Tools & Tips

Funding Source Links

IRIS Database – Search this database for funding opportunities in every field from agriculture to zoology or view upcoming deadlines in 25 subject areas
Foundation Center – Great resource on foundation funders that can be found on Columbia University Libraries Online Catalog (CLIO)
Grants.gov -  The federal web portal for all federal grant opportunities

Helpful Handouts

PI Responsibilities
Common Budget Mistakes
Reconciliation Form

Tips

• Our current indirect cost rate is 67.5%
• Federal Salary Cap is now $179,700: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/fy2012_salary_cap_faqs.htm
• The standard mileage rate for the cost of operating your car for business use is 56.5 cents per mile. This car expense and other mileage rates are explained in Publication 463, Travel, Entertainment, Gift, and Car Expenses.

Internal Policy Information

Course Buy Out Policy as of 10/30/09

Faculty members may request funds from external agencies and foundations, e.g. NIH and NSF, to “buy out” some of their time and reduce their teaching load in order to concentrate their efforts on their grant-supported research.  The rate at which a course is “bought” depends on a person’s teaching load, and is computed as follows:

• The first course bought off is billed at the salary and benefit equivalent of half of the FTE of the course in question, i.e. a course for someone on a four course load is bought off from a grant at .125 FTE of salary and benefits (half of 0.25); 
• a course for someone on a five course load is bought off from a grant at .10 FTE of salary and benefits (half of 0.2).  
• Any course buy-out above the first one is bought at the full fractional FTE, i.e. .25 or .20.  So, to buy out two courses on a four course load, .375 FTE. of salary and benefits should be budgeted.
• A course that is being bought off privately (self-funding) would be at the full fractional FTE.