NSF Survey of Nonprofit Research Activities - Performer Respondents

Attachment A
2016 Pilot Survey of Nonprofit Research Activities

FORM APPROVED
OMB NO. XXXX-XXXX
EXPIRATION DATE: XX/XX/2016

NSF Survey of Nonprofit Research Activities

Dear Nonprofit Executive/Research Director:
Nonprofit organizations are an integral part of our economy, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) wants to
hear from you.
This survey focuses on research performed or funded by U.S. nonprofit organizations. Your answers will help
policymakers understand the prevalence and landscape of research activities within the nonprofit community.
The types of information requested in the survey are generally available for nonprofits from the following offices
within a nonprofit organization:


Chief Financial Officer / Finance Department



Human Resources



Director of Research / Chief Science Officer / Research Department

Your participation in this survey helps NSF with its task to compile information on the national level of research and
development activity across the government, business, academic, and nonprofit sectors. NSF is authorized to collect
this information under the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended. Your organization’s response is
voluntary.
Questions?
Technical support: Survey questions:
ICF International
[email protected]
877-xxx-xxxx

Ronda Britt, Project Officer
National Science Foundation
[email protected]

Please submit your response by Month dd, 2016
Thank you for contributing to this study of our Nation’s nonprofit research activities!

1

GENERAL INFORMATION

1

What is the name of the organization for which you are reporting?
For the purposes of this survey, your organization is defined as all units included in your Internal Revenue
Service Form 990 filing.
The name of your organization listed in IRS Form <990> <990-PF> is:

If this is correct, check here:

If this is incorrect, please provide the name of the organization for which you are reporting below.

2

What were your total expenses for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 as (would be) reported on

$

3

.00

In what month did your organization’s Fiscal Year 2015 end?
Month
Fiscal Year End

4

__ __

Year
2015

How many Full-Time Equivalent persons (FTEs) were employed by your organization in FY 2015?
FTEs are calculated as the total working (paid) hours during a specific reference period (usually a calendar year)
divided by the number of hours representing a full-time schedule within the same period. Include your
employees and consultants.
For example, if you have 3 people working 20, 30, and 40 hours in a week and a full-time schedule is
40 hours a week at your organization, your FTE calculation is (20 + 30 + 40)/40 = 2.25 FTE.
FTEs

2

RESEARCH DEFINITION AND GUIDANCE
Questions 5 and 6 ask about research performed and/or funded by your organization. Please read the
information below before answering these questions.
By research we mean …
For the purposes of this survey, research includes research and experimental development.
Research and experimental development comprise creative and systematic work to:
 Increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of humankind, culture and society OR
 Devise new applications of available knowledge (including materials, products, devices, processes, systems, or services)
Research activities must be …






Novel: projects that advance current knowledge or create new knowledge
Creative: projects based on original concepts and hypotheses
Uncertain: project outcomes are unable to be completely determined at the outset
Systematic: projects are planned and budgeted
Transferable/Reproducible: project methodology and results are transferable/reproducible to other situations and locations

May meet the criteria for research










5

Laboratory or animal studies
Clinical trials
Prototype development
Outcomes research
Development/measurement of new methods
to deliver/measure social service outcomes
Policy research
Humanities research
Research traineeships
Other experimental studies

Most likely do not meet the criteria for research








Internal program monitoring or evaluation
Public service grants or outreach programs
Education or training programs
Quality control testing
Market research
Management studies/efficiency surveys
Literary, artistic, or historical projects, such as films, music, or books
and other publications
 Feasibility studies, unless included as part of an overall research
project

Considering the guidance above, did your organization perform research in FY 2015?
 Include research performed by your organization’s employees or consultants. (Consultants are
individuals hired on a temporary basis to provide additional expertise on projects.)
 Exclude research performed outside your organization by subcontractors or sub-awardees (report
below in question 6).
Yes
No

6

Considering the guidance above, did your organization fund research performed outside your
organization in FY 2015?
Include all grants, contracts, subcontracts, and sub-awards awarded by your organization to external recipients
to perform research.
Yes
No
If No to

5 and 6 , skip to 16 .

3

RESEARCH PERFORMANCE
If you responded YES to 5, please answer the following questions about your organization’s research activities in
FY 2015. Refer to page 3 for guidance on what is included as research.
If you responded NO to 5 , skip to 12 .

7

In FY 2015, how much did your organization spend on research performed by your employees or
consultants?
Include:


Direct costs such as salaries and wages, travel, equipment, supplies, consulting, and other expenditures
directly supporting your organization’s research projects.
Indirect costs associated with research expenditures such as general and administrative salaries and
wages, fringe benefits, facility costs, depreciation, etc. These should be calculated using your organization’s
applicable fringe, overhead, and G&A or F&A rates.



Exclude:




Capital expenditures (i.e., costs for construction or renovation of facilities).
Payments/funds in excess of actual cost of the research work performed (e.g. fees).
Payments made by your organization to subcontractors or sub-awardees performing research.
$

8

.00

What were the sources of funding for research performed in FY 2015?
This total should equal the total reported in
a.

7.

Federal government
Any agency of the United States government. Include subcontract or sub-award
funds your organization received for research activities on federal projects.

$

.00

b.

State & local government
Any state, county, municipality, or other local government entity in the
United States.

$

.00

c.

Businesses
Domestic or foreign for-profit organizations. Report funds from a company’s
nonprofit foundation in row d.
Foundations
Domestic or foreign nonprofit grant-making organizations.

