Facilities & Administrative (F&A) Waivers
Overview
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) and the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) provide two F&A Waiver Forms. These forms are essential for the process of requesting a reduction in the Facilities & Administrative Rate for sponsored projects.
F&A Waiver Forms
The F&A Waiver Request Forms are available for both non-profit and for-profit projects. Please note that these PDF files must be downloaded and opened from your computer as they will not open in a browser window.
Exclusions
- Non-Profit & Governmental Sponsors
- UNC-CH grants an exception to charging full F&A costs for non-profit sponsors and governmental agencies that have explicit, published policies limiting F&A recovery. A copy of the published restriction or their F&A rate must be attached to the proposal in RAMSeS. The reduced F&A rate will be applied to total direct costs unless the sponsor’s published guidance states otherwise.
- For-Profit Sponsors
- For-profit sponsors are charged the full F&A rate appropriate for the project activity. A subsidy of any cost of the project would constitute a use of public funds for private benefit and would be an improper use of University resources.
Other Exclusions
Exceptions to the full recovery of F&A costs will be made on a very limited basis.
Requesting an F&A Waiver
When an F&A exception is requested for a sponsor who does not have a published restriction, the submitting department should adequately explain and justify the request using the OSP F&A waiver forms. The request must be attached to the RAMSeS IPF, and the request must be signed by the Principal Investigator and deans, directors, or department heads of the School, Center, or Institute. The Executive Director of OSP will consider the justification and approve/disapprove the waiver request.
Please note that an email from someone at the organization is not considered an explicit, published policy limiting F&A Recovery. However, it is very helpful information to include in the justification of the F&A Waiver request.
Signature Process
Each form has three signature fields:
- Department Chair/Center Director Approval: This is specific to the Admin Award Department.
- Dean or Vice Chancellor of Research: Currently held by Blossom Damania.
- Asst. Vice Chancellor of Research: Currently held by David Paul.
The Research Administrator seeking the Facilities & Administrative Rate Reduction Request must obtain these signatures.
The Grants Analyst can provide assistance to the Research Administrator by confirming whose signature is needed and the order in which the signatures should be obtained.
To obtain Blossom Damania’s signature, the document should be sent to Jennifer Brennan, Director, Office of Research, SOM. Jennifer will obtain Blossom’s signature.
Confirmation
Once all signatures are obtained by the Research Administrator, the Grants Analyst will confirm that the fully executed F&A Waiver Request is attached into the RAMSeS IPF. The Grants Analyst will also confirm that the F&A Rate is correct in the Budget section of the RAMSeS IPF.
Additional Information
For more detailed information about F&A costs and policies that apply to sponsored projects at UNC, please refer to the [Office of Sponsored Programs – 300.09 – Indirect Costs] and the [F&A Guidance] provided by the OSP. For additional breakdowns of F&A expenses, see [Background on Facilities and Administrative Costs at UNC-Chapel Hill] (PDF).
Please note that all grants, contracts, and other sponsored agreements accepted by the University will be charged the maximum allowable Federally-negotiated F&A cost rate or other published University F&A rate as determined by the type and location of the sponsored activity.