Award Management Resources

Cost Transfers and Cost Overruns

It is the policy of UWM that all costs should be charged to the appropriate sponsored project when first incurred. Salary charges should be a reasonable reflection of the employee’s effort, and any salary transfers may have effort reporting consequences. Salary and non-salary cost transfers should be requested as soon as the error is identified. A cost transfer request must be submitted within 90 days of the accounting date of the initial cost allocation with the supporting documentation of the cost. An accompanying justification must be included. All cost transfers must be reviewed and approved by a Grant Accountant. Any late cost transfer requests may not be approved.

Rebudgeting

Re-budgeting award funds may be necessary at times, and most sponsors have specific regulations for this process. Any changes to the awarded budget may require prior approval. When requesting a budget revision, use the same format as the original application unless the sponsor specifies otherwise. Contact your Grant Accountant as soon as a revision is needed.

No-Cost Extensions

Many sponsors allow no-cost extensions if a project cannot be completed within the original award period, providing additional time (typically up to 12 months) but no additional funds. Extensions are granted only for completing tasks related to the original scope of work, not for spending remaining funds. They must be justified and approved by the PI’s Dean or Department Chair and reviewed by the Office of Sponsored Programs before submission to the sponsor.

To request a no-cost extension, the PI should email their Grant Accountant with a justification, a summary of progress, the proposed new end date, and details on whether key personnel effort will change or remain the same, including whether their effort is “sponsor-paid” or “cost-shared.”

Requests must generally be submitted at least 90 days before the original project end date. Requests made after the end date will not be considered. PIs should review award terms and conditions for specific requirements

Purchasing Cards (P-Cards)

The UWM Purchasing Card (P-Card) is a University-Liability Visa credit card issued by US Bank to specific UWM employees to be used for UW business-related purchases to purchase small-dollar transactions.