Internal Endorsement Form : This blue form is required for all grants that will come to the College. Copies are available from the Sponsored Research Office and the Grants & Sponsored Research website. The form must be accompanied by a draft proposal including the final budget and budget justificaiont. Required signatures: Department Chair, Dean for Development and Research, Sponsored Research Office representative and Controller (or designee); other signatures may be required depending on the nature of the budget request. Allow two weeks to obtain the necessary signatures.
Budget Preparation: The Sponsored Research Office can provide individual assistance in preparing grant budgets. Budget Policies and Procedures are available on the web. The Sponsored Research Office reviews all grant budgets to ensure compliance with College and agency regulations and must sign-off on all proposals before they go to the Controller's office; this review may occur at any time during the grant Sponsored Research Office before preparing their budgets. If your budget includes any of the following items please contact the appropriate people/office for guidance: Students (Student Employment Office, x5377); Staff positions (Human Resources, x5465). Equipment or Cost-Sharing (see below); Personnel - other than students or yourself (Sponsored Research Office).
Fringe Benefit Rate: The federally negotiated fringe benefit rate for Middlebury College is 34.6% of all salaries and wages. Fringe benefits are included as a direct cost. The Controller has approved a 10% rate for student wages. The Controller will waive a portion of the fringe benefit rate in other situations on a case by case basis; contact Franci Farnsworth for details.
Facilities & Administrative Costs (also known as "indirect cost" or "overhead"): The federally negotiated indirect cost rate for Middlebury College is 62% of all salaries and wages in the budget. This rate must be used on all federal applications and may be used as a cost-share component for many agencies and organizations that do not pay indirect costs. Use of any other rate (or budgets with no indirect costs) must be justified by sponsor policies and authorized by the Controller's office.
Equipment:Proposed equipment purchases (including computers) must be discussed with your department chair and Bob Cluss (equipment) or Carol Peddie (computers). There are questions on the blue endorsement form (front and back) relating to space, installation, maintenance costs, and need for technology resources. The endorsement form must be signed by the budget administrator responsible for equipment maintenance (during and after the grant period). There is a College fund to assist with maintenance costs for grant-funded equipment; contact Franci Farnsworth for more information.
Cost-Sharing: Agency cost-sharing requirements must be documented. The Banner Funds to be charged for any cost-sharing must be indicated on the back of the endorsement form and the form must be signed by those budget administrators. There is a college fund to assist with cost-sharing on faculty research or equipment grants; contact Franci Farnsworth for more information.
Assurances: The Federal government has imposed numerous compliance requirements on grantee institutions. By signing the endorsement form a faculty member is providing assurance that he/she is in compliance with all federal regulations and compliance requirements and will comply with award terms and conditions. Project directors are asked a number of compliance related questions on the endorsement form. A list of these assurances is available from the Sponsored Research Office.
Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR): Cindy R. Wemette, Controller, is the designated authorized institutional official; she will delegate that authority if she's unavailable. Check with the Sponsored Research Office before typing in any name or title. Letters transmitting application materials may be signed by any appropriate person as long as the Controller (or designee) has signed the endorsement form.
Photocopying and Mailing:These are faculty responsibilities. You must provide a complete copy of whatever was submitted to the agency and the original endorsement form to the Sponsored Research Office.
Revised Budgets:Revised budgets (or renewal budgets on multi-year grants) must be accompanied by a blue endorsement form (either a new form or a blue photocopy of the original) with the new budget and any new or revised equipment and cost-share information. Usually the only new signatures required are yours, the Sponsored Research Office and the AOR.