Grant Funding Ethics

[i am lost]

Hello, 

I am undergraduate student -- I hope it's not an issue for me to post on the forum. 

Recently, I was awarded $2000+ through two grants to complete a research project. In my proposal, my plane ticket constituted most of the budget (more than 80%). I am still progressing toward completing the project, but I believe I can complete project without flying abroad to complete fieldwork. 

Can the institutions that offered the grants confirm that I did or did not fly internationally?

Is it unethical to complete the project and retain the funds -- despite not traveling abroad, as described in the grant proposal?

[TakeruK]

It is unethical to spend grant money outside of the guidelines and conditions in which the money is given. However, from the information here, it's not really clear what these guidelines are and it will highly depend on what type of grant it is. For example,

If the grant is just awarded for having a good proposal and it's like a prize rather than a typical research grant, then you can do what you want with the money.

If the grant is awarded for the project but doesn't have restrictions on exactly how you spend the money, then as long as you spend the grant money towards completing this project, it should be okay. i.e. maybe you decide that you won't fly for fieldwork but you spend the money on some other research expense instead.

But some grants require you to spend it exactly on what you propose only. So in this case, if you no longer need to spend the money you asked for, you will need to give it back. 

So, you should consult the conditions that come with the money/proposal and talk to the person in charge of sending the grant money to you. Usually grants in the 2nd or 3rd category above aren't managed by an undergraduate so if it's managed by someone else at your school, you need to talk to them too.

Finally, to answer the other question, yes, institutions that want to confirm how you spent the money will ask you for proof of the expenses. They will want receipts and potentially a copy of the boarding pass. 

 

[fuzzylogician]

3 hours ago, i am lost said:

Can the institutions that offered the grants confirm that I did or did not fly internationally?

Is it unethical to complete the project and retain the funds -- despite not traveling abroad, as described in the grant proposal?

Some grants require you to use the money precisely as you outlined in your proposal, and others might more flexible. Either way -- very often, you will not simply get the money in advance of doing the work, but instead be expected to do the work and then submit receipts for reimbursement. There won't really be a way to keep the money if you didn't use it for research expenses, and anyway that would be unethical. You might be able to use it for other research expenses, but again, those should really go toward your project and not for any other uses. These are really questions for the organization(s) that awarded you the money, and/or someone at your school. 

[i am lost]

Thank you both for your advice. 

[maelia8]

If the grant does not specify that the money must be used for air travel, and you are able to find another way to spend the money on research-related expenses, then I think you're good. If the grant does specify that it's for travel and you aren't planning on traveling at all, then I believe you must inform the foundation of this fact and check in regarding whether use of funds for other research needs is allowed. 

I had the experience once that I was given a travel grant, then found out that I could use frequent flyer miles to pay for about 80% of travel. I submitted the flight ticket purchase receipt promptly, and asked if it was alright for me to use the rest of the grant for ground travel and lodging - in this case they said yes. It can't hurt to check in - and it's much worse if you get caught hiding something later.

[Humulus_lupulus]

Did you put in a budget for this project? Reason I ask is that I got some undergrad grants for projects that were over $1,000 total, but I could only ask for $1,000. So while I might have asked for the money to travel, I could have technically used it for any part of the budget.