External Grants
Contact
Provost OfficeWeyerhaeuser Hall 214A
651-696-6160
Three offices support externally funded research. The grants office helps you find funding and prepare proposals, Grants Accounting manages awards once they arrive, and the Provost’s Office sets the policies that affect you as a grant-funded faculty member.
Who handles what
| Stage | Office | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Finding funding and preparing proposals | Foundation, Government and Corporate Relations (grants office) | Identifying opportunities, developing proposals and budgets, and routing proposals through institutional clearance |
| Managing an award | Grants Accounting | Account setup, allowable costs, effort reporting, financial reports, budget revisions, and closeout |
| Faculty policies | Provost’s Office | Indirect funds, course release, matching funds, and research compliance |
Provost’s Office policies
- Indirect funds. When a grant pays indirect costs, a portion goes into a fund in your name to support your scholarship.
- Course release. Course releases funded by a grant must be approved by the Dean of the Faculty and the chair of each affected department. Typically, one course may be bought out per academic year.
- Matching funds. Send requests for institutional matching funds to the Associate Provost (dcao@macalester.edu) and the Director of Foundation, Government and Corporate Relations (eschwich@macalester.edu) at least 14 days before internal clearance. If a sponsor requires a match from outside sources, meet with the grants office at least three weeks before internal clearance and four weeks before the submission deadline to build the matching funds section of your budget. Matching funds are not guaranteed.
- Research compliance. Human participants, animals, biosafety, conflicts of interest, research misconduct, intellectual property, and training in the responsible conduct of research.
Grants office and Grants Accounting policies
Policies and procedures for proposals and awards, including clearance, effort reporting, cost sharing, and federal purchasing, are listed in the Research Policies and Procedures index.
- Tips and tools for proposals and budgets
- Forms and policies
- Grant lifecycle, including clearance deadlines
- Grants Accounting FAQ
How it works together
- Start early. Contact the grants office when you first identify an opportunity, especially if you need matching funds or course release.
- Plan approvals into your timeline. IRB, IACUC, and other reviews, and conflict of interest disclosures, happen before work begins.
- After the award, Grants Accounting manages spending and reporting, and indirect costs the grant pays go partly to your indirect fund.