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FIELD RESEARCH GRANTS

RESOURCES FOR GRANTEES

This page provides guidance on grant administration to those Centers/Institutes of Latin American Studies that are current grantees of the Tinker Field Research Grant.

ACCESSING THE TINKER FOUNDATION GRANT PORTAL

The Tinker Foundation uses an online grants platform called Fluxx for the application process and ongoing management of active grants. If you are a current or past grantee and would like to access your records, please contact us at Grants[at]tinker[dot]org for login credentials.

Use of the grant portal is subject to Tinker’s Privacy Statement and Terms of Use. Please read these pages carefully. By accessing or using the portal, you hereby agree to be bound by the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

GRANTEE PORTAL TERMS OF USE

If you want to apply for a grant from the Foundation, you may register to become a registered user through our grants management system, operated by our third-party Service Provider.

You are responsible for all activity under your registered user account. You agree to provide accurate, current and complete information at all times and to update it in a timely manner. You must keep your username and password confidential, and you may not transfer or otherwise do anything to give another person access to your account. You must notify us immediately at apienczykowski[at]tinker[dot]org if you become aware that anyone has gained unauthorized access to your registered user account. You represent and warrant that all information you provide as a registered user is accurate and complete.

We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to suspend or terminate any registered user at any time if we suspect that you have not complied with these terms or for other reasons that we determine in good faith are necessary or appropriate, including if we suspect you are using or attempting to use the site in any way that violates these terms or any applicable laws or regulations.

OVERVIEW OF GRANT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

If a grant is approved, the grantee will receive a binding legal document outlining the terms and conditions of the grant, i.e., the “Grant Agreement.” Grantee organizations are required to comply with these terms. Grantees are welcome to inquire about any clause(s) that elicit(s) questions or concerns.

Below are general descriptions of terms and conditions in the grant agreement.

TAX STATUS

Tinker Foundation generally funds public charities classified by the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) under Internal Revue Code 501(c)(3) as either a Section 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2). In making a grant, the Foundation needs to determine whether an organization is tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. If an organization’s exempt status is revoked or changed by the Internal Revenue Service, that organization is required to notify the Foundation immediately.

International charities will be stipulated to follow the procedures for expenditure responsibility described below.

USE OF GRAND FUNDS

Charitable Purposes

All payments with respect to the grant will be used by the grantee only for purposes that are charitable within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

Approved Project Proposal and Budget

Grant funds may be used only in accordance with the project proposal and budget approved by the Foundation. Grant funds cannot be used as collateral, to offset other financial obligations (including interest payments on lines of credit, and securing or servicing debt), or to meet cash flow or general operating expenses that are unrelated to the purpose of the grant proposal as defined in the grant agreement letter.

Project Period

Awarded grant funds may not be expended on project costs incurred prior to the official grant start date. A grant period may be extended to accommodate the need to fully expend grant funds extending beyond the approved completion date. This requires prior written approval from the Foundation.

Indirect Costs

You may include a maximum of 15 % in the project budget to account for indirect costs attributed to project implementation. Provide a description of what is included in indirect costs. Program officers analyze indirect cost requests as part of their overall review of project budgets and approve them on a case-by-case basis.

Capital Expenses

Please note that we rarely fund capital equipment purchases on any single tangible item that has a useful life of more than one year and a value equal to or greater than $5,000. However, if your organization has 501(c)(3) status, some capital purchases may be allowable and are analyzed as part of our overall review of project budgets. If you have any questions, please contact us.

GRANT MODIFICATIONS

If a proposal is approved by our Board and you need to revise the budget or propose an alternate use of funds other than what was proposed and approved, please consult your program officer. Modifications of more than $10,000 to any line item in the project budget must be approved by the Foundation in advance in writing.

GRANT REPORTING

Narrative and financial reports should be submitted on or before the due dates specified in the Foundation’s grant agreement, or as modified in subsequent correspondence. Reports should be submitted through the online grant platform. No further payments will be made if reports are outstanding.

