How We GROW

MU Extension's strategic budget process requires an innovative and entrepreneurial approach beyond traditional entitlement and allocation models. We must be innovative and entrepreneurial as we diversify and grow MU Extension resources through: Grants, Contracts, Fees, Partnerships, Philanthropy.

Securing additional resources can help MU Extension offer programming and projects that would not be possible otherwise, and will help us better meet our mission statewide.

Applying for Grant Funding

Before seeking grant support, ask yourself the following questions:

• Does the project address a local, regional or state-wide problem?
• Is the project related to your current plan of work or program area?
• Does the project have the potential to impact the stated problem or issue?

Reach out to your supervisor to talk through the idea and discuss what other partners need to be involved (academic, local, state-wide).

Extension Specific Grants

Conflict of Interest

Make sure you check the conflict of interest policy before signing for grants or contracts. The University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations address several, but not all, of these activities. University of Missouri Extension policies are consistent with university policies, but in some instances go beyond university policy because of the unique nature of the extension function and the requirements of the federal partner, NIFA/USDA.

Conflict of interest relates to several activities:

• Consulting
• Ownership and operation of a business
• Serving as an expert witness
• Private-sector support of programming
• Commodity trading
• Activity in political parties
• Election or appointment to public office

Grant Timeline

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  Pre-Award Grant Processing

  Once a PI has decided to submit a grant proposal, the grant administrator from their division or college will work with them to determine which grant administrator will be the primary contact for the submission based on the following considerations:

  • Generally, the division or college that pays the majority of the PI's salary will process the pre-award submission, as well as handle the post-award administration for the project.
  • In the event that a primarily Extension funded PI is submitting a grant for Basic Research or Instructional (for academic credit) purposes, the project will be submitted and administered through the appropriate College instead, as these goals are not in line with the Extension mission.
  • In the event that a project is using Extension's statewide infrastructure or is considered capacity funds for Extension, then Extension would receive 100% of the shared credit.

  For more details in regards to your particular division, please review the corresponding Extension Shared Credit & PSRS Approval Determinations guide (PDF).

  All proposals determined to be primarily Extension should be routed through the Extension Pre-Award Team for review and data entry in the Peoplesoft grants module. As soon as a faculty or staff member decides to prepare an upcoming submission, they should notify the Extension Pre-Award Team at [email protected]. This allows additional time for the team to review the associated guidelines and policies of the sponsor, as well as corresponding Federal, State and University regulations. The Extension Pre-Award Team can assist with questions that arise, communicate with OSPA if there is a limited submission requirement, as well as help staff work with The Connector in order to facilitate parties interested in working together.

  Determining Shared Credit
  The PI should make an initial decision as to who on the project (Co-PI's, Key Personnel, etc.) should receive shared credit, and they should have conversations with the other individua ls to determine what the appropriate distribution should be amongst them. Shared credit distributions should be based on intellectual contribution to the project, not based on effort/salary toward the project. Once everyone is in agreement, they will relay these distributions to their grant administrator.

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  1 Month Prior to Proposal Due Date

  Lead Principle Investigator:
  Discuss with their supervisor and the Senior Program Leader for their area in order to receive prior approval to prepare and submit the proposal.

  Inform the Extension Pre-Award Team by email that you intend to submit a proposal; send any working documents, the guidelines, and a completed Grant Request Form (PDF).

  Senior Program Leader:
  Discuss the budget and goals of the proposal with the Associate Vice Chancellor at regularly scheduled monthly meeting. You will need to present a description of the project, any relevant letters of support, a detailed process to ensure that any relevant cost share or third party matching is met, and a timeline as to when the awarded funds will be spent. These details are required if the proposal meets one of the following criteria:

  • The proposal has a total budget of at least $1,000,000.
  • There is any voluntary cost share being provided.
  • Budgets which include third party match.
  • Costs which include hiring new employees.
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  10 Business Days Prior to Proposal Due Date

  OSPA has a published Five Business Day Submission deadline in order to help identify and correct problem areas before submission. In order to ensure this deadline is met, complete proposals are due to the Extension Pre-Award Team for processing and review ten business days prior to the proposal due date. Once any initial issues are resolved, a proposal routing sheet (PSRS) will be sent for approvals using the information from the completed Grant Request Form and finalized budget. After the required approvals are obtained, the proposal will be sent to OSPA.

  It is the Principle Investigator’s (PI’s) responsibility to ensure all relevant information is complete by these deadlines. At the time of submission it is also their responsibility to ensure all attachments are loaded properly and accurately no matter which submission method (online portal, email, etc.) is used.

