- If the money will be used for research, even if the funds were not originally designated for research, that is considered financial support and must be included on the Current and Pending (Other) Support document.
- There are exceptions, such as money originated by WashU and given to investigators. However, it is important to fully understand the original source of funds to ensure you are not omitting support that may have been given to WashU then provided to you.
- When in doubt, disclose the support.
- Funds designated as “gifts” in Workday may actually be financial support and require disclosure on Current and Pending (Other) Support documents.
- Generally, support is considered a gift if it is used toward general funds, salaries, shared equipment, etc.
- If you are unsure if a source of funding is financial support or a gift, confirm with the sponsor to which you are submitting the document.
Situation A
An individual pledges to donate $1 million each year for the next 5 years to an institution to support an investigator’s research on a disease (such as Parkinson’s disease). There is a written request (such as an email, letter, or other document) that asks the institution to provide the donor with periodic written updates on the work that is being supported by the monetary donation. The institution puts this donated money into an account used by that investigator to fund their research and asks the investigator to provide these written updates.
This is financial support and must be included.
Situation B
A division within an institution receives $100,000 from an individual who has a disease that was cured by research conducted in that division. The institution puts the donated money into an account used by that division to fund facilities maintenance, staff salaries, and capital improvements.
This is a gift and does not need to be disclosed because the funding does not support research.