GRANT PAYMENTS

If the grant will be paid in multiple installments, specified in the Foundation’s grant agreement, or as modified in subsequent correspondence. The payment of each installment is contingent upon (i) grantee’s progress towards achievement of the grant purpose as determined in our sole discretion, (ii) grantee’s compliance with the terms of this agreement, including without limitation timely submission of reports, and (iii) there having been no material changes in grantee’s operations, staffing, funding, structure or tax status that would adversely affect grantee’s ability to carry out or accomplish the grant purpose.

REPAYMENT OF FUNDS

Grantee will promptly repay any grant funds not used for the grant purpose or otherwise in accordance with this agreement.

SEGREGATED FUNDS

Each installment of the grant funds received by the grantee must be maintained in a separate fund dedicated to the charitable purposes described in this letter. Such a separate fund may be either: (1) a physically separate bank account restricted to the described charitable purposes, or (2) a separate bookkeeping account (limited to the described charitable purposes) maintained as part of your financial records.

RECORDKEEPING 

Grantees are required to retain account records, detailing all receipts and expenditures, for a minimum of four years following submission of the final grant report. The Foundation reserves the right to conduct on- and offsite audits of records related to the use of grant funds. In cases where grantee spending is not consistent with the Foundation’s award, the Foundation reserves the right to request the return of awarded funds, disallow expenditures, or take other remedial actions.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

Foundation may monitor and evaluate grant activities. This may include, for example, visits from Foundation personnel, discussing the project and its progress with grantee’s personnel, and reviewing financial and other records and materials connected with the activities financed by this grant. The grantee agrees to cooperate with the Foundation and to provide any information reasonably requested by the Foundation.

PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES

Direct/Indirect Lobbying, Propaganda, etc.

Grantees will not use any amounts distributed to grantee nor any income from the grant to carry on propaganda, direct or indirect lobbying, or otherwise to attempt to influence or to influence the outcome of any specific public election or to carry on, directly or indirectly, any partisan voter registration drive. Please see Overview of U.S. Lobbying and Political Campaigning Rules for Grantees for additional guidance on lobbying definitions.

Supporting Violence/Terrorism

Funds may not be used to support violence or terrorism-related activity. For a detailed list of restrictions on grant funds, grantees should refer to the grant agreement. Grantees are also expected to maintain controls to see that use of grant funds complies with the rules and guidance promulgated by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT/USE OF NAME

Grantee will acknowledge the Foundation’s funding in an appropriate manner in all publications, press releases, talks, interviews, audio recordings, films/video, and other media and activities related to or resulting from grant-funded activities.

Any other use of the Foundation’s name or logo is subject to the prior written approval of the Foundation.

The Foundation may include information relating to the grant, including the name of grantee, on its website or in periodic public reports, press releases, or other public materials.

RIGHT TO DISCONTINUE FUNDING, RESCIND PAYMENTS, AND REQUIRE RETURN OF UNSPENT FUNDS 

The Foundation reserves the right to modify or terminate the grant or to withhold future grant distributions at any time if it determines that grantee has failed to comply with any term of the agreement or is not able to carry out or accomplish the grant purpose. The Foundation may also modify or terminate the grant if it determines that continuing grant payments would expose the Foundation to liability or adverse tax consequences, or otherwise be inconsistent with the mission and values of the Foundation. In the event of termination in accordance with this section, the grantee must promptly return to the Foundation any unexpended grant funds.

NOTIFICATION

Notice of Significant Organizational or Project Changes

Grantees are expected to inform the Foundation promptly of any significant changes in project staffing, organizational leadership, scheduling, or budgeting, when such changes occur during the grant period. Grantees are also expected to inform the Foundation of notification by another significant funder that the funder is ceasing further funding.

Notice of Tax Status or Change

Grantees are expected to inform the Foundation promptly if there is any change in grantee’s status as a charitable organization under the laws of the grantee’s jurisdiction.

INDEMNIFICATION

Grantee organizations will be asked in the agreement to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Tinker Foundation, its Directors, officers, employees, and agents.

LICENSING

Unless otherwise noted in the grant agreement, the grantee organization retains all copyright interests to the work product created as a result of the grant. However, the grantee grants to the Foundation an irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce and publicly display all publications, studies, research, and similar works provided by the grantee to the Foundation in connection with grant-funded activities (together, the “works”) solely for the Foundation’s charitable purposes (for example, to highlight the grantee’s grant-funded work on the Foundation’s website).

