3356-10-13.1. Cost-sharing and overmatching on external grants and contracts

(A) Policy statement. Cost-sharing or matching is a frequent requirement on externally sponsored grants and contracts. The Youngstown state university ("university") match is permitted to meet the minimum requirements of the funding agency, and overmatching is prohibited unless written justification is provided to document that such overmatch benefits the university.

(B) Parameter. Requests for proposals ("RFP") from external sponsors frequently require cost-sharing or matching funds from the university as part of the budgetary grant request. The percentage of matching funds, when required, is typically set by the agency and appears in the grant application guidelines. However, on occasion, university principal investigators or project directors cite additional matching funds (overmatching) on grant submissions when additional matching funds are neither required nor necessary. For audit purposes, tracking of additional matching funds adds complexity to the agency and the university, and the university cannot then use these additional funds elsewhere as match on other projects.

(C) Procedures.

(1) As part of the formal grant submission process at the university (see university policy 3356-10-13, "Research, grants, and sponsored programs"), clearance of the submission of an external grant application requires prior approval by department chairs, college deans, and the director of research services, and the provost.

(2) A typical match on an application for support submitted to an external agency would not include more than a fifty per cent match from the university. In addition, such matching funds provided by the institution would normally include equipment, supplies, or the cost of personnel reassign time. This approach enables full recovery of indirect costs from the funding agencies.

(3) University faculty and staff who intend to submit a grant proposal to an external funding agency must provide a written justification for including any overmatch in the preliminary budget. Prior to external proposal submission, the justification must be submitted and approved by the director of research services and approved by the provost.

Effective: 10/26/2020
Promulgated Under: 111.15
Statutory Authority: 3356
Rule Amplifies: 3356
Prior Effective Dates: 11/15/2003, 08/21/2010, 11/06/2015