Budgeting Guidance

The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska has authorized the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) to serve as UNO’s pre-award office with responsibility for the development and submission of proposals for external funding.

When external funding opportunities are identified, a principal investigator (PI) works with OSP on budget development. It is our charge to create comprehensive, compliant, and consistent budgets. We do this in accordance with the current institutional rates and policies regarding salaries; estimated salary increases and fringe benefits for faculty, staff, student workers, and graduate assistants; tuition; and indirect costs.

Our practice when drafting budgets is to read the sponsor’s guidelines and to let the project drive the budget. We work closely with our PIs to ensure that the budgets include only allowable costs according to the sponsor’s guidelines and that the requested amount will be sufficient to carry out the goals of the project if funded. We also discuss with the PIs the institution’s responsibility to comply with the sponsor’s rules regarding allowable budget expenditures.

Sponsors’ guidelines may limit facilities and administrative (F&A) costs or indirect cost recovery or may require cost share (see below). If so, we build UNO's institutional budget to reflect the sponsor’s rules.

The internal review and approval process is a communication tool. Routing the proposal through MavGrants ensures that the PI’s chair/director and dean all understand the implications of budget and possible funding (cost share, indirect costs, time commitment, etc.).

Email your grants coordinator early in the submission process to ensure the budget meets the sponsor’s requirements: see OSP Assistance by Department for your assigned coordinator

Cost Share

Cost sharing or matching means that portion of project or program costs not borne by the external sponsor (defined by Circular A-110, Office of Management and Budget). If we decide to cost share, we are agreeing to tracking and reporting all cost-shared expenses.

Possible sources of cost share dollars are start-up funds, internal funding, and other University and departmental support. Federal dollars cannot be used to meet federal cost share requirements and use of other external funds cannot be used without sponsor permission.