Authorized Organization Representative (AOR)

Oversees an institution’s federal grant submission portal. The AOR can grant permissions to individuals to either start a new grant application or collaborate on an existing application that has not yet been submitted for review. The university’s AOR is Katelyn Pearlson, Grant Accounting Officer.

Other Authorized User (OAU)

Has access to modify and upload documents into a federal grant submission portal but is not able to start a new application.

Principal Investigator (PI)

Serves as the subject matter expert and oversees the activities and outcomes laid out within a grant proposal. In some cases, projects and programs may also have a Co-PI who assists in leading the project to completion.

Request for Proposals or RFP

A common term that indicates an announcement with instructions that has been made by a funding agency for how to apply for a specified grant opportunity.

RFP may also be referred to as Request for Applications (RFA), Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA), Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) or Program Solicitation.

Direct Costs

Specific expenses incurred when carrying out project activities. Examples of these costs may include personnel salaries and fringe, stipends for participants or specific tracking and evaluation software.

Indirect Costs

The expenses associated with managing the administration of a grant project. These expenses often include facility utilities and grant and business office administration salaries. Indirect costs are also commonly referred to as overhead or facility & administrative costs.

Modified Total Direct Costs

Are based on the requirements set forth in an institution’s indirect cost rate. A federal indirect rate is a set allowable percentage of direct costs that can be applied to the total requested project costs. In many cases, the indirect cost percentage cannot be applied to specific direct costs such as participant support costs (e.g., stipends, scholarships, lodging) and equipment and must not be included when calculating the overall indirect cost amount of a project. When parsing out the unallowable item costs (e.g., participant costs and equipment) from the overall direct costs of the project results in the modified total direct cost. This amount is then multiplied by the allowed indirect cost rate to determine the overall indirect cost of a project budget.