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Participant Support Costs :: NSF Budgets

The National Science Foundation (NSF) participant support cost budget category is to be used for direct costs for items such as stipends or subsistence allowances, travel allowances and registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees (but not employees) in connection with meetings, conferences, symposia or training projects. Participant support allowances may not be paid to individuals receiving compensation form other federal sources while participating in the NSF project.

Amounts allocated in the participant support cost budget category on NSF awards are restricted and may not be reallocated to other budget categories without the written approval of the NSF Program Officer. The participant support cost budget category is also excluded from the indirect cost calculation.

To track and manage participant support activity, a separate sub P/G, which is not coded to incur indirect cost, is established for any awards containing a participant support cost budget allocation.

Because the participant support cost budget category is restricted and may not be re-allocated to other budget categories, any unexpended balance left in a participant support sub P/G at the end of the project period will become a de-obligated balance and will not be used to offset expenses in the parent P/G (or other sub P/Gs).