Sponsored Programs Resource Fair – Spring 2025
Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) and Sacramento State Offices of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development (ORIED) are cohosting a spring resource fair Wednesday, April 9, 2025, from 11:30-1:30 in the Hornet Bookstore, third floor Boardroom. Similar to our fall fair, this will be an open-house event where guests can visit whenever it is most convenient for them.
Representatives from SPA and ORIED will be there to provide proposal development and post-award information, along with other UEI and campus departments who provide administrative support to the overall research endeavor. Please RSVP if you anticipate attending as it will assist us with planning refreshments.
How to Make Subaward Requests
If your project requires another entity or person to provide services, the first step in the process is for you to contact your assigned SPA Compliance & Grants Analyst at least 30 days prior to the estimated start date for services. Your Compliance & Grants Analyst is responsible for facilitating the next steps with the SPA contract teams. Please do not send requests to the contracts team as it may delay the process.
SPA must determine whether the services are classified as being the work of a Subrecipient/Subcontractor or Independent Consultant/Contractor. This determination is necessary before an agreement can be drafted.
- A subaward is issued when an outside entity will be participating in carrying out a significant portion of project activities.
- An independent consultant/contractor performs professional, specialized services, and does not have much or any programmatic involvement.
Contact your Compliance & Grants Analyst as soon as possible and be sure to discuss timing at the PI orientation; they will help ensure you complete and submit the appropriate request form.
If you’re not sure who to contact, check SPA’s Contact List or email sp@csus.edu.
Gift Card Policy Updates
UEI’s policy related to the purchase and distribution of gift cards used as incentives to participants engaging in a sponsored project’s research activities was updated in fall 2024. Similar to the campus policy, some changes are a result of increased scrutiny and enforcement of tax reporting requirements. Gift cards are allowable when the use of incentives is within the project’s approved scope of work and budget parameters.
Any gift card(s) given to employees of UEI and Sac State are required to be reported as income, no matter the amount or purpose, as the funds are subject to federal, state, and employment tax withholdings. Since gift cards constitute compensation, an analysis will be performed by UEI prior to purchase of gift cards. To obtain pre-approval, complete and submit the Gift Card Request Form. Once deemed allowable, gift cards may be purchased with a cash advance via check request or with a purchase order, if accepted by the vendor.
Neither the UEI credit card nor your Pro-Card should be used to purchase gift cards related to UEI accounts. In accordance with the updated Gift Card Policy, gift card recipients who indicate they have collectively received ≥$200 in a calendar year, will be required to complete a W9. Please review the entire policy for more details.
UEI Human Resources Staff Updates
After 35 years of dedicated service to UEI, Trina Knight, Director of Human Resources, retired in December 2024. Congratulations and much appreciation to Trina for her years of service to UEI and the Sacramento State Community.
To ensure a smooth transition of leadership within the Human Resources (HR) Department, UEI welcomed its new HR Director, Erica Biagi, in late November 2024. Erica brings a broad range of experience as an HR professional, including as an HR director serving in a dynamic and sophisticated corporate environment.
UEI is also excited to announce that Emeka (Meka) Echezona has accepted the position of Student Employment Program Coordinator. In his new role, he will administer the employment program for part-time student employment (CAIN, sponsored programs, and Union WELL) and will focus on outreach to provide information on jobs UEI provides students within the campus and the communities we serve.
Please join SPA in welcoming Erica and congratulating Meka.
Searching the Project Administration Guide for Information
The UEI Project Administration Guide (PAG) has been available online since September 2023 and is an evergreen document with information important to faculty and staff regarding the administration of grant and contract funding. One of the best ways to find specific information is by using the search bar at the top of the document to find topics by key words. For example, by typing “release” in the search bar, the search results would include information about release time procedures, staff reimbursed time, and object codes used to code release time. If you cannot find the topic you are looking for by using the search bar or left-hand navigation, please don’t hesitate to reach out. From within the PAG, you can send an email to SPA by clicking on the “Still stuck? How can we help?” link at the bottom of each page. You may also email sp@csus.edu directly.
Federal Updates – Funding of Grants and F&A Rate Agreement Status
Federal Grant Funding
ORIED & SPA staff vigilantly monitor communications from multiple sources and participate in state and national webinars related to the fluctuating Federal government actions related to grant funding. Multiple executive orders have been issued and then paused or placed in a stay while they go through the judicial system.
Principal Investigator (PIs) that are or may be impacted by funding changes should share any written or verbal communications they receive from agencies with their SPA Compliance & Grants Analyst immediately. SPA and ORIED will contact PIs and their administrators if information related to their funding is sent to our offices. SPA and ORIED will assist PIs with navigating any next steps.
F&A Rate Agreement
In fiscal year 2023, Sacramento State submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services – our cognizant federal agency – requesting an updated Facilities & Administrative (F&A) indirect cost rate. F&A rate agreements are effective for four years and require a new proposal submission prior to the current agreement end date unless a one-time extension is requested and approved. Due to federal backlogs, the proposal is still under review and awaiting negotiation. Per the current F&A rate agreement, we continue to operate at the previously negotiated rate on a provisional basis. As soon as the new rates and effective date are established, this information will be widely shared.
Some 2024 Changes in OMB Guidance not yet in effect
As discussed in our Autumn 2024 SPA Updates, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance – Final Rule went into effect on October 1, 2024. The increases to equipment thresholds and subaward amounts subject to indirect cost can only be implemented once a new F&A rate is approved. All other revisions were effective for federal awards issued on or after October 1, 2024. As a reminder, awards issued prior to October 1, 2024, continue to follow their original terms and conditions unless formally updated in the grant award by the agency.