Frequently Asked Questions

"Terms and Conditions of Award" are all the legal requirements imposed on a grant by the Federal Government, whether by statute, regulation, policy, or other document referenced in the Notice of Award (NoA) or by the NoA itself. In addition to general terms and conditions, the NoA may include other conditions that are considered necessary to attain the objectives of the grant, facilitate post-award administration, conserve grant funds, or otherwise protect the Federal Government's interests.

Grantees should carefully review all terms of award. The terms of award, either contained in or referenced by the award document, will be binding on both the grantee and the awarding agency until such time as they are modified by a revised award notice signed by the Grants Management Officer (GMO). A grantee indicates acceptance of the terms of award by requesting funds from the grants payment system. If the grantee cannot accept the terms, it should notify the GMO.

The Division of Grants Management's address is:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Office of Management Services (OMS)
Division of Grants Management
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857

All questions coming from your business office (Office of Sponsored Projects) should be directed to the assigned AHRQ grants management specialist named on the most recent Notice of Award, not to the program official named on the grant. Grants Management staff will consult with the program official as needed.

For example, if an Institutional Training Awards (T32) grant is awarded with five predoctoral and three postdoctoral positions, can the grantee substitute as predoctoral position for a postdoctoral position?

Yes, this substitution may be allowed with prior consultation, an official request, and official approval. We normally allow a substitution if it is within the scope of the approved programs and does not cost more. Due to funding limitations, only in exceptionally rare circumstances would approval be granted if the situation were reversed and additional funds from the agency were needed.

At present, the AHRQ Institutional Training Awards (T32) do not have minority supplements.

No. For training grants, citizenship requirements must be met at the time of the appointment.

No. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) does not allow grant funds to be used for the purchase of food.

Training-Related Expenses may be used to help defray costs such as staff salaries. However, such charges must meet the tests of allocability, necessity, and reasonableness.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) interprets and implements the tax laws. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) takes no position on the status of a particular taxpayer, nor does the Agency have the authority to dispense tax advice.

Refer to the HHS Grants Policy Statement (PDF), which pertains to AHRQ grantees—Taxability of Stipends under Part II, Terms and Conditions of Award, Supplementation of Stipends, Compensation, and Other Income.

Examples of requests requiring prior approval include but are not limited to:

1. Changes in scope (e.g., changes in number and types of positions supported).
2. Use of unobligated balances to support another student. (Note: No requests can be made to use unobligated balances that have not been officially filed in an annual financial status report.)
3. Rebudgeting of trainee costs (tuition and stipend) to appoint another student.
4. Appointment of interim or new Program Director/Principal Investigator must be requested in writing, with accompanying rationale and biosketch for the requested candidate.
5. Leave of absence exceeding 45 days.

No prior approval is needed for:

1. Rebudgeting of travel funds and training-related expenses (TRE) into other categories; however, please note that these funds cannot be used to provide additional stipend beyond the level to which a student/trainee is entitled.
2. Rebudgeting into or within tuition, stipend and fees; however, please note that these funds cannot be used to provide additional stipend beyond the level to which a student/trainee is entitled.