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, contact the Office of Government, Corporate, and Foundation Relations 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 Government, Corporate, and Foundation Relations 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 Government Relations 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 Bethel University official email recipient. 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 Government, Corporate, and Foundation Relations: (1) maintains a record of proposals planned, submitted, rejected, and awarded, as well as copies of all Bethel-related submissions.