Research grants of $6,000 each are intended to help untenured tenure track faculty members sustain research productivity while caring for a newborn or newly adopted child, or other ill family member. An approved FMLA will be required only for the care of an ill family member.  Faculty may use these grants for expenses such as travel for research or conferences, computer equipment, research assistance, photocopies, microfilm, and other research materials, daycare or housekeeping.

Faculty may use the research grant during and/or after the time of care/ or their FMLA leave, either up to obtaining tenure or two years after receiving the grant, whichever is later, subject to the following limitations required by tax law and insurance requirements:

Daycare and Housekeeping

Eligible expenses include child or adult care through a licensed day care provider and housekeeping services provided by a cleaning services company. Reimbursement for these expenses must be requested using the “Faculty Additional Compensation-Lehigh Sloan Foundation Support Form.” 

This compensation is taxable and therefore must be processed by the Payroll Office. All Faculty Additional Compensation forms must be approved by the Department Chair, Dean and Provost Office before they can be processed by the Payroll Office. All receipts related to the reimbursement must be attached to the form.

Research Assistance

Use standard University procedures for hiring and compensating a research assistant/postdoctoral fellow. The grant does NOT include tuition credits.

Travel and Research Materials

All allowable business expenses may be expensed or reimbursed through the OneCard credit card or out of pocket system. For travel-related expenses, Lehigh's Business and Travel Expenses Policy applies.

Because of insurance requirements, faculty may use the Lehigh Sloan Research grant for research or conference travel while caring for a newborn or newly adopted child or while on full-time FMLA leave for the care of an ill family member. Faculty on intermittent FMLA leave may use the Lehigh Sloan Funds for travel only on days when they are scheduled to work (rather than caring for a family member). Faculty may use Lehigh Sloan Research Grant funds for travel after the end of the FMLA leave.

The Lehigh Sloan Research Grant cannot be used for faculty summer salary.

Sloan Grant Index

A new index will be set up to manage the faculty member's Sloan grant funds. Funds cannot be transferred out of this index. All expenses related to the grant must be expensed to the faculty member's Sloan grant index, up to $6000. The faculty member is responsible for ensuring the grant does not go into deficit.
 
When the grant expires, the faculty member will be notified. The Provost's Office will transfer any remaining grant funds back to the Provost's Sloan Research Grant funds and close the index.