NSF REU Grant - Housing Costs

[Sarah Jahn]

Hello - I have a question regarding an NSF REU grant. In the original budget, $4k per student was budgeted to put students up in the dorms, on top of their $5k stipend. The PIs are wondering if it is allowable to provide a local student, who does not want to live in the dorms, their housing allowance directly. It sounds like this is a recruitment issue, and the student in question is unlikely to join our program if she has to move into the dorms to get her housing expenses covered. 

https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22601/nsf22601.pdf

The budget section of the program solicitation does allow for housing costs to be covered, but it does not have specifics. The original budget justification specified that student would be staying in dorms.

Do we need to request prior approval from NSF, or would you approve or disapprove of this expense? Would receipts for housing costs need to be documented if we were to pay? Appreciate any insight you all have. Thanks!

[Hlitawci Xiong]

For our REU site grant, we generally advertise that all REU participants must be on campus as it is part of the enrichment of the training experience. The only time we have deviated from allowing a different accommodation is when there is an exceptional situation like a disability that must be accommodated. Ultimately, we try to keep accommodations reasonable and fair for all REU participants.

[Heather Steen]

Honestly, I think it would be allowable.  I don't even think it would be visible to the NSF outside of an audit, since all those costs roll up to the same budget level.  And it seems to me that is well withing our rebudgeting rights- it is still a participant cost.

We have had similar struggles with REU attendees who have different costs to travel here, and what is fair.  I think that would be my bigger concern, but I don't think it is a policy concern.  Is it fair, or will it feel fair to the other participants, if they find out one of them got $9000 cash rather than $5000 cash. I'm also assuming that may change the taxability for the student, since I think those payments are technically scholarships, but of course we don't know the details of that.