• Reimbursement of Overhead/Administrative Costs on Grant Awards
• Purchase and Disposition of Equipment Acquired with Grant Funds
• Funding of Graduate Assistants
• Posting Final Project Reports
• Project Extensions (cost and no-cost)

Great Lakes Fishery Trust Policy on Reimbursement of Overhead/Administrative Costs on Grant Awards

Definition of Administrative/Overhead Costs (subject to reimbursement limitations)

The GLFT for the purposes of its grant awards has determined that the following items will be considered administrative/overhead costs subject to the restrictions and limitations cited under this policy:

• Salaries/wages/fringe benefits or other costs of any administrative support staff employed by the grant recipient not specifically identified in the grant or charged to the project, or costs for any individual not recorded and documented on the reimbursement forms provided by the GLFT. (This would normally include clerical, administrative, and support personnel.)
  
• Cost of routine office supplies, materials, phone service, mail handling, utilities, copying, FAX, office workspace, and other similar items not specifically identified in the grant award as reimbursable direct costs.
  
• Cost of equipment purchase or use not specifically identified as reimbursable equipment purchase or rental (lease) in grant agreement.

Exclusions from Administrative/Overhead Cost Limitations

The GLFT for the purpose of its grants has determined that the following items will not be considered administrative/overhead costs (i.e., reimbursement under a grant award can occur without application of the specific limitations contained in this policy for the listed items).

• Salaries and wages of individuals, whether or not they are already compensated by the Grant Recipient, provided their role in meeting the project objectives is substantive and outlined in an approved project proposal, and the number of hours worked on the grant is clearly identified and documented on forms provided by the GLFT manager. Such compensation to individuals employed by the Grant Recipient shall be limited to the actual wage rate paid on an hourly basis (prorated on the basis of a 2080-hour full time salary or appropriate fractions thereof).
  
• Fringe benefits of individuals identified under item II.1 above are reimbursable under two alternative approaches. Reimbursement of fringe benefits for individuals working on the grant and employed by the Grant Recipient can be either actual fringe benefits paid, or based on a formula established by the Grant Recipient that applies to broad classes of employees (e.g., full-time faculty, other faculty, technicians, students, etc.).

The Grant Recipient would select one of the two options to cover all employees for which it intended to request reimbursement, and the fringe benefit reimbursement in either case would be prorated based upon the number of hours worked. Payments would be made as a percentage of salaries and wages reimbursed under the terms of the grant.

Administrative/Overhead Limitation

For the purpose of its grant awards, the GLFT has placed the following limitations on reimbursement for administrative/overhead costs:

• Administrative/overhead costs defined in this policy will be limited to 10 percent of the total salaries and wages authorized for reimbursement under the terms of a grant.
  
• Reimbursement for administrative/overhead costs, when authorized as part of a grant, will be calculated and paid at a rate not to exceed 10 percent of the salaries and wages, excluding fringe benefits, approved for payment.
  
• No payments for administrative/overhead costs will be made unless the grant recipient specifically requests reimbursement for such costs and the GLFT accepts those costs prior to signing a grant agreement.

Implementation/Duration of Policy

The Manager of the GLFT has the authority to interpret this policy on behalf of the GLFT once a grant award is made in order to effectively administer the grant. The GLFT may rescind or modify this policy with respect to future grants. The GLFT, at its discretion, may exclude all or a portion of the administrative/overhead costs at the time the grant is awarded.

Great Lakes Fishery Trust Policy on Purchase and Disposition of Equipment Acquired With Grant Funds

Equipment Covered by Policy (subject to reimbursement limitations)

Equipment purchased in part or in whole by grant funds is subject to this policy including all equipment acquired by the grant recipient or contractors of the grant recipient for which reimbursement is requested from the GLFT under the terms of a grant. The term equipment includes tools, electronic or mechanical devices, vehicles, and similar non-expendable, durable items used to perform the services or complete the tasks in a grant agreement.

Purchases, Leases, Rentals, and Other Exclusions (not subject to reimbursement limitations)

The GLFT, for the purposes of its grant awards, has determined that the following are not controlled by this policy (i.e., reimbursement under a grant award can occur without application of the specific limitations contained in this policy for the listed items).

• Items acquired under the grant that can be classified as expendable, such as supplies or materials consumed during the performance of the service or required to complete a task (e.g., printing and laboratory supplies, and construction and building materials).
  
• Equipment that is leased or rented by the grant recipient from a third party as needed to perform the services or tasks under a grant agreement (e.g., leased construction equipment).
  
• Equipment that is incorporated into constructed projects that is required to meet the performance objectives of a grant (e.g., electrical or plumbing systems incorporated into restrooms at a constructed access site, transport display cases for educational exhibit material, etc.).

Equipment Reimbursement Limitations

For the purposes of grant awards for reimbursement of expenses, the GLFT will place the following limitations on equipment purchases:

• All equipment purchases must be itemized in the grant award and receive prior written approval of the GLFT to be a cost-eligible item for reimbursement.
  
• The grant recipient must select one of the following options prior to purchasing equipment for which reimbursement under a grant is requested:
  
  • Request full reimbursement for equipment purchased and provide evidence satisfactory to the GLFT either that the residual dollar value of the equipment following termination of the term of the grant project will be essentially zero, or that any remaining value/usefulness of the purchased equipment following termination of the grant project will be dedicated to uses to support research; habitat or population enhancement; access; or education directly related to the Great Lakes fisheries.
    
  • Request partial reimbursement for equipment purchased on a formula that prorates the costs between the GLFT and the grant recipient based upon the value of the equipment, its expected useful life, and the equipment use during the grant project. The GLFT will not pay more in partial reimbursement for equipment than the cost would be of renting or leasing the equipment for the same period

Implementation/Duration of Policy

The manager of the GLFT has the authority to interpret this policy on behalf of the GLFT once a grant award is made to effectively administer the grant. The GLFT may rescind or modify this policy with respect to future grants. The GLFT, at its discretion, may exclude all or a portion of the equipment costs at the time the grant is awarded.

Special Note Regarding Computers/Software

The cost of computers and software acquired to perform the services or tasks related to a GLFT grant must be specifically identified in all grant requests and is not considered equipment under this policy.

Great Lakes Fishery Trust Policy on Funding of Graduate Assistants

The Great Lakes Fishery Trust does not provide grant funds directly to a research institution to provide for the cost of tuition normally associated with a fellowship, except for the following purposes.

• The GLFT from time to time may offer specific grants intended to pay the tuition associated with a graduate fellowship designed to meet specific needs of the Trust.
• The GLFT will approve payments for tuition as part of a standard fringe benefits package provided by the research institution to a graduate assistant(s) employed to work directly on GLFT-funded research projects. The use of GLFT grant funds for a graduate assistant(s) can include both direct salary and fringe benefits (including the cost of tuition) provided such payments conform to normal compensation schedules formally established by the research institution. The fringe benefits allowed under a GLFT grant are those directly associated with the hourly wages earned while working on the GLFT-funded project.