NARRATIVE AND FINANCIAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Foundation requires timely and informative interim and final grant reporting. Narrative and financial reports should be submitted through Fluxx, the Foundation’s online portal, on or before the due dates specified in the Foundation’s grant agreement. In cases where reports are delayed significantly or show unsatisfactory progress toward project objectives, we may cancel any pending/future grant payments and/or ask the grantee to return unspent funds.

REPORTING GUIDELINES

Please review the following guidelines before preparing your report and prior to accessing the site. Allow yourself sufficient time to transfer data into Fluxx.

NARRATIVE REPORTING

Narrative reports should describe the activities undertaken during the reporting period and should demonstrate progress toward achieving the grant objectives. As always, conciseness is appreciated.

The narrative report should include the following information:

  1. How was the Tinker Field Research Grants competition publicized throughout the university?
  2. What was the total number of applications received?
  3. Briefly describe the application requirements for the individuals seeking the grants.
  4. List the members of the selection committee and their specialties or affiliations.
  5. Describe briefly the criteria used in selecting the successful applicants.
  6. Describe briefly any additional services offered to the individual applicants/grantees, e.g., orientation sessions, letters of introduction, host country affiliation requirements, etc.
  7. Describe the reporting requirements for the grantees.
  8. Do they have any other obligations, e.g., participating in panel discussions where they share their experiences?
  9. What has been the impact of the Tinker Field Research Grants on the Latin American studies program at your university?
  10. Any additional materials such as photographs or scholarly articles that are published as a result of student’s field research.

FINANCIAL REPORTING

Please review the following information to be included with your report prior to accessing the site. Allow yourself sufficient time to transfer the data to Fluxx.

The financial report should include the following information:

  • Student Details: Name, Department, Discipline, Degree Type, Gender, Citizenship
  • Field Research Details: Project/Research Topic, Country of Travel, Time in Field, Amount Awarded to Student
  • Student Recipient Reports: Reports should include, at minimum, a brief statement of the purpose of the trip and a description of any previous relevant research, international, or field experience; activities undertaken and objectives achieved while in the field; lessons learned and/or recommendations for others conducting similar field research; and how the findings or results may be applied. We may post select reports and photos on our website (www.tinker.org) with the author’s permission.

GRANT MODIFICATIONS

The Foundation recognizes that project circumstances may change over the life of a grant, creating a need to modify a grant timeframe or other terms. When this occurs, the grantee is required to notify the Foundation and seek advance written approval to modify the grant terms.

STEPS FOR REQUESTING MODIFICATIONS

Requests for grant modifications should be submitted by an authorized representative of the organization. (If the grantee is a university, the Office of Sponsored Research or Grants and Contracts may present the request.) Grantees seeking to modify a grant should first send a brief email to Caroline Kronley (ckronley[at]tinker[dot]org) summarizing the proposed modification. Program staff will review the modification request and contact the grantee by email to indicate whether the requested modification has been approved. If a modification is approved, the grantee will receive a “Grant Modification Letter” or email notification, and any change will be reflected in the grant record in Fluxx.

Type of changeWhat it meansWhat to include in your email request
No-Cost ExtensionMore time to complete grant activities. 1. The new end date you are requesting
2. The reason for the change in program/project timeline
3. The scope of work that will occur during the extension period
4. Whether this is new work or originally planned work
5. The new timeline, benchmarks and/or deliverables

Extension requests are not automatic and must be approved by the Foundation. Repeated requests for extension may be denied.

Extension of Reporting DeadlinesIf you need more time to complete the report, etc. Propose due date(s) and include the rationale.

If approved, you will receive either an email notification or a grant modification letter.

Payment DateIf you need a payment sooner or later A revised payment schedule accompanied by a brief narrative justification.

If approved, you will receive either an email notification or a grant modification letter.

Carry Over FundsIf you haven’t expended all funds from a previous year and need to rollover funds to the next year.Specify the following:
1. The unexpended amount
2. Reason why funds were not expended

If your request is approved, you will receive an email notification.