  If the 10 business day deadline is not met, the PI will need to contact the Associate Vice Chancellor and copy their Senior Program Leader in order to obtain approval to still proceed with submission. If the Associate Vice Chancellor chooses to give approval, he/she will provide a new required due date which must be met. The only exception will be if proof is provided that the sponsor did not allow adequate time once the funding opportunity was published (any deadline which is due in less than one month of the funding notice). In those cases, every effort will be made to meet the sponsor due date and get the proposal submitted to OSPA, although submission will not be guaranteed.

  Documentation
  Typically, any documents submitted to a sponsor must be sent directly from OSPA. Although staff should not negotiate with sponsors, it may be necessary to communicate directly with sponsoring agencies in the pre-proposal and proposal stages. When in doubt, please contact the Extension Pre-Award Team for confirmation of the appropriate steps.

  Signatures/Approvals
  It is expected that PI's with split appointments will have approvals from all Division Administrators on all projects regardless of scope of work. Program Directors are approving all proposals regardless of PI. Additional approvals/notifications are required for regional faculty.

  OSPA will obtain any needed physical signatures from an authorized designee of the University. Extension faculty and staff may not sign on behalf of the University.

  Research/Instruction Grants
  In the event that a primarily Extension funded PI is submitting a grant for Basic Research or Instructional (for academic credit) purposes, the project will be submitted and administered through the appropriate College instead, as these goals are not in line with the Extension mission. In this case, the College would receive 100% of the shared credit, but the PSRS should still include Extension Division Administrators so that all parties are aware of the project. Funding split updates may be necessary; it may be appropriate to reduce the PI's Extension effort due to this work.

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  Post-Award Grant Management

  Extension Fiscal is responsible for the fiscal oversight on all Extension grant awards. When a new award is received, the appropriate Extension Portfolio will review it to ensure the new award budget and other data elements accurately reflect the terms and conditions of the award document. If there are any funding restrictions, they will be communicated to the PI and project fiscal staff. The Extension Portfolio will also work with PIs and unit fiscal contacts to make sure direct grant funding for salaries and/or cost share are set up correctly.

  Throughout the life of the grant, the Extension Portfolio is responsible for tracking cost share to make sure our sponsor requirements are met. They will work the appropriate unit fiscal staff to make any necessary adjustments. The Extension Portfolio also tracks grant summary data and expenditures, reports grant data and participates in grant close-out activities.

  The Extension Portfolio will serve as the primary contact between the PI and OSPA on invoicing, financial reporting, and any other post-award issues that arise throughout the life of the award. When a project is ready for closeout they will assist OSPA in confirming final costs and verify that our cost share requirements have been met.

  Effort Verification Reporting (EVR) is also a post-award responsibility. Extension Fiscal will distribute the EVRs to the appropriate individual with a deadline to certify them. Either the employee or someone with firsthand knowledge of the employees' effort should certify the EVR.

  The Extension Portfolio is responsible for reviewing and obtaining proper Extension Fiscal approvals before sending payroll correcting entries to OSPA. Their review process will include verifying the chartfields/MoCodes that are affected by the PCE, as well as ensuring the PCE's justification is complete. If a PCE affects a pay period where effort has already been certified through the EVR process they will work with the employee in order to recertify their effort on a revised EVR.

County Grant Administration

Both the university and county extension councils have legal authority to submit grant proposals. In determining the appropriate administrative entity, there are several factors to consider:

Project Magnitude

Consider a county council's capacity to administer projects that require employing additional staff, providing governmentally required assurances, submitting financial reports and audits, and securing legal advice.

Matching

Matching requirements can be onerous. If we commit match or cost share, it must be documented. Many times, that is done by documenting a person's time on a project. However, legally, councils cannot commit the time of regional extension specialists. They are University employees, not council employees.

Rules and Regulations

The rules and regulations of some entities, such as governmental agencies, are substantial. The University has the resources and processes to meet those requirements.

Funding Source Preferences

Some funding sources only fund locally based organizations, such as a county council, while others work only with larger institutions, such as the University.

Although the University and county extension councils do not have 501(c)(3) status, they are treated as not-for-profit organizations under IRS regulations, as described in Section 170 of the federal income tax statutes. The IRS has provided an advisory letter (PDF) stipulating this status for both the University and councils. This letter generally is sufficient when submitting proposals to organizations requiring 501(c)(3) documentation.

Offsetting County Resources

A University grant generally supports and offsets University resources. We do allow exceptions for offsetting county resources when the grant originates at the county-level (generally a CES) but cannot be accepted by the county. The Extension Budget Director's approval for this will be required at the time of proposal.

Top 10 Extension Awards

Extension Awards by Program Area

Extension Proposals by Program Area