Budget Guidelines | Grants

To develop your project budget, use the budget spreadsheet template. Contact the Grants Office for assistance. All budgets are reviewed internally prior to proposal submission to ensure compliance with the sponsor’s and institution’s cost principles and policies. Refer to the Financial Administration policy document for additional details.

BUDGET GUIDELINES
Note: Guidelines stated in a program announcement, solicitation, or other sponsor-issued document may supersede the guidelines provided below.

Important cost factors and other considerations that are typically included in a federally-funded grant budget are outlined below. These guidelines generally are applicable to proposals submitted by Union College that involve only Union College personnel and resources. If you are involved in a collaborative, multi-institution proposal, contact the Grants Office for assistance.

Developing Your Budget: Senior Personnel Salaries and Wages

Description

This category includes compensation for work performed directly on proposed project activities. Include salary for Union’s Principal Investigator (PI) or Project Director (PD), co-PIs/PDs, and other Senior Project Personnel (i.e., Union faculty contributing to the project). Compensation for time normally spent on research within the term of appointment is deemed to be included within the faculty member’s regular organizational salary. As a general policy, federal sponsors may limit the salary compensation requested in the proposal budget for senior personnel to no more than two months of their regular salary in any one year.

As standard practice, summer salary (July, August) may be included in the proposed budget. Unless otherwise specified, you may include an anticipated 3% annual cost-of-living increase in the propose budget.

The amount of salary requested must not exceed the level of effort (person-months) committed to the project, up to a maximum of two months total on all federally-sponsored projects.

Senior Personnel Salaries and Wages (Summer)

Summer Salary

To calculate summer salary:

(Faculty Academic Base Salary / 10) x Number of Summer Months x Percent Level of Effort

**Table 1** - Professor Brewer's academic year base contract salary is $72,000 and he commits 1.5 person months at 75% level of effort in his grant-related activities during the summer.
Calculation	*Amount of Summer Salary Budgeted to the Grant*
($72,000 / 10) x 1.5 x 0.75 = $8,100	$8,100

Senior Personnel Salaries and Wages (Academic Year)

Academic Year Salary
If you wish to request academic year salary for course buyout (course release time), contact the Grants Office for assistance and refer to A Reader's Guide to Leaves and Course Buy-Outs for Faculty Members.

Union College supports faculty scholarly research endeavors during the academic year. For grant-funded projects, faculty may be allowed to request a course buy-out during which period a portion of the faculty member's academic year compensation would be covered through grant funds.

Note: The sponsoring agency or organization may not allow academic year compensation to be charged to the grant. If the sponsor does not allow academic year compensation, then those funds may not be included in the grant budget. If the sponsor allows academic year compensation, then the faculty member must request and receive prior approval for the course buy-out from the Department Chair, Dean of Academic Departments and Programs, and Dean of the Faculty.

The policy and guidelines described below are to assist in calculating academic year compensation for course buy-outs through grant funds.

To calculate academic year salary:

Scenario A: One (1) Course Buy-Out, Engaged in Service

A course buy-out charged to a proposed grant budget is calculated at 1/6 of 60% of a faculty member's base salary (Table 1). In this scenario, the faculty member remains in service (e.g., advising, serving on ad-hoc committees, out-of-classroom teaching, etc.).

**Table 1** - Scenario A: Professor Smith requests grant funds for one (1) course buy-out in a give term. Her academic year base contract salary is $65,000.
*Calculation*	*Amount of Salary Budgeted for a Course Buy-Out*
($75,000*0.6) / 6 = $7,500	$7,500

Scenario B: Two (2) Course Buy-Outs, Engaged in Service

If two course buy-outs are budgeted and the faculty member commits to remaining fully engaged in service (e.g., advising, serving on ad-hoc committees, out of classroom teaching, etc.), then each course buy-out is calculated at 1/6 of 60% of the faculty member's base salary (Table 2)

**Table 2** - Scenario B: Professor Martinez requests grant funds for two (2) course buy-outs, while remaining engaged in service. Her academic year base contract salary is $65,000.
Calculation	Amount of Salary Budgeted for Course Buy-Outs
(($75,000*0.6) / 6) x 2 = $15,000	$15,000

Scenario C: One (1) Course Buy-Out, Disengaged in Service

A course buy-out charged to a proposed grant budget is calculated at 1/6 of 100% of a faculty member's base salary (Table 3). In this scenario, the faculty member is buying out of their teaching and service and is engaged solely in their research.

**Table 3** - Scenario C: Professor Rose requests grant funds for one (1) course buy-out, buying out of his teaching and service.
*Calculation*	*Amount of Salary Budgeted for Course Buy-Out*
$75,000 / 6 = $12,500	$12,500

Scenario D: Two (2) Course Buy-Outs, Disengaged in Service

If two course buy-outs are budgeted and the faculty is buying out of their teaching and service and is solely engaged in their research, then each course buy-out is calculated at 1/6 of 100% of the faculty member's base salary (Table 4)

**Table 4** - Scenario D: Professor Budd requests grant funds for two (2) course buy-outs, buying out of her teaching and service.
Calculation	*Amount of Salary Budgeted for Course Buy-Outs*
($75,000 / 6) x 2 = $25,000	$25,000