Organizations within the Department of Health and Human Services use a method of funding for discretionary grants that is termed the project period system of funding. Under this system, projects are programmatically approved for support in their entirety, but are funded in increments called budget periods. Any costs incurred before the beginning date of the project period, as specified in the Notice of Grant Award, are considered pre-award costs. ONC made some Recovery Act awards under which the budget period is the same duration as the project period.