Budgets, Rebudgeting, Extensions, and Open Access

Click for the 2024 AMFDP Budget Preparation Guidelines for RWJF budgets.  These are intended for new budgets, but will be helpful for guiding requests for revisions as well.

Revisions: Budget revisions are no longer required for grants of $500,000 or less (including all grants under the AMFDP) unless: (1) the Foundation program officer or program financial analyst requires it or, (2) your organization requires it.  If you spend in excess of 110 percent of an approved budget category, you will be required to provide a letter of explanation with your financial report, and may be asked to submit a budget revision request.  Any revisions should be submitted to the NPO with a copy to Christine Lee at RWJF (clee@rwjf.org). Please allow up to two months for a budget revision. Call the NPO with any questions.

Fringe benefits: It is the hope of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the AMFDP that fringe benefits will be paid by the institution. In cases where this is not possible (for example, when state law decrees that a source of salary funding must also fund fringes), fringes may come from the Personnel line item. They may also come from the Other Direct Costs portion of the budget; however, that scenario leaves little for research.

Technician: It is sometimes possible to pay a portion of a technician’s salary as part of the Personnel line item. Please consult the NPO to discuss your particular situation.

Travel: No RWJF travel funds may be used to travel to a foreign country, including Canada. No funds may be used to travel to a review course for board certification.  No funds may be used for travel to Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico unless it can be demonstrated in advance that such travel is critical to the research.

Carryovers: If you do not spend all the funds budgeted in a given grant year, you may carry those funds to the next year.

No-cost extensions: If you anticipate that funds will remain in the grant at the end of the fourth year, you may request a no-cost extension of your grant. In this case, you must still file an annual report on work done through the original end date of the grant, and then a final report at the end of the extension. Extensions of three months are typical. Please inform the NPO as soon as possible of the need for an extension. You should submit an Extension Request Form:

  • Go to Grantee Hub (at my.rwjf.org) and on the hamburger menu at the top right, choose Resources -> Reporting -> Grant Extension.
  • You will be asked to explain the reasons for the extension in the answers to six questions, in a Word document.
  • Go back to your home page and choose Detail -> Request Grant Extension (in blue on the right side).   When you click on “Use this link…” a prefilled email message will pop up, to the National Program Office and to Grantreports.
  • Attach the document you created with the six questions and answers.

Funds carried over to an extension may not be used for the Scholar’s stipend or salary, or for equipment.  To repeat, an AMFDP-specific restriction is that FUNDS CARRIED OVER TO AN EXTENSION MAY NOT BE USED FOR THE SCHOLAR’S STIPEND OR SALARY, OR FOR EQUIPMENT.  Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, some extensions of longer than three months are being considered.

Indirect costs:

For grants made up through the 2023 cohort: The indirect cost (overhead) rate is up to 12%. For example, if you budget $105,000 ($105,000 x 4 = $420,000) for a given year, the direct costs for that year would be $93,750 and the 12% indirect costs would be $11,250, which must be included in the $105,000.

Starting with the 2024 cohort: The indirect cost (overhead) rate is up to 15%. For example, if you budget $105,000 ($105,000 x 4 = $420,000) for a given year, the direct costs for that year would be $91,304 and the 15% indirect costs would be $13,696, which must be included in the $105,000.

Budgets for grants through our partner organizations use the same guidelines as for RWJF-supported grants; however, the indirect rates are different.  Submit rebudgeting requests to the National Program Office.

RWJF AMFDP Guidelines for Requesting Open Access Reimbursement

AMFDP grantees with grants through RWJF may be reimbursed for open access fees.  Please note that the maximum reimbursable amount per publication is $5000; however, fees usually average around $3000.  Fees for a maximum of four publications per grant will be reimbursed.  Grantees may apply for open access reimbursement within one year from the end date of the grant in question.

In order to process requests, we will need:

  1. The grant ID number and the name of the RWJF program officer (Ayoola Carleton) or program office (Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program);
  2. A copy of the article abstract;
  3. Letter or email of acceptance of the article for publication from the journal or editor of the journal;
  4. Where else the article has been submitted previously and the outcome;
  5. Why the selected journal is the best venue for publication;
  6. Who the target audience for this work is, and how the selected journal allows this audience to be reached;
  7. How you plan to promote the article and its findings;
  8. A copy of the paid invoice, as fees are not paid directly but rather are reimbursed; and
  9. A W9 for you or your institution (depending on who paid for the open access fees).

Requests should be sent to the National Program Office at nardery@iu.edu.

For more information, please see RWJF’s Policy for Open Access.

At this point, this policy does not apply to grants through one of our partnerships: ASH-AMFDP, ASN-AMFDP, AHA-AMFDP, AAA-AMFDP, and AASLD-AMFDP.