According to federal requirements, scholarships and student aid costs (stipends) are allowable only when the purpose of the federal award is to provide training to selected participants and the charge is approved by the federal awarding agency. The National Institutes of Health Grants Policy statement states that stipends are not allowed on research grants. The National Science Foundation allows for stipends only in support of participants or trainees at conference, meetings, symposia, training activities, and workshops.
RFCUNY Guidance
Given the guidance provided by federal sponsors, it is clear that stipends are only allowed on federal research awards where the sponsor has specifically included training activities in the original scope of work. Therefore, outgoing federal proposals that include stipends in the budget should include a description of the training and its purpose in the award documentation.
Principal Investigator Procedure on Sponsored Awards
It is the policy of The City University of New York (CUNY) and the Research Foundation, CUNY to support students in the furtherance of their education and to encourage the development of future research scientists. When research training grants are awarded, it is the responsibility of principal investigators (PI) and their respective department to properly select and appoint stipend recipients in accordance with sponsor requirements.
To appoint a trainee to receive a stipend, the PI must not only submit the required documentation defined in the applicable sponsored award, but also verify the following:
The memorandum, Guidance Concerning Charging Stipends to Federally Sponsored Awards, issued by RFCUNY in 2015 provides full details on what is not allowable under the Uniform Guidance.