Gift or Sponsored Project - NIU - Division of Research & Innovation Partnerships

Gift or Sponsored Project?

How do I know if I'm receiving a gift or a sponsored project?

A sponsored project and a gift or donation often have similar attributes, so it is important to recognize the common characteristics of each to ensure that the award is properly managed.

SPA works closely with the NIU Foundation and Northern Illinois Research Foundation (NIRF) to appropriately classify external funding as a gift or sponsored project.

If the sponsor is a federal, state, or local government agency, or flow through from one of these organizations, the activity is always a sponsored project.

Key factors to differentiate between gifts and sponsored projects

Gift	Sponsored project
Purpose
The donor may provide support for a particular activity, program area or purpose. These can include professorships, endowed chairs, scholarships, non-federal building projects, fellowships, research and instructional programs.	Sponsor requires specific deliverables (e.g. final technical report, evaluation).
Reporting
The donor may require or request a brief summary of the results from the participant.	The sponsor requires performance of specific duties such as research, budget reports, and progress reports.
Unused funds
Donor does not require return of unspent funds at end of gift period.	The sponsor requires return of unexpended funds or written approval to spend beyond the project period or re-budget funds between line items.
Intellectual property
The donor makes no claims on the patents, copyrights and other intellectual property rights that may result from activities associated with the gift.	The sponsor may impose restrictions on intellectual property rights, such as prior review of publications or on use of results.
University process
Managed through NIU Foundation or NIU Research Foundation.	Managed through Sponsored Programs Administration.

Questions to help determine gift vs. sponsored project (Source)

Who will be the primary beneficiary? If it is the donor or sponsor, the award should be handled under a contractual agreement and is a sponsored project. The contractual agreement is necessary to ensure that there is a concise scope of work and that sponsor expectations are clearly defined. Grants are a form of a contract.

Does the donor derive a tangible benefit other than a potential tax credit? If yes, the funds awarded are not gifts and should be managed as a sponsored project.

Is there a quid pro quo? Is the institution or principal investigator required to provide the donor with any deliverable? Assurance to the donor that the funds were used for the purpose for which they were donated does not constitute quid pro quo. Many gifts require some sort of basic reporting.

Can the sponsor require the institution to return the gift if the donor is unsatisfied with the outcome of a project which it supported? If the funds were provided with no expectation of outcome or deliverable, then they can be properly considered as a gift. For example, a donor contributing to a scholarship fund rightfully expects that the funds would be used for that purpose. However, if the sponsor was unsatisfied with the outcome of a research project and requested a refund, the funds were not contributed. Gifts are considered irrevocable while restricted grants and contracts (e.g. sponsored projects) can be terminated for poor or nonperformance or unavailability of funds as well as a variety of other reasons.

Can a project that is funded on a cost reimbursement basis be considered a gift? There may be exceptional circumstances where it would be appropriate, but generally, the receipt of funds as reimbursement would not be counted as a gift.

Can funds be provided partially as a gift and partially as a contractual arrangement? Funds can be transferred as both a gift and a contract. However, intent and use of the funds should be reviewed, as well as any relationship between the sponsor and recipient. It is difficult to separate a portion of a project supported by a gift and the portion that is contractual. For instance, an institution may agree to a contractual arrangement to develop a new nano-particle. The sponsor also provides funds to support a graduate student. If the student works on the same project it may be construed as circumventing the contractual process. A gift must have charitable intent and the expectation and distinction between the gift and contract must be clear.

Can an individual donate funds to the institution and take a tax credit? This is best answered by a tax specialist on a case-to-case basis.

Can gift funds be used as matching or cost sharing for federal grants and contracts? Gifts are a viable and desirable source of matching funds and cost sharing. However, if the funds are used to cost share federal dollars, the funds become restricted and are subjects to 2 CFR 200 and any specific sponsor restrictions.

Can government funds be counted as gift funds? It is not likely that either state or federal funds would be transferred as gift funds. Generally, public funds come with restrictions that exceed minimum requirements to be counted as a contribution and as a general rule; governments are not legally authorized to make gifts to non-profit organizations.

Sponsored Programs Administration

Contact Us

Sponsored Programs Administration
203 Lowden Hall
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115-2828
P: 815-753-1581
F: 815-753-6081

Pre-award and Proposals
asosp@niu.edu

Post-award and Award Management
GrantsFiscal@niu.edu

Technical questions
erahelp@niu.edu

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Proposal Intake Form

Northern Illinois University
Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships