Soliciting and Administering Financial Support from External Sources

The purpose of this policy is to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the Office of University Development/Wright State University Foundation, Inc., and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs in the process of soliciting and administering funds from external sources.

• Gifts and charitable grants.  Gifts and charitable grants are bestowed voluntarily with donative intent and without expectation or receipt of direct economic benefit or any other tangible compensation on the part of the donor.  Wright State University is responsible for using funds received through charitable contributions for the purpose(s) specified by the donor.

• Contracts and project-specific grants.  Contracts and project-specific grants are awarded to support a project with a defined scope of work under the direction of a principal investigator, from whom the sponsor expects certain performance objectives to be achieved.  Usually, a specific period of performance is provided, and use of the funds may be reviewed by or on behalf of the sponsor.

• The Office of University Development, as the outreach arm of the Wright State University Foundation, Inc., solicits philanthropic support for the university from individuals, corporations, foundations, and other private-sector sources.

• University Development is responsible for coordinating the solicitation, processing, acknowledging, accounting, and reporting of all gifts and charitable grants received in support of Wright State University.  The Development office maintains the university's central records for private donors and their contributions.  The office also provides services for identifying and researching current and prospective donors. University Development coordinates with the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs all activities for securing, receiving, and administering charitable grants from corporations, foundations, and other private-sector organizations.

• The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs facilitates the submission of proposals from faculty and staff members to external sponsors for the support of research, training, and public service projects.

• Research and Sponsored Programs is responsible for administering the solicitation, processing, acknowledging, accounting, and reporting of all contracts and project-specific grants at Wright State University.  In addition, Research and Sponsored Programs coordinates with the Office of University Development the solicitation, processing, administration, and reporting of project-specific grants from foundations, corporations, and other private-sector sources. Research and Sponsored Programs also assists faculty and staff members in identifying agencies that have priorities and interests related to Wright State projects.

• All government grants and contracts for research and service, all awards that support work involving laboratory animals or human subjects, and all awards that have an associated intellectual property agreement must be processed through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

• Communication, Solicitation Clearance, Prospect Tracking

  1. Wright State projects and programs targeted for potential support from the prospect
  2. Key research information about the prospect
  3. Calls or letters of inquiry to the prospect
  4. Grant proposal submission, solicitation, and other contacts/communications
  5. Responses from the prospect (money awarded, rejections, etc.)
  6. Fund stewardship/reporting

  1. To assist Wright State University in avoiding duplicate and inappropriate solicitation of corporations, foundations, and other private-sector sources, faculty and staff members who are seeking corporate and foundation gifts and charitable grants should confer in advance with the director of corporate and foundation relations and with the development officer assigned to the respective collegiate unit.

  2. To facilitate regular coordination of the solicitation and management of gifts and grants from corporations, foundations, and other private-sector sources, the Office of University Development and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs maintain systems for consistently reporting and sharing information through regular written reports and meetings.  The systems provide information about faculty and staff requests for assistance in seeking gift and grant support, as well as the status of each prospective donor/grantor, including the following classifications:

• Charitable Grant Processing and Accounting

  All charitable grant money from foundations, corporations, and other private-sector sources shall be received initially by the Office of University Development through the Wright State University Foundation, Inc., in order to update the university's official central donor records and to generate acknowledgments from appropriate university officials.  When charitable grant funds need to be separately line item budgeted and accounted for to satisfy sponsor requirements, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs will establish an account and administer the funds in the same manner as it does for project-specific grants.

• Reporting External Financial Support

  Annual reporting of external financial support has an impact on the university's financial position and the institution's reputation and prestige as viewed by people in academe, the philanthropic community, government agencies, business and industry, and the general public.  It is important that the Office of University Development and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs regularly share information about gifts and grants that have been received to enable the university to report accurately the highest totals of external financial support.  The following guidelines apply:

  1. The Office of University Development may count all private gifts and charitable grants received by Wright State University in its reports of total charitable support of the university.  The office shall follow the reporting standards established by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), Council for Aid to Education (CFAE), and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).

  2. The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs may count all project-specific grant and contract revenue, as well as gifts and charitable grants designated for research purposes in its reports of total research support for the university.

Questions may arise from time to time about the definitions and principles stated in this policy.  The assistant vice president for university development and the director of research and sponsored programs will review any questions and provide an answer.  If a question still persists, the chief advancement officer and the chief research officer will provide a final resolution.