Managing Your Grant

How Do I spend the Grant Money on Supplies?

Congratulations again on your Undergraduate Research grant award!

Each department has one cost center for the total number of awards to the department. Student researchers will need to work closely with their mentors, and the mentors will need to work closely with the department secretary, to ensure correct use of the funds awarded for the project.

Your cost center number is six digits

The cost center name is your department name URC

Please consider setting up a "mini spreadsheet" to record all expenses against the account and guard against cost over-runs. The "department copy" of forms for your purchases must be initialed by your mentor and filed, along with a copy of your receipts (originals usually go to the Office of Business Affairs).

I have $250 for supplies. How do I spend the Grant Money?

There are five ways to use your cost center number, two on campus and three off campus. Please note that the URC accounts do not have purchasing card privileges and Business Affairs will not routinely approve "corrections" for purchasing card expenditures from department cost centers that were intended specifically for your project. (Read on.)

Purchases On Campus

1. Use your URC cost center number for purchasing services such as printing, photocopying at copy shops, etc. on campus.
2. For bookstore purchases (Barnes and Noble on campus or off), use a CAO 35 form, described below. You may purchase standard supplies from your department's supply room (e.g., art supplies, reagents, etc.). To accomplish this, work with your faculty mentor to determine the exact cost of the supplies you need, including shipping. Ask supply room staff for a transaction number or PO number for the most recent purchase of such supplies, for which you will reimburse the supplies you need for your project. Your mentor can then send an e-mail request to Helen Wenner (helen.wenner@mnsu.edu) in the Office of Services. The e-mail text should include the following information:

We request an expenditure correction to transfer funds from the URC cost center [costcenter] to [give the cost center number from which the department originally purchased the supplies]. This transfer reflects the use of departmental supplies for firstname lastname's undergraduate research project. The purchase order (or transaction) number for this purchase was [give details from supply room].

Purchases from Local Businesses (and beyond):

1. When purchasing supplies from local businesses you will need to use the CAO-35 form, also known as a “local field purchase order,“ available from your department office. Purchasing with this form exempts your purchases from sales tax. Ask for one from the department office before you go shopping.

Student researchers may sign the CAO 35 form at any local business that accepts the field purchase order. Be sure to put your cost center number in the field provided at the bottom of the form. Two copies of the form are returned to the customer and must be initialed by the mentor. Forward the initialed white copy, along with the receipt, promptly to Purchasing for payment (WA236). Work with your mentor to prevent cost overruns. You and your department will be held accountable for any over-spending.

If in doubt, ask before you do your shopping. The Purchasing Office provided these tips:

• Businesses that do not accept the CAO 35
  Walmart, Sam's Club, Best Buy, Home Depot
• Alternatives (not a complete list)
  Office Max, ShopKo, Target, Menard's, C&S Supply, Hobby Lobby, Tractor Supply Co.

2. If you pay by cash or personal credit card, you may complete a CAO 21 form and attach receipts for reimbursement. This form should be available from your department secretary. Remember to include your cost center (6-digit account number) and faculty mentor's signature.

3. Purchases that do not fall into these categories must be handled through normal Purchasing procedures. Purchasing staff will guide you and your mentor through the most efficient means of making the purchase. Call and ask for help as needed!

I have a $1,000 award. How do I get my salary stipend?

In order to get your salary, it is imperative that the necessary paperwork be filled out and processed by November 10, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. Please come to the Research and Sponsored Programs office located at Wigley Administration 325 and contact the URC Graduate Assistant (389-1706). To complete the necessary paperwork, you will need to provide two forms of identification. Failure to complete the necessary paperwork by November 10th will result in forfeiture of the salary portion of your award.