OtherFor all other conditions, please contact your program officer.

GUIDELINES FOR PUBLICIZING YOUR TINKER GRANT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF SUPPORT

Please acknowledge support from the Tinker Foundation in any written, visual, or recorded materials you may produce with grant funds.

Credit: This [project/event] was made possible with support from the Tinker Foundation.

USE OF NAME

Under federal law, Tinker Foundation grantees are prohibited from lobbying with Foundation funds. Grantees may, under applicable law, engage in certain lobbying activities that do not involve the expenditure of Foundation funds. No program or project that bears the Tinker Foundation name may engage in lobbying activities or lobbying communications. Please review the advocacy and public policy section, which explains the scope of prohibited lobbying activities.

GRANTEE NEWS

We welcome any content that may help us communicate our grantees’ work to a larger audience. Tinker promotes grantees’ work on our website and on Twitter (@TinkerFdn). Written content that showcases your work, such as stories, press coverage, or publications, as well as photographs or videos, is helpful to our communication efforts. Please share these materials with us at Grants[at]tinker[dot]org.

LOGO AND VISUAL IDENTITY STANDARDS

Current Tinker Foundation grantees may use the Foundation’s logo in print or online materials. Logos may be used only if Tinker has provided direct support for a project and adheres to the guidelines in the “Use of Name” section. Send requests for use of our logo to Gramts[at]tinker[dot]org. Please indicate the format and usage of the logo.

MEDIA RELATIONS

We do not need to review your press release, unless you would like us to do so. Please submit a draft of the press release or announcement to Caroline Kronley at ckronley[at]tinker[dot]org.

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

All materials that use the Tinker Foundation logo must be reviewed by the Foundation prior to publication or distribution. Please share all final materials with us via email at Grants[at]tinker[dot]org.

TWITTER

The Tinker Foundation has a Twitter account (@TinkerFdn) to follow our grantees. You are encouraged to send us your Twitter handle. Please tag us in your tweets when mentioning us.

GENERAL FAQs

How can I access my data/grant as a current or former Tinker grantee?

If you are a current or former grantee and you are looking for your grant record or details from your grant application, email apiencyzkowski[at]tinker[dot]org for login credentials to access our grants portal (Fluxx).

Can our organization have multiple people access a grant record?

If multiple people need to access the system, please email the names and emails of new users to Grants[at]tinker[dot]org.

What are our obligations when a grant is awarded?

Grant terms and conditions are described in the Grant Agreement, which you will receive when a grant is approved. Most of the terms and conditions are described in the section above.

What happens if we fail to submit the required narrative and financial reports?

The Foundation will send reminders of upcoming reporting deadlines.  If a grantee cannot provide the required narrative and financial reports within a reasonable time, we reserve the right to cancel any pending payments and terminate the grant.

What happens if our interim report is late?

If an interim report is late, the next payment on the grant will be delayed until the interim report has been received and approved. If you are having trouble submitting a report by the deadline, please contact Caroline Kronley (ckronley[at]tinker[dot]org).

We have a grant balance at the end of the award period. What happens?

Please see our grant modification table for more information.

Can we create a department login rather than individual logins?

For security purposes, login credentials are provided to individual registered users. University/Center staff should not to share their individual login details. Please request additional logins if you would like to add new users.

What are the program guidelines that we should adhere to?

The administrative guidelines are located on the Tinker Field Research Grants program page.

A student could not complete planned travel. What should we do?

If possible, the Center should allocate these funds to other FRG recipients. Alternatively, we can extend the grant period to provide additional time to expend the funds. Please contact Caroline Kronley (ckronley[at]tinker[dot].org) for further guidance.

There was a change in the principal investigator assigned to the award. What should we do?

Please send an email to Grants[at]tinker[dot]org) to change the grant record.

Are indirect costs allowed?

Neither indirect costs nor institutional overhead may be charged against the grant.

It is time to submit our report, but we have not received individual reports from all student recipients. What should we do?

Upload the reports that you have already received and indicate which student reports are pending. You will be able to submit the report again when you have received all student recipient reports.

Additional

QUESTIONS

For additional information beyond the FAQs, please reach out to:

Grants[at]tinker[dot]org