Well, I'm the parent of a biochemistry lab tech currently selecting Phd project admits, but, I don't know, maybe my kid is making up that he's paid out of admin.
This sounds like maybe this is an undergrad student? There's something called REU (Research Experience for Undergrads) that is issued in general to a university and then the university administers it to undergrads. But it is still a grant. Here's an example by the National Science Foundation: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/reu
