accounting Services establishes 28P funds to account for program income related revenues and expenses. Program income definitions, treatment requirements, and related responsibilities are outlined in TTU OP 65.03 Program Income.

Budget Modification

The budget is the financial interpretation of the scope of work. Because proposals are often submitted well in advance of starting a project, it is understood that costs or circumstances may not always actually be what was originally planned. Therefore, most agencies allow for revisions of budget (money moves) within a certain threshold. Thresholds and other prior approval requirements are listed in award agreements, agency T&Cs (Terms and Conditions) or Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) Research Terms and Conditions (RTC) for participating FDP federal agencies.

Requests for revisions of budget are submitted to Accounting Services. In the event agency approval is required, Accounting Services will request approval from the agency. For revisions that require a formal agreement modification, Accounting Services will work with ORS to submit formal award modification documents to the sponsoring agency.

The Office of Research Services will facilitate the following award modifications: formal changes in award amount (increases or decreases), no cost extensions and changes or transfers of principal investigators.

For additional questions, Grant Specialist contacts can be found by college and department in the Accounting Services Find My Grant Specialist contact listing.