Dear Faculty,
This is just an annual reminder to those faculty who have F&A accounts to be sure to
use the account regularly. Don’t allow long periods of time go without expending some
funds from them (like a year), or else they may become designated as dormant. When this
happens, the university may elect to “repurpose” all or some of the funds in that account
for other purposes. I don’t know the specific triggers of such a designation, but just
know F&A accounts need to have ongoing, at least annual, activity.
For those wondering what an F&A account is, an F&A account for Principal
Investigators holds the 5% provided them from externally sponsored projects (from the
total Facilities and Administration or indirect costs distributions made the year
following the expenditure of direct costs on their externally sponsored grants). Not all
externally sponsored projects have F&A applied, but most do, ranging from 10 to 50% of
direct cost expenditures. The F&A is calculated as a percentage of award expenditures
on direct costs each year (e.g., excluding cost categories that do not incur F&A like
scholarships and participant incentives). In spring each year, F&A distributions are
made based on expenditures the prior fiscal year (i.e., year ending the prior Aug. 31).
So, just a friendly reminder.
Michael
Michael J. Karcher, Ed.D., Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research
Professor of Educational Psychology
College of Education and Human Development (COEHD)—UTSA
COEHD-Office of the Dean, MB 3.304D (Main Campus)
(210) 458-2032 (direct); 458-2650 (department); 458-5200 (college)
michael.karcher@utsa.edu<mailto:michael.karcher@utsa.edu>