This dashboard is a bubble graph showing Awards where the amount budgeted for Travel, as displayed in MyFD, is less than the actual travel expenditures posted to date.

Award bubbles include any sub budget information rolled up to the parent level. Parent and sub budget detail is split out for the selected Awards in the table at the bottom of the dashboard.

Bubble Description

Blue Bubbles: Awards with an amount budgeted for Travel.

  • The larger the bubble, the larger the difference between the budgeted and actual expended amounts.
  • The darker the bubble, the larger the actual expenditure amount.

Brown Bubbles: Awards with no amount budgeted for Travel. 


Note: Some Sponsored Awards do not require detailed budgets (e.g., NIH’s Modular budgets). These budgets are set up in MyFD with the entire award amount in Object Code 38. As there is no amount budgeted in the Travel Object Code (04), these Awards will be displayed on this Dashboard. In this case, no review or corrective action needs to be taken by the department.  

Award and Title information is displayed within the bubble for larger bubbles.


  1. Travel expenditures are a high-risk category and are typically reviewed when an Award is audited.
  2. Proving that travel benefits an Award can be difficult. Travel can be interpreted as a perk or reward rather than as a requirement to complete the Award objectives.
  3. Unbudgeted travel, or expenses exceeding the amount budgeted for travel, are often questioned in an Audit to ensure their benefit toward the Award objectives.
  4. While Sponsor approval is typically not required for travel, auditors will determine the necessity of travel based on documented communication between the PI and the Sponsor. Such documented communication includes:
    • A pre-travel email exchange between the PI and the Sponsor indicating the necessity of the travel; and/or
    • A description of the benefit or results of the travel in a progress or other programmatic or technical report submitted to the Sponsor.


  1. Sponsored Award where the budgeted amount for travel is less than the actual expenditures to date (as of the last available monthly close).




Review the Awards displayed to confirm:

  • That the travel expenditures meet the four cost principles (allowable, allocable, reasonable and consistently treated).
  • For unbudgeted travel, that the supporting documentation (attached to the documented travel expenditures) includes Sponsor notification of the travel and how the travel benefited the Award.
  • Whether rebudgeting is necessary upon review of the budget allocation in MyFD.
  • For travel on federally sponsored Awards, that travel expenditures are compliant with federal travel requirements. The Federal Airfare Dashboard shows airfare expenditures on federally sponsored Awards.