$

.00

$

.00

$

.00

$

.00

$

.00

Individual donors
Gifts designated by the donors for research.

$

.00

Other, please specify:
All other sources not reported above. Please list in the space below.

$

.00

TOTAL

$

.00

d.
e.
f.

g.

h.
i.

j.

Universities
Domestic or foreign degree-granting institutions.
All other nonprofits
Domestic or foreign public charities and other nonprofit organizations not
reported in rows d or e.
Internal funds
Your organization’s own funds from your endowment, general donations, or
other unrestricted sources.

4

RESEARCH PERFORMANCE

9

How much of the total FY 2015 research performed by your staff or consultants was in each field below?
This total should equal the total reported in 7 .

a. Agricultural sciences, natural resources, conservation

$

.00

b. Biomedical and health sciences

$

.00

c. Engineering

$

.00

d. Geosciences (atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences)

$

.00

e. Mathematics and computer sciences

$

.00

f. Physical sciences (astronomy, chemistry, and physics)

$

.00

g. Psychology and social sciences (including policy research)

$

.00

h. Humanities

$

.00

i. All other fields

$

.00

j. TOTAL

$

.00

5

RESEARCH PERFORMANCE

10

Approximately how many (paid) full-time equivalents (FTEs) worked on research activities in FY 2015?
FTE research personnel are calculated as the total working (paid) hours spent working on research during a
specific reference period (usually a calendar year) divided by the number of hours representing a full-time
schedule within the same period. Include your employees and consultants.
For example, if you have 3 people working 20, 30, and 40 hours in a week on research activities and a fulltime schedule is 40 hours a week at your organization, your research FTE calculation is (20 + 30 + 40)/40 =
2.25 FTE.
a. Researchers
Professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge.
b. Technicians and other support personnel
Staff who work under the supervision of researchers to conduct research activities or who
provide direct support services for the research project.
c. TOTAL

11

Did any volunteers work on your research activities in FY 2015?
Volunteers are unpaid workers contributing appreciable and essential activity to research performed by your
organization. Their research skills should be comparable to those of your employees.
No
Yes

Approximately how many volunteers worked on your research activities during FY 2015?

Volunteers

6

RESEARCH FUNDING
If you responded YES to 6 , please answer the following questions about funding research activities outside your
organization in FY 2015. Refer to page 3 for guidance on what is included as research.
If you responded NO to 6 , skip to 16 .

12

In FY 2015, how much funding did your organization provide to others to perform research activities?



Include all grants, contracts, subcontracts, and sub-awards awarded by your organization to external
recipients to perform research.
For multi-year awards, include only the amount paid to the external recipient in FY 2015.

a. Research grants or contracts
Include grants and contracts awarded by your organization to external recipients
to perform independent research.

13

$

.00

b. Subcontracts and sub-awards
Include subcontracts and sub-awards awarded by your organization to external
recipients to support your research activities.

$

.00

c. TOTAL

$

.00

Of the amount reported in

12 , how much was provided to the following types of organizations?

a. Universities or other educational entities

$

.00

b. Other nonprofit organizations
Domestic or foreign nonprofit foundations and organizations.

$

.00

c. Businesses
Domestic or foreign for-profit organizations.

$

.00

d. Other, please specify:
All other recipients not reported above. Please list in the space below.

$

.00

e. TOTAL

$

.00

Domestic or foreign degree-granting institutions.

7

RESEARCH FUNDING

14

How much of the research funding your organization provided to others in FY 2015 was in each field
below?
This total should equal the total reported in

12 .

a. Agricultural sciences, natural resources, conservation

$

.00

b. Biomedical and health sciences

$

.00

c. Engineering

$

.00

d. Geosciences (atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences)

$

.00

e. Mathematics and computer sciences

$

.00

f. Physical sciences (astronomy, chemistry, and physics)

$

.00

g. Psychology and social sciences (including policy research)

$

.00

h. Humanities

$

.00

i. All other fields

$

.00

j. TOTAL

$

.00

8

RESEARCH FUNDING

15

Of the amount reported in

12 , how much came from each of the following sources?

a.

Federal government
Any agency of the United States government. Include subcontract or sub-award
funds your organization received for research activities on federal projects.

b.

State & local government
Any state, county, municipality, or other local government entity in the
United States.

c.

d.

e.

f.

g.

h.
i.

j.

$

.00

$

.00

Businesses
Domestic or foreign for-profit organizations. Report funds from a company’s
nonprofit foundation in row d.

$

.00

Foundations
Domestic or foreign private and public grant-making organizations.

$

.00

Universities
Domestic or foreign degree-granting institutions.

$

.00

$

.00

$

.00

Individual donors
Gifts designated by the donors for research.

$

.00

Other, please specify:
All other sources not reported above. Please list in the space below.

$

.00

TOTAL

$

.00

All other nonprofits
Domestic or foreign public charities and other nonprofit organizations not
reported in rows d or e.
Internal funds
Your organization’s own funds from your endowment, general donations, or
other unrestricted sources.

9

CONTACT INFORMATION AND SURVEY TIME

16

Please provide the contact information for the person responsible for the survey and an
alternate contact.
Your Information
Name:
Title:
Address:
City:
State:
ZIP Code:
Telephone:
E-mail:
Alternate Contact
Name:
Title:
Telephone:
E-mail:

17

What was the total amount of staff time it took your organization to complete this questionnaire?
Include:



The time spent reading the instructions, working on the questions, and obtaining information.
The time spent by all employees in collecting and providing this information.
Hours

Minutes

Thank you for completing this survey.

10