Eligibility and Funding Rules
Science Cloud usage is limited to NASA‑funded projects; external funding cannot be used. All funds must be formally obligated before cloud resources can be consumed.
FinOps staff support budget development for both proposals and awarded projects. Cost estimates should be integrated into proposal planning early. Funds designated for Science Cloud remain with NASA and are applied directly to cloud costs.
Obligating Funds
Ames Research Center (ARC) manages all commercial cloud contracts. PIs coordinate with Resource Analysts (RAs) to transfer funds, which include:
- Cloud service costs: Compute, storage, usage, and enterprise support charges.
- Overhead fees: Costs supporting Cloud Computing Services (CCS) at ARC.
Transfer Pathways: ARC financial staff provide exact amounts needed for cloud and overhead obligations.
- Direct transfer: From NASA HQ
- Center‑to‑center transfer: Via two Purchase Requests (one for cloud usage, one for overhead)
FIFO Use of Funds & Deobligation Rules
Funds are spent using First‑In‑First‑Out (FIFO)—the oldest obligated funds pay monthly invoices.
- Same‑year funds can typically be deobligated.
- Prior‑year funds usually cannot be deobligated, but may still be used to pay invoices.
Opening New Accounts
New cloud accounts normally require an initial obligation to verify available funds and familiarize new users with the transfer process.
Billing Cycle
Transfers must reach ARC by the mid‑month deadline or they will be listed as Expected funds until processed.
The monthly cycle includes:
- Cost Collection (cloud → reseller)
- Institutional Billing (reseller → ARC)
- Cloud Account Allocation (1.5 months in arrears)
- Reporting to PIs
- Fund Transfers with RAs