Grant-funded travel

Why grant-funded travel is different

Travel paid from a grant is spent on the funder's terms, not just yours. A trip may be allowable under your policy and still not allowable under the award, and a trip that served two programs has to be charged to both in proportion. The work is in knowing the rules, recording the right things at the time, and being able to show it later.

US federal awards

For US federal awards, the cost principles in 2 CFR Part 200 (the Uniform Guidance) apply, and travel costs are covered in section 200.475 . Among other things, it addresses travel costs on an actual or per diem basis, airfare, and the documentation that justifies a trip. Read the current text rather than a summary, and check your award terms and your agency's requirements, which can add to it.

Foundation and other grants

Private foundations, state and local governments and corporate funders set their own terms. Some restrict travel entirely, some cap it as a share of the budget, some require prior approval for international travel. Keep the travel terms of each active award where the people approving travel can see them.

What to document for each trip

• Who traveled, where and when
• The purpose, and how it relates to the grant's activities
• Who approved it, and when
• The cost, by line (airfare, lodging, meals, ground)
• The grant, fund or program charged, and the basis if it was split
• Any exception to policy, with the reason

When a trip is requested through silentVIP, the purpose, approval and cost codes are recorded with it, and the costs arrive on an itemized invoice with the same codes.

Allocating trips that serve more than one grant

When a trip benefits more than one award or program, charge each in proportion to the benefit, using a reasonable basis you can explain (often days spent on each). Write the basis down at the time. The cost allocation calculator splits a trip by percentage or by days and gives each fund its share to the cent.

Reporting

Funders may ask for travel spend by grant; your board and auditors will ask for it in total; and US tax-exempt organizations that file Form 990 report travel among their functional expenses. Coding trips when they are booked means each of these reports comes from the same records.

Setting it up

1. List active awards and their travel terms.
2. Set cost codes for each grant, fund and program in your travel program.
3. Make sure the people who approve grant-funded travel know each award's travel terms.
4. Require purpose and code on every request.
5. Export travel by code to your finance system each month.