Grant Award Disbursement

How Grants are Distributed

There are three main ways that funds may be distributed to students through the Summer Research Grant, Partners in Scholarship, or Student Scholar Travel Fund programs. First, awards may be established through Shared Services for your work (for Summer Research Grants only). Second, reimbursements can be made directly to you for purchases related to the project. Third, the URC can transfer money directly to your faculty partner's department. Other, less common forms of disbursement are listed below.

Awards (Summer Research Grants only)

** This process has recently changed and will look different than years prior.**

Once you have accepted your grant award, your payment will be split into three different amounts. The dates you can expect to receive payment will be released once the funding period begins. 

Below outlines an example of an award amount a student receiving a full $3,500.00 can expect to receive:

Total award: $3,500.00

Monthly award you will receive: $1,166.66

Money received from a summer research award will be reported to the Office of Financial Aid. It is important to note that students WILL NOT receive a 1099-MISC from DU. Students are expected to set up Direct Deposit to receive money from a summer award.

Reimbursements to Students

Any supplies that you purchase yourself are reimbursable as long as you submit original, itemized receipts. It is very important that you not pay sales tax, as it will NOT be reimbursed. You must obtain the tax-exempt number for the University from the URC office. Please allow up to 10 days for your check to arrive after submitting it to URC staff.

***Please note, original itemized receipts must be provided for all expenses. ***

Reimbursements will be disbursed in one of two ways. 1-Sent to the mailing address you have on file with the school. 2-Sent as a direct deposit to the bank account you have set up with the school. To check your mailing address or your bank information please check your student tab in PioneerWeb. There you can update your mailing address or set up a direct deposit.

If funding for equipment is requested, this equipment becomes the property of the department or the specific faculty partner's lab for use in further research.

DEPARTMENT TRANSFERS

Supplies and materials may be ordered by your department. URC staff can work with departmental contacts responsible for ordering supplies. Please have your departmental administrator contact URC staff to arrange the payment. The departmental administrator and/or the student must provide either an explanatory email or copies of documentation so that disbursements can be approved and tracked. 

Other Forms of Payment

  • Payment for Service

    If you are receiving services from an individual (e.g. paying an accompanist for a recording), that individual must be set up as a vendor in the DU system. You need to obtain an invoice from the individual, and then they will be paid directly. To set up a vendor, the individual should submit a W9 form to URC staff (urc@du.edu).

  • Human Subject Compensation

    If you have budgeted to compensate subjects for their time, you need to follow the appropriate procedures. Contact URC staff (urc@du.edu)to arrange for a cash advance, if necessary, and to ensure that you are cataloging the payments properly.

  • Travel and Conferences

    If your award includes travel (plane, train, car) and/or conference attendance please contact URC staff BEFORE you reserve or purchase anything. You should plan to keep all receipts unless told otherwise by URC staff.

  • Payment to Outside Partner

    The outside partner should submit an invoice to the Undergraduate Research Center via email to URC staff (urc@du.edu).

 

Disbursement FAQs

  • HOW DO THE GRANTS WORK? ARE THEY LIKE SCHOLARSHIPS?

    All grants from the URC operate on a reimbursement system, meaning that you are responsible for making necessary purchases and then submitting the final itemized receipts to the URC office. If the cost of an item prohibits you from waiting for the reimbursement, please contact URC staff to make alternative arrangements. 

  • HOW DO I BUY SUPPLIES OR EQUIPMENT?

    Your faculty partner may purchase supplies for your project, and the URC can reimburse the department or faculty member. If you are requesting equipment or reusable supplies, you should include how the department will use the items after your project is completed in your budget description.

  • WHAT ITEMS CANNOT BE REIMBURSED?

    Grant money cannot be used for tuition, internships, service learning, courses, lessons, or related travel. Other non-reimbursable items include certain taxes, alcohol, on-campus dining, individual services and travel insurance. You should use the DU tax-exempt number for purchases so that you do not have to pay tax.

  • CAN I RECEIVE AN AWARD FOR WORK ON MY PROJECT?

    Only Summer Grant award winners can request funding from Accounts Payable. This must be included in your budget request.

  • MY PROJECT INVOLVES ANIMALS. WHAT TYPE OF APPROVAL DO I NEED?

    If you are working with animals, you must receive IACUC approval. The application can be found at https://www.du.edu/orsp/research-compliance/animal-welfare/index.html. If your project is selected, the funding will be contingent on IRB or IACUC approval. You must receive and forward the approval from the IRB or the IACUC to the URC coordinator before funding can be disbursed.

  • I AM STUDYING PEOPLE. DO I NEED SPECIAL APPROVAL FOR MY PROJECT?

    If your project involves human subjects (this includes surveys, interviews, observation of public behavior, etc.), you must complete and submit an Application to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the Protection of Human Subjects form. Complete the IRB form in consultation with your faculty partner and submit it to the IRB. You must receive and forward the approval from the IRB or the IACUC to the URC coordinator before funding can be disbursed.

  • HOW DO I GET REIMBURSED FOR MY PURCHASES?

    Reimbursements typically take up to 10 business days. You will receive your reimbursement in one of two ways:

    1) Mailed to the mailing address you have on file with the school. Check PioneerWeb to make sure your address is correct. You can change it in PioneerWeb.

    2) Direct deposit. If you are signed up for reimbursement direct deposit, the funds will be sent directly to your bank account. Reimbursement direct deposit is different from payroll direct deposit if you work on campus. If you have received direct deposits from the Bursar’s office you are set up. To set up direct deposit follow these instructions.

  • WHAT SHOULD I SUBMIT FOR REIMBURSEMENT?

    You must submit original, detailed, itemized receipts. You may email all receipts to urc@du.edu. Include your name and DU ID in the e-mail. If your receipts are in a language other than English, translations must be provided. The receipts must show the name of the organization or company, the date of the purchase, the items purchases, and how much was paid. You cannot scan or fax receipts, the original receipts must be submitted.

  • I ONLY KEPT THE CREDIT CARD RECEIPT, CAN I USE THAT FOR REIMBURSEMENT?

    No! The credit card receipt only shows the total amount paid, it does not show what was purchased. You MUST submit the original, detailed, itemized receipt showing what was purchased. 

  • I USED A TAXI TO GET AROUND BUT THEY DIDN'T GIVE ME A RECEIPT, CAN I GET REIMBURSED FOR THIS?

    No! Ask for a receipt. You can explain that you need it for business purposes and they should be able to supply you with a receipt. Make sure it has the name of the company, the date, the item or service purchased, and the total amount that was paid. 

  • CAN I SUBMIT MY CREDIT CARD STATEMENT OR MY BANK STATEMENT?

    No! A bank or credit card statement is not sufficient and cannot be used to process a reimbursement. It must be the original receipt that you received. 

  • I AM TRYING TO BOOK MY TRAVEL FOR MY SSTF GRANT. WHAT GUIDELINES SHOULD I USE FOR ESTIMATING COSTS?

    We generally use the U.S. General Services Administration's guidelines on per diem rates.  You can look up your destination by the city to look at their lodging rate (based on the month of travel), as well as their meals and incidentals expenses rate (the daily rate we would reimburse you for meals, labeled M & IE in the chart).  We recommend that you adhere to these guidelines in order to maximize your award funds.  

  • WHAT ITEMS CANNOT BE REIMBURSED?

    Grant money cannot be used for tuition, internships, service learning, courses, or lessons. Other non-reimbursable items include certain taxes, alcohol, on-campus dining, individual services, and travel insurance. You should use the DU tax-exempt number for purchases so that you do not have to pay tax.