College Grants & Sponsored Programs
Working meals are a necessary and integral part of a conference or workshop and may be attended by employees and non-employees. Working meals must be budgeted and approved by the sponsoring agency and have specific documentation requirements, including a written working agenda.
Working meals may occur as part of a formal meeting when the meal serves to maintain the continuity of the conference or workshop. The purpose of the meeting must align with the goals of the project.
To support the cost of working meals, the following must be documented and retained by the PI:
- Meeting agenda, including date and location
- Attendee roster, including each attendee’s institutional or business affiliation and relationship to the project
- A description of how the business conducted during the meal supports the project’s goals
Types of meals that are unallowable:
- Social events, such as networking hours or receptions
- Meals without a clear business purpose that contribute to the project's goals
In cases where a working meal is provided by the College directly to a participant in lieu of the participant receiving reimbursement, the participant’s subsistence allowances should be correspondingly reduced.