Grant Amendments

Principal Investigators should notify RSF if they need to make a change in the research plan from what was originally approved as part of the grant proposal. PIs should first reach out to grantsmgt@rsage.org and provide a brief description of the proposed change. The Grants Management team determine whether additional information is required or whether a formal amendment form needed.

To request a no-cost extension or a budget reallocation, the Organization or the Principal Investigator(s) must contact RSF (grantsmgt@rsage.org) to request access to an amendment form in RSF’s Fluxx grantee portal (rsf.fluxx.io). All no-cost extension and budget reallocation requests must be submitted via the portal. Outstanding budget or narrative reports may delay the approval of modification requests.

The Organization must notify RSF of any change in the Principal Investigator(s) or their affiliations.

What is considered a grant amendment?

An amendment is any modification to the project that was originally approved. These modifications include changes to the grant term, budget, grantee organization, study design, and primary investigator.

Do all amendment types require a Fluxx form?

Fluxx forms are only required for no-cost extensions, budget reallocations and organization transfers. However, changes to the study design and/or the PI will need to be approved by the Program Officer before they are implemented. Please contact us at grantsmgt@rsage.org for further instructions.

Is there a limit to the number of amendments I can request?

While there is no limit to the number of no-cost extensions and budget reallocations a grantee can request, the more amendments you submit, the more scrutinized they will be by your grant’s Program Officer.

How long does it take for amendments to be approved?

Typically, amendments will be reviewed and approved within a month of their submission. That said, if we have follow-up questions about your request, this process can take longer.

No-Cost Extensions

When should I request my no-cost extension?

No-cost extensions should be requested at least 2-6 months before the grant end date.

How long does a no-cost extension last?

As a rule, RSF approves all no-cost extensions for 1 year. If your project requires additional time, you will need to request another no-cost extension within 6 months of the grant End Date.

Note: Sometimes, grantees don’t need a full year to complete their projects. In such cases, grantees are welcome to submit their final reports early. Please review the “Reports” section for further assistance on this.

How does a no-cost extension affect my reporting requirements?

If you are granted a no-cost extension, your reporting requirements will be updated to reflect the new grant End Date. The due date for the final reports will be updated to align with this new date, and you will most likely be asked to submit an additional set of interim reports. That said, once your no-cost extension is approved, you will need to log into Fluxx to review any changes to your reporting requirements.

I received an email stating that RSF requires additional information to process my request. How should I proceed?

Sometimes, we require additional information to move forward with your request. To view our questions and/or comments, please log into Fluxx and navigate to the “Amendments > Feedback Required” tab on the left-hand menu. You can find our questions/comments in the “Comments from RSF” section at the top of the amendment. To respond to the questions, please click “Edit” in the upper right-hand corner of the page. We kindly ask you resubmit the amendment with your responses within 10 business days of having received the email.

Note: Please be sure to click the “Resubmit” button at the bottom of the form. Otherwise, we will not be notified of your responses.

My grant end date is approaching and I have expended all of the grant funds, but my project is still ongoing. What should I do?

Please reach out to us at grantsmgt@rsage.org before submitting your final reports.

Budget Reallocations

Under what circumstances do I need to request a budget reallocation?

Budget reallocations are necessary when grant expenditures deviate by more than 10% of any given budget line or when a new budget line needs to be added. Please note that the 10% deviation rule applies to the categories affected by the overspending, not to the total grant amount.

Are budget reallocations subject to RSF’s budget guidelines?

Yes, all proposed changes in a reallocation request must abide by RSF’s budget guidelines.

If I received a no-cost extension, can I reallocate more funds towards salary support?

An investigator’s salary is determined by the grant’s original term, and thus a no-cost extension has no impact on this budget line. At most, investigators in tenure-track faculty positions are eligible to receive summer salary support up to $12,500 for a 1-year grant and up to $25,000 for a 2-year grant. For more information on investigators who do not hold tenure-track faculty positions, please review RSF’s budget guidelines.

As my project progressed, I (a PI or Co-PI) needed to do more work than originally anticipated. In cases like this, can I reallocate more funds towards my salary?

Budget lines for investigators’ salaries are not subject to the 10%-deviation rule. At most, an investigator in a tenure-track faculty position can receive $25,000 in summer salary support for a 2-year grant. By the end of the grant, any funds expended over this limit will either need to be moved to a different budget line or returned to the Foundation.

My original budget did not include a line for equipment costs. Can I reallocate funds towards an equipment budget line after the project has started?

Per RSF guidelines, we will consider limited reallocation requests for equipment, such as computers or software, on a case-by-case basis. In such cases, no more than $5,000 can be spent on equipment.

Organization Transfers

If a grant needs to be moved to a new institution (either because the Principal Investigator is changing institutions or because a co-PI at a different institution will be taking over as the primary contact), please contact us at grantsmgt@rsage.org. In order to process an Organization Transfer, we will need the following information from the original grantee organization and the new grantee organization: