104g-instructions.pdf

Instructions for the 104g Budget Spreadsheet

General Information

To avoid errors in the final budget workbook, review the following cautions:

• Please do not directly edit, paste into, or otherwise modify any of the cells that have a grey or orange background color. These cells are automatically populated, and altering them may lead to incorrect calculations.

• Please do not rename any of the worksheets, as this may cause errors on the summary worksheets.

• You may leave any unneeded worksheets blank; please do not delete any worksheets.

Project Data Section (Columns M and N)

A new section has been added to the main Project worksheet to collect data about the project (columns M and N). This information is similar to what was collected with the 2021 annual reports, and it is intended to simplify the annual reporting process going forward.

For easier identification, fields with dropdown menus are shaded light blue.

• Plain Language Summary (N1): Enter a summary of the project that would be understandable to an individual without specific expertise in the research topic.

Please limit the summary to approximately 250 words.

• Project ID (N2): If your institute doesn’t have a scheme for generating project IDs, we suggest using the format SS_YYYY_Name, where SS is the state/territory abbreviation, YYYY is the fiscal year, and Name is the last name of the PI. You can append a number to the PI’s last name if they have multiple projects (e.g.

AK_2023_Smith or AK_2023_Jones1).

• Fiscal Year (N3): Enter the current fiscal year.

• Principal Investigator (N4): Enter the name of the principal investigator.

• PI Affiliation (N5): Enter the name of the University with which the PI is primarily affiliated.

• Project Title (N6): Enter the project’s title.

• Project Type (N7): This field has been pre-populated and you shouldn’t need to change it.

• Congressional District (N8): Enter the congressional district (if applicable) where the work will be performed, using the format SS-### (e.g. AK-001). You may enter multiple districts as a comma-separated list.

• Science Priority (N9). Select the most relevant science priority from the dropdown menu.

• USGS Cross-Discipline Landscapes (N10): Select the most relevant cross-discipline landscape from the dropdown menu.

• USGS Cross-Discipline Science Topic (N11): Select the most relevant cross-discipline science topic from the dropdown menu.

• Geographic Study Area (N12): Enter the geographic study area.

• Keywords (N13 to N16): Select primary, secondary, and tertiary keywords from the dropdown menu. If additional keywords are needed, enter them as a comma-separated list in cell N16 Keywords (Additional).

• Student Support Breakdown (N19-23): Enter the number of post-doc, graduate, and undergraduate students who are supported by federal funds in cells N19 to N21.

Do not count students who are supported only by matching funds. Enter the grand total of all students supported in cell N23, including any students that are supported entirely by matching funds.

Budget Section

There is a main Project worksheet and three additional worksheets for sub awards to other universities. The budget sections are the same for all worksheets. If the project involves sub awards to other universities, please use the Sub Award # worksheets to provide a detailed budget for each sub award. Note that the total sub award amount is automatically included on the Project worksheet.

As stated above, please do not edit any of the cells with grey or orange backgrounds.

These are automatically populated based on data entered elsewhere on the worksheet, and modifying them may cause calculation errors.

Select the grant type in cell B2 on the main Project worksheet (AIS, PFAS, or 104g General).

Either use the menu links at the top of each sheet or scroll down to access the "Salary and Wage Breakdown", "Fringe Benefits Breakdown" and "Tuition Breakdown" tables. For each table, provide names along with each person's role (click in the Role cell to select from a menu of roles), and then enter the Federal and Non-Federal funding amounts for each year.

Note that filling out these tables will automatically populate the corresponding section in the table at the top of the sheet. Do not edit the Salaries and Wages, Fringe Benefits, or Tuition sections in the main table at the top of the sheet.

In the main table at the top of the sheet, enter yearly amounts for Supplies, Equipment, Services/Consultants, Travel, Other Direct Costs, and Indirect Costs.

Budget Justification

A budget justification form is included and must be completed. The information requested is the same as in previous years, but it is now provided in Microsoft Word format rather than the fillable pdf that was used previously.

Please note that both federal and matching funds need to be included in the budget justification.

If your application includes sub-awards to other universities, please submit a separate copy of the budget justification form covering each sub-award.

We have also included two example budget justifications for your reference. One provides examples of good practices, while the other demonstrates issues that would cause the budget to be rejected and thus delay processing (disallowed expenses, insufficient detail, etc.). Please refer to these examples to ensure that your submission can be processed as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Some examples of disallowed expenses are food/paper plates/utensils, souvenirs, prizes, etc.

Notice Regarding Funding for Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS)

There are restrictions on using grant funds for Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS). If your request includes funding for UAS, please refer to the enclosed “Covered UAS Assessment Guide” (doi-covered-uas-assessment-guide-v3.0.pdf) for guidance in determining whether the UAS is covered. The Department of Interior will not approve funding for covered UAS, and including a covered UAS in your request may cause significant delays in processing the award.

Additionally, all UAS operated under DOI operational control, including cooperator aircraft, must have a current OAS-36U DOI UAS Data Card or letter of authorization issued by the Office of Aviation Services. Please review https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/opm-11.pdf for detailed information if you are submitting a proposal that includes UAS.

https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/opm-11.pdf