The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200) specify which program or budget changes to federal grant awards must be reported to and authorized in writing by the awarding agency (200.308). These changes are listed below as a guide for Principal Investigators and sponsored programs staff:
- A change in the scope or the objective of the project.
- Change in a key person specified in the application or the federal award.
- A 25 percent or greater reduction in time devoted to the project by the project director or principal investigator.
- Disengagement from the project by the project director or principal investigator for more than three months.
- A revision of the budget to include a cost that requires prior approval. (See the guidelines on Costs Requiring Prior Federal Approval for a list of these.)
- The transfer of funds budgeted for participant support costs to other budget categories.
- A change that involves subawarding, transferring, or contracting out work under a federal award.
- Changes in the approved cost sharing or matching being provided.
If your federal grant award is undergoing one or more of the changes listed above, please contact an Office of Research Services (ORS) post-award staff member to begin the process of requesting authorization from your funding agency.
The need to seek prior written approval for the following changes varies. The prior approval requirement is waived if the federal award supports research. For non-research awards, the federal agency has the option of waiving prior written approval or requiring it.
- Incurring project costs up to 90 days in advance of the federal award. (Expenses more than 90 days in advance require prior written approval.)
- Initiating a one-time extension of the period of performance by up to 12 months. (This option may not be invoked merely to use up surplus funds or when changes to the project scope or objectives are involved. The awarding agency must be notified at least 10 calendar days before the award end date.)
- Carrying forward unobligated balances to the subsequent period of performance.
Please contact an ORS post-award staff member for assistance with these.