Participant support costs are direct costs paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees on a project.  

Participant generally means an individual participating in or attending program activities under a Federal award, such as trainings or conferences, but who is not responsible for implementation of the Federal award. Individuals committing effort to the development or delivery of program activities under a Federal award (such as consultants, project personnel, or staff members of a recipient or subrecipient) are not participants. Examples of participants may include community members participating in a community outreach program, members of the public whose perspectives or input are sought as part of a program, students, or conference attendees.  

Please direct any questions regarding participant support costs to the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance (sparc@bates.edu).