Personnel assigned to grant-funded projects, like all other personnel, must be appointed and compensated in keeping with state and College personnel rules. The Executive Director of Human Resources should be informed of any personnel needs for grant-funded projects and coordinate any hiring process needs with the Grants Coordinator. It is recommended that any new staff positions should be provided to HR as soon as possible (including before an award announcement) to ensure enough time for the approval process prior to the anticipated hiring date. The Grants Coordinator is to review any terms and conditions that the grant award may have regarding personnel with The Executive Director of Human Resources so that employees can be hired in accordance with such requirements. A copy of the grant language pertaining to the hiring, salary requirements, and duration of personnel shall be provided to the Executive Director of Human Resources.

According to federal grant principles, federally sponsored projects (either awarded directly by a federal agency or by virtue of a subcontract) may not normally be charged for secretarial and administrative salaries, office supplies, postage, or telephone costs unless a particular project requires an unusual and extensive degree of administrative support.

Personnel are not to begin grant-funded projects without having all necessary pre-employment paperwork completed so that they can be set up in the College’s payroll system and be properly charged to the project.

For federal grants, it’s required that the College maintains records that will substantiate the time of each individual charged to a grant-funded project. Therefore, time records must be carefully maintained through the use of Personnel and Activity Reports, provided by the Grants Accountant. Personnel and Activity Reports reports should be submitted on a regular schedule, typically quarterly, and be signed by those having direct knowledge of the employee’s compensated activities, i.e. the employee and the Grant Coordinator or the employee’s direct supervisor. Further, the Grants Accountant may request these reports for auditing purposes. Since the great majority of costs associated with sponsored projects are attributable to labor charges, it is incumbent upon the Grant Coordinator to ensure that these records are properly maintained and are consistent with the College’s core payroll records as specified by the Executive Director for Human Resources.