Proposal Guidelines
IATH fellows often submit grant proposals to federal granting agencies. Federal grants are an excellent option for the long-term support of a project: these grants can be used to pay for staff and graduate students, travel, services, supplies, consulting, and other project costs, but federal grant proposals are also time-consuming and labor-intensive. Our analysis of past experience with IATH Fellows' proposals to federal sources have resulted in the following guidelines. These guidelines are intended to save time, reduce confusion, and improve the odds of success. Fellows must adhere to them if IATH is included in the proposal in any way.
- Decide well in advance, preferably six to twelve months prior to the application deadline, whether or not to submit an application.
- Contact a program officer for the program.
- Schedule a meeting with Bernard Frischer, IATH Director to discuss the goals and objectives, the budget, and the strategy for the proposal.
- Submit a draft of the proposal to the program officer for comment several months in advance of the actual deadline.
The importance of this last step cannot be overstated. Some agencies will not comment on drafts, but those that do offer an invaluable service. Fellows who have previously applied for federal grants agree that submitting a draft makes the entire process easier and the results more likely to be successful. The staff at the granting agency can be extremely helpful in spotting potential weaknesses in the application and suggesting changes in the budget, narrative, and supporting documentation. Program officers can warn the applicant about the pitfalls of the formal review process, too.
In general, a draft should be submitted to the program officer AT LEAST six weeks prior to the grant application deadline. Once comments have been received from the program officer, fellows should meet with the necessary IATH staff again to discuss revisions to the proposal and its budget.
Submitting a draft proposal provides another benefit: it helps insure that all internal deadlines are met. Just as the funding agency needs time to review the proposal and check documentation, so does the University's Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP). All documentation must be submitted to OSP at least two weeks prior to the grant application deadline. Sooner is better, since questions concerning budget items or documentation can days to resolve.
Establishing a relationship with a grant officer, submitting a draft proposal to the granting agency, and allowing University departments sufficient time to review the proposal will increase the likelihood of success. Last minute submissions are more likely to be rejected. Proposals require a suprising amount of work. A relatively small amount of planning will make the proposal process much less painful.