Supplement vs. Supplant

One of the keys to successful grant proposal writing is understanding the vocabulary used. You’ll avoid problems down the road if you fully understand the funder’s requirements from the outset. Case in point: we’ve heard of confusion about the terms supplement and supplant. They sound similar but have very different meanings.

 

At a very basic level, supplement means “to add to” and supplant means “to replace.” Here’s an example from a federal program, but the concept can also apply to requirements from a private funder:

 

“Supplanting occurs when a state or unit of local government [the grantee] reduces funds for an activity, specifically because federal funds are available (or expected to be available) to fund that same activity. . . Supplementing occurs when federal funds are used to enhance [to add to] state or local funds for program activities.”

Source: Office of Justice Programs, Territories Financial Support Center (OJP TFSC) Supplanting Guide Sheet

In other words, supplanting, described above, means that the federal funds are used to replace previously committed local/state funding, freeing-up local/state funding to be used elsewhere in the applicant’s program. Grant requirements for federal funding (and many state and municipal agencies) often stipulate that this is not allowed.

 

Here’s a specific example: Organization X employs two counselors for its current clients. A new federal grant will pay for three counseling positions to benefit new clients. Instead of hiring three new counselors, Organization X uses the funds to pay for one of the current counselors who continues to serve the original clients. Then the agency uses the rest of the funding to hire two more counselors to expand services to new clients. The agency is using the new grant funds to pay for 3 counselors, so it may appear that everything is okay. But the new clients are served by only two counselors, instead of three as stated in the original grant. The agency has used part of the new funding to replace (supplant) the funding for an existing counselor, effectively adding to the agency’s own bottom line.

 

If the funder specifies that the grant may not be used to supplant existing funding, be careful to understand and heed that requirement. In the case of the federal funding described above, agencies who violate this rule may have their grant suspended or terminated and they could be barred from receiving current or future funding. Questions? Check with the program officer for clarification in specific cases.

 

 

Christine Black is a senior trainer for The Grantsmanship Center
Roger Stephenson is the Membership Administrator for The Grantsmanship Center

 

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