Date of last revision: April 30, 2020

Introduction

On certain conditions NSF Proyect managers will grant the PI the option to petition for «Suplemental Support» this article will walk you throught the necesary steps to compelte such a request.

PAPGG definition of Supplemental Support

a. In unusual circumstances, small amounts of supplemental funding and up to six months of additional support may be requested to assure adequate completion of the original scope of work. Such requests for supplemental funding support must be signed and submitted by the AOR via use of NSF’s electronic systems at least two months prior to the need for the additional funds and must be adequately justified. Program Officers may make decisions regarding whether or not to recommend a small supplement without merit review of the supplemental request. Requests for larger supplements may require external merit review.

b. A request for supplemental support must be submitted electronically via FastLane and must include:

(i) A summary of the proposed work;

(ii) A justification of the need for the supplemental funds; and

(iii) A budget and budget justification, highlighting the use by budget category of the additional funding as distinguished from the original funding provided in those categories of cost. AORs are required to electronically sign the supplemental funding request via the Authorized Organizational Representative Functions in FastLane.

c. NSF will not approve requests for supplemental support for such purposes as defraying the costs of increases in salaries, wages or staff benefits or for additional indirect cost (F&A) reimbursement, whether caused by a change in the indirect cost rate or by changes in direct cost expenditures which affect the indirect cost base. (See Chapter X.A.2.a.)

d. If approved, the NSF Grants Officer will amend the grant to provide additional funding for the current support period. The amendment notice will specify both the amount of supplemental funding and the cumulative amount awarded through the end date, which normally will remain unchanged.

e. Special NSF programs such as Research Experiences for Undergraduates may provide their funding through supplements to other NSF grants. In such instances, the guidance in this section may not be applicable . Please see the applicable NSF funding opportunity for the relevant guidance.

48 For purposes of this Guide, except where explicitly noted, the term «grant» is interchangeable with the term «cooperative agreement», and the term «grantee» is interchangeable with the «awardee» of a cooperative agreement. 
49 NSF has developed a matrix that lists NSF’s electronic capabilities, and whether they can be found in FastLane, Research.gov or both. This matrix will be updated as appropriate, independent of the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide revision cycle. The current version is located at: http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/estatus_matrix.jsp. 
50 In accordance with 31 USC 1552(a), funds will no longer be available for expenditure for any purpose beyond September 30th of the fifth fiscal year after the expiration of a fixed appropriation’s period of availability for incurring new obligations – see also Chapter VIII.E for Financial Requirements and Payments.) 

Fastlane Help Manual

Log into Fastlane then follow the next steps

1. From the «What Do You Want To Work On?» menu select «Award and Reporting Functions»
2. From the «Award and Reporting Functions» menu select «Supplemental Funding Request»
3. Select the grant from the «List of Current Awards»
4. Click on «Prepare Supplemental Funding Request»

This will create a new document in which your required documentation will be:

• Summary of Proposed Work
• Budgets (Including Justification)
• Add/Delete Non-Co-PI Senior Personnel
• Justification for Supplement
• Supplementary Documents
• Revised End Date (if applicable), six months is the normal request

You can downlad the screen capture «step by step guide here«

Citation

To cite this resource, use the following format:

León, C. (2021, April 30). How to Prepare a Supplemental Funding Request in Fastlane. Cristo León. https://www.cristoleon.com/project/how-to-prepare-a-supplemental-funding-request-in-fastlane/

Resources

NSF. (2020). PAPPG Chapter II Proposal Preparation Instructions. https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappg18_1/pappg_2.jsp

NSF. (2020, March 18). FastLane Help [PDF]. https://www.research.gov/common/attachment/Desktop/FastLane_Help.pdf