Grant Financial Management

GSEP Finance can assist with you with accessing funds from your research award for the following purposes:

• Hiring - Students, Employees, Consultants
• Purchasing - Credit Cards, Travel, Technology, Supplies, Reimbursements, Books
• Reports 

Please submit all original receipts to Joanne Lee within 60 days of any expenditure. 

Hiring

The hiring process should be completed before the student, consultant or employee begins working.

• Students – Research funds used to pay student employees must be approved by Spencer Hardman prior to the student beginning work. Students must complete hiring paperwork in order to be added to the Payroll system.
• Consultants – All consultants must be hired prior to beginning work. A proposal including scope of work, dates, and rates must be submitted to Joanne Lee along with the grant name, the grant budget line and a signed Form W9.Payments to individuals or companies for services rendered MUST be paid directly by Pepperdine. If you pay an external vendor, whether an individual or a company, you will not be reimbursed.
• Pepperdine Employees – All employees must be hired with HR prior to beginning work. Burden will always apply. Plan accordingly.

Purchasing

All purchasing must be grant approved and must follow rules and regulations of Pepperdine University.

• Credit Cards – All grant related purchases must be run through the budget office first. At that point we will determine whether or not the project director's card or Joanne Lee's card will be used.
• Travel – Travel expenses incurred while on a research trip or attending a conference can be reimbursable. Original receipts showing the method of payment (i.e., the last 4 digits of the credit card used) and amount paid must be submitted no later than 60 days after the date on the receipt/invoice. If the receipt does not show the method of payment, a copy of the credit card statement showing the charge or a copy of the cancelled check may be submitted along with the original receipt. Restaurant receipts must include the itemized food items in addition to the credit card charge (often two separate receipts).
• Technology – All technology related purchases must be pre-approved by Ramy Rizkallah in GSEP's technology office to ensure optimal pricing. Equipment and non-consumable goods (lab equipment, computer software, computer equipment, printers, furniture, etc.) MUST be purchased using a University Purchasing card, following University purchasing guidelines for procurement. You will not be reimbursed for an equipment purchase.
• Supplies – Consumable items are reimbursable up to $100 (i.e. office supplies, DVDs for instruction, art supplies, etc.), and only up to $100. The one exception to this policy is the purchase of books; reimbursement requests for books may be for amounts up to $250. If you need to purchase something for more than $100 (except books up to $250), it must be done using a University Purchasing card.
• Reimbursements – All receipts submitted for reimbursement must be original receipts showing the method of payment (i.e., the last 4 digits of the credit card used) and amount paid. If the receipt does not show the method of payment, a copy of the credit card statement showing the charge or a copy of the cancelled check may be submitted along with the original receipt. Itineraries or invoices that do not show the method of payment and the purchaser's name on the form are not acceptable. A credit card statement alone will not suffice for reimbursement. If the appropriate documents cannot be submitted, please provide any documents that you do have along with an explanation. Receipts must be submitted no later than 60 days after the date on the receipt/invoice.
• Mileage – Mileage is calculated as the mileage traveled minus the mileage driven on your normal commute to Pepperdine. If you travel from your home to LAX and back home, you can only be reimbursed for the roundtrip mileage to LAX minus the roundtrip mileage of your normal commute to and from Pepperdine.
• Books – Books purchased at a conference are a reimbursable expense. Books purchased online or in local stores do not fall under this exception and reimbursements will be limited to $250.

Along with your receipts, please include an itemized listing of all purchases made along with a brief explanation of how the purchases apply to your grant (you may prepare a list using your own template, i.e. an Excel spreadsheet). Number the receipts and match the amount, date, item purchased on each receipt to your Excel spreadsheet. Convert foreign currencies to US dollars via the currency converter in OANDA.com for each purchase date. Provide the grant name and the grant budget line to reimburse you for each receipt.

Reports

We can provide you with reports detailing your spending history, transaction detail, and payroll information. It is still the responsibility of the PI to keep their own records.