Manage Your Research for Novel Approaches Grant

Congratulations on your grant award from Northeast SARE! The following information serve as reminders on how to manage your grant.

Financial Requirements

All SARE grants are paid as reimbursements. Grantees need to track project expenses accurately using the same expense categories as in the final proposal budget. Please note that SARE will hold your final invoice or the final 10 percent (whichever comes first) until your final report is approved.

Invoices and documentation

Plan to submit invoices to our office on a monthly (or at least quarterly) basis. Invoices should align with the original budget, any budget changes over 10% need approval from the grant program coordinator.

If your organization does not have their own invoicing procedures, consider downloading the invoice template. Complete the template, sign it, and send invoices to financenortheastsare@uvm.edu. Be sure to include your project number on all correspondence in order to avoid delay of payment.

Payment processing

Invoices are usually processed on net 30 terms. Processing the first payment may take six to seven weeks as the new award is set up.

Acknowledging SARE

Acknowledging Northeast SARE is required for ALL journal articles, bulletins, guides, websites, outreach materials (including handouts, press releases, flyers, slide shows, presentations, etc.), and all other resources developed with SARE funding.

  • Use the logo, found at: www.northeastsare.org/logo.
  • Suggested acknowledgement language to include: “This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number [insert your project number here, e.g., LNE21-xxxR].”

Reporting Requirements

Northeast SARE places a high value on thorough and clear reports that accurately describe project accomplishments and outcomes. SARE uses a progressive reporting system, meaning that each project has one report that gets expanded and updated each year until the project is complete. 

Report due dates

  • A progress report is due by January 15 each year the project is active.
  • The final report is due no later than 60 days after the project end date.

Online reporting system

All Northeast SARE reports are submitted in the online reporting system. You will receive an email reminder with a copy of the reporting instructions one to two months before a report is due. Contact your grant coordinator if you have questions about reporting instructions and/or the reporting database.

Managing Project Changes or Challenges

Sometimes, changes in the approach or a budgetary allocation are needed as the project proceeds. All changes in the project plans or budget must be approved in advance by Northeast SARE. Please contact your grant coordinator should any of the following circumstances arise.

  • Delays, unforeseen challenges, unexpected opportunities, or a different approach to accomplish a project objective. Contact your grant coordinator to discuss your situation and any changes you wish to make to the project plan.
  • Budget changes. Minor variations in the planned costs are expected and acceptable. Please contact us for any new expenditures or major budget reallocations in advance of incurring these expenses.
  • Requests to extend the end date. Should you need a bit more time to complete your project, you may request for no-cost extension (the request should be made at least 45 days before the current end date).

Advice about unexpected results

Keep in mind that unexpected results are not always a problem. Even if your project does not turn out as planned, if it is well-run, new knowledge will undoubtedly surface. You may face challenges, and you may exceed your own expectations! Many of the most interesting projects have surprising results, and sometimes these surprises open up new areas of inquiry. Still, if problems do come up, SARE staff will do their best to advise and support you. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any issues that are affecting how the project is progressing.

Questions?

If you have questions about managing your Research for Novel Approaches grant, please contact grant coordinator Kaitlyn Sirna.