Policy start date: September 1, 2024

Policy end date: August 31, 2025

Policy will be reviewed before the start of each academic year to ensure that the program has sufficient funds to support it. We cannot add this expense to our annual operating budget provided by the division, so our ability to implement this policy will be determined by availability of additional funds.

The MCBGP will match the NIH’s childcare support for trainees for all non-trainee full-time PhD students in the MCB Graduate Program. The MCB Graduate Program will support full-time PhD students who have children by providing them with $3,000 of childcare cost reimbursement per year for up to two years. Childcare must be provided by a licensed childcare provider. Students must apply for funding each year, and if they have been the recipient of NIH T-32 childcare 0funding for two years, they are not eligible for this support. 

NIH policy for Training Grant and NRSA recipients: 

This change is in effect beginning with FY2024 awards. Applicable FY2024 training and fellowship awards that were issued prior to the date of this notice will be revised to retroactively reflect the increase in support for all eligible slots (training) and individuals (fellowships).

Each NRSA fellow may request $3000 per budget period to defray childcare costs.

For trainees, NIH will provide an annual $3,000 per each full-time predoctoral or postdoctoral NRSA trainee appointment slot at the time the new, renewal, or continuation award is made. NIH will not provide childcare support for undergraduate, short-term predoctoral, or short-term postdoctoral NRSA trainees regardless of the activity code. For childcare costs to be considered allowable, eligible full-time predoctoral or postdoctoral NRSA trainees must be appointed to the NRSA institutional research training award prior to use of the childcare costs.

The NRSA childcare costs are not tied to payback obligations, nor should they be reported as such.

Childcare must be provided by a licensed childcare provider. Recipients must maintain all supporting documentation (e.g., proof that provider is licensed) and make it available to NIH officials upon request. NIH does not require recipients to submit this supporting documentation with each request.

When childcare costs are awarded, they are restricted. Only eligible full-time predoctoral or postdoctoral NRSA trainees may use the costs, and they must be used for childcare expenses; any unused funds cannot be re-budgeted and must be reported as an unobligated balance on the Federal Financial Report (FFR). The awarding IC will offset any unused funds in future years or will adjust the amount as a part of the closeout process.