Memberships/Subscriptions
Is the cost of an Amazon Prime membership (which would allow for savings on shipping) allowable on a Sponsored Award?
As the benefit of this membership can be received by any number of Awards, the cost cannot be allocated to a single Award. The cost of membership should be billed to either department funds or a discretionary budget.
Are subscription costs allowable if they are for business, professional, or technical periodicals?
Institutional subscriptions may be allowable when directly related to the objectives of a sponsored Award. An example of an allowable direct charge of an institutional subscription would be where the Award objective is to compile data from articles into a database, or if the subscriptions are needed as reference material to support the Award.
A conference is offering a reduced conference fee if an individual joins the association that is hosting the conference. Can the cost of the membership be charged to a federal Award?
Federal regulations allow the cost of the institution's membership in business, technical, and professional organizations as part of F&A, but do not mention individual memberships. Per GIM 23, memberships are allowable only as an indirect cost. This is because memberships benefit the individual in all of their professional work; the cost cannot benefit just a single Award. Thus, the cost cannot be included on an Award budget.
Post Award Fiscal Compliance email: gcafco@uw.edu
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