If a department has discretionary funds on deposit with the University of Nebraska Foundation (UN Foundation), a Foundation Reimbursement Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is designated to allow eligible University expenses to be charged and subsequently reimbursed by the Foundation.
Foundation discretionary funds may be used as follows:
If an expense is allowable under state regulations and can be processed through Procure-to-Pay (P2P) and the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services (DAS), the expense must be charged to the applicable Foundation Reimbursement WBS.
On a quarterly basis, the Finance Office Grants Accountant will:
Upon approval, the UN Foundation will remit reimbursement to the Finance Office, which will deposit the funds into the applicable Foundation Reimbursement WBS to offset the recorded expenses.
If an expense is not allowable under state regulations and cannot be processed through P2P/DAS (for example, funeral flowers or certain entertainment expenses), the department must submit a Payment Request electronically through NUFFO.
The request should include:
Because these payments are made directly by the Foundation, invoices submitted through this process should include applicable sales tax. The UN Foundation will send the payment directly to the requesting department.
Although some Foundation funds may be unrestricted, all expenditures should support a legitimate University business purpose that aligns with the University's mission and operations.
Gifts of a personal nature, such as flowers or similar items given solely to an individual, do not directly support the University's mission and should not be charged to Foundation funds.
Funeral flowers may be charged to Foundation funds when they represent an institutional expression of sympathy based on the University's relationship with the individual or family and serve a University-related purpose.
Gift cards may not be purchased or reimbursed using Foundation funds, except when following policies and procedures for research participant incentives.
Awards to students must be processed through Financial Aid to ensure proper financial aid reporting and tax compliance.
University travel and non-travel reimbursement policies apply to expenditures paid with Foundation funds. For example, travel reimbursement requests must be submitted by the traveler within 60 days after the last day of travel.
The UN Foundation will not issue payments directly to employees for awards or services. Any employee payments using Foundation funds must be processed through University payroll and charged to the applicable Foundation Reimbursement WBS.
The Finance Office reviews all requests for disbursements from Foundation discretionary funds to determine whether any tax reporting or withholding requirements apply. For additional information, see Federal Tax Information and scroll down to “Taxable Fringe Benefits”. If you have questions about whether a purchase may create a tax liability for an employee or student, contact the Director of Finance or the Assistant Director of Accounting & Finance before making the purchase.
