The post-award grant administrator will provide guidance and technical assistance on responsible stewardship of sponsored project funding and subawards during the period of performance of the grant lifecycle. Post-award administration includes account establishment and set up, budget monitoring, reporting, compliance, and award close out.

Account Setup

  • Once the Office of Sponsored Programs accepts an award on behalf of the PI and the University, a copy of the award documents are distributed electronically to the PI, the post award grant administrator and Research Accounting. 
  • The post-award grant administrator will establish an account so the PI can begin charging project-related expenditures. 
  • The post-award grant administrator will send an award summary highlighting important aspects of the agreement, such as budget restraints and reporting requirements.
  • It is imperative, however, that the PI also carefully review the full agreement and understand the requirements and deliverables. Dissatisfied sponsors can suspend awards, refuse to make payments, and demand refunds of previously provided funds.  

Budget Management, Compliance and Reporting

  • The PI has fiduciary responsibility for the project. The PI is required to oversee not only the technical aspects of the project, but also the budget in collaboration with the post award grant administrator. Specifically, the PI and the post-award grant administrator must work together to ensure that project costs are allowable, allocable, and reasonable within the period of performance as set forth in the award.
  • The PI is responsible for all technical reporting for the project.
  • The post-award grant administrator, in collaboration with Research Accounting and the financial officer, is responsible for financial reporting. All financial reports must be prepared and submitted to the sponsor by authorized financial staff, not by the PI or project staff.

Award Closeout

  • Following the timeline set forth in the agreement, the PI is responsible for preparing and submitting final technical reports to the sponsor.
  • Research Accounting or the post-award grant administrator will submit final financial reporting, not the PI or project staff. 
  • Depending on the project and sponsor, there may be other close out documents also needed. Examples include:

Questions about post-award should be directed to Katie Wheeler at [email protected]