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Community Colleges

Question:
I don’t deal with finances or purchasing very often.  What do I need to know about IITG funds?

Answer:
The University-wide funding that supports the Innovative Instruction & Technology grants is a line item in the New York State budget and is backed by NYS tax dollars.  This grant funding is NOT associated with the Research Foundation. Because there are differences in the way funding works at state-operated campuses and community colleges, information below only applies to community college campuses. State-operated campus finance and purchasing information can be found here. If a campus office you are dealing with has questions about the IITG funding, sharing a copy of this FAQ with the office might be helpful.

  • The SUNY Budget Office will distribute IITG funding to your campus using the same distribution method used for other university-wide and state funding.  Because the Business Officer at your campus is familiar with the distribution process, they will be copied on your IITG award letter.  It is recommended that the PI reach out to the campus Business Officer when after receiving the IITG award letter to discuss the campus logistics of making this award funding available to you, establishing an account number, providing you with signature authority on the account, etc.
  • Policies and procedures in place at your campus apply to the IITG funding; e.g., Human Resource policies and procedures for personnel actions, and purchasing/procurement policies and procedures for purchases, contracts and travel.
  • Personnel expenses other than student payroll included in your IITG budget will be subject to fringe benefits overhead.  Contact your Human Resources Office to confirm the fringe benefit rate at your campus to calculate the fringe benefit expense associated with your project.  There is a specific line on the IITG budget template for that expense. NOTE that you can request IITG funding to cover fringe benefit expenses OR record it as a ‘Campus Match’ if the campus is willing to pay that expense.
  • IITG award funding is based on the SUNY fiscal year which begins on July 1st and ends the following June 30th.  If, due to unforeseen circumstances, the project timeline falls behind, the PI may request a funding extension via email to IITGrants@suny.edu no later than May 1st.  The email needs to indicate the reason the extension is needed, and the dollar amount the PI would like carried forward to the next fiscal year. While there is no guarantee that an extension can be granted, the IITG administrative team will do its best to accommodate extension requests.