BMCC Principal Investigators (PIs) are the effective stewards of sponsored funds who use grant monies to support student success, faculty research, and the college’s strategic goals.
COMING SOON! Download the PI Handbook
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Payroll
- Onboard grant staff (and adjuncts!) before they start work on a grant to make sure they can be paid for their work.
- Stipends are not payroll and cannot be offered to CUNY faculty or staff working on a grant.
- Faculty can only be paid summer salary for grant work that includes summer effort.
- No CUNY faculty or staff can be paid stipends, honorarium, or consulting fees with grant funds.
Advances
- All advances (including P Card purchases) must be reconciled within 30 days of receipt.
- If you were advanced funds and did not use them all, you must immediately return the balance by check to RFCUNY.
Budgets
- You cannot “combine” budgets from more than one grant or more than one year.
- You can only make purchases with funds that are in your budget right now – not funds you expect to receive.
- You cannot “borrow” funds from another grant or another funding source and ask RFCUNY to reimburse you.
Services
- Never pay for services out-of-pocket hoping to be reimbursed by the grant. You won’t be.
- Do not pay NYS sales tax on purchases. Ask the Office of Sponsored Programs for an exemption certificate to provide to vendors.
