SPONSORED PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

IDENTIFYING A FUNDING SOURCE

Visit the Funding page! 

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs' homepage provides access to extensive and up-to-date information about external funding opportunities across the disciplines.  Links to the homepages of the major federal agencies can direct you to program guidelines, funded abstracts, contact information, and application forms.  Also included are private agency and foundation sites; federal regulations, and on-line resources for grant seekers.  References are added as we learn about them.  

CONTACT the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

The staff in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs encourages all faculty and administrators to contact them concerning their ideas and project plans.  Making the appropriate "match" between a funding source and a proposed project is an important step in the proposal process.  The Office of  Research and Sponsored Programs staff will be able to help identify sources for external funding as well as complete a "profile" of the principal investigator that will help alert him or her to grant possibilities as soon as they are announced. Other resources within the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs include access to the databases, Grantsearch and Spin. Through these databases, ORSP staff will search for specific grants that match faculty interests, and will assist in the proposal preparation process by reviewing/editing proposal drafts, preparing budgets, and assisting with electronic submission of the proposal. 

Become Familiar with available Funding Sources

 Visit the Funding page.   There you will find links to:  The Grants Resource Center; LSU's List of Federal Sources; Private, Public and Corporate Foundations on the Internet; and the searchable databases: Grants Web; Grants Net; Fedix and Spin.

SpinPlus allows faculty to submit profiles of their interests and then automatically receive announcements via their e-mail accounts of possible sources of funding for their particular projects.

Contacting the Sponsor

After the PI has ascertained that a particular sponsor is a potential funder for his or her project, contact with the sponsor can be beneficial.  An investigator may initiate contact with a sponsor to confirm research interests by a telephone call, e-mail, office visit, letter of intent (a brief outline of the project emphasizing the methodology, objectives, and importance of the project), or a preliminary proposal.

A sponsor may request that a letter of intent or a preliminary proposal be submitted.  These introductory submissions give the sponsor a description of the project and scope of work without making a formal commitment.  While not requiring official university approval, the submission should be discussed with the Department Chairperson and/or other appropriate university officials.  An informational copy of any letter of intent or preliminary proposal must be sent to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. 

 Application Guidelines

Proposal format is often determined by a sponsor's guidelines.  An investigator should request a copy of the application kit/guidelines from the sponsor.  If no guidelines or application forms are available from the sponsor, the proposal format in the section titled Proposal Components can be used as a guide.  Guidelines and application forms are usually on the webpage’s of the sponsor.

There is a growing trend for electronic submission of proposals to federal agencies. The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs staff are familiar with the process of electronic submission will be able to help you in this regard.  The most important thing to remember is not to wait until the last minute, because it is extremely hard to complete a transmission when everyone else is trying to submit at the same time.

Proposal Development

A proposal is a plan.  It is developed with the idea that a potential funding agency, foundation or corporation will find the plan of such merit that they are willing to support its execution.  This request for funding can fall into a number of different categories: proposals for research, applied research, training, professional development, community service, or demonstration projects.  The most common type of grant proposals request funding for equipment acquisition, program development, or provide services and/or research to support a variety of creative and scholarly activities.

A proposal can also describe a new, renewal, supplemental, revised, or continuing project for which funds are sought.  Proposals may also be in response to a solicitation (often referred to as a Request for Proposals or RFP) from a sponsor, or they may be unsolicited.

 TYPES OF PROPOSALS 

• New Proposal - A New Proposal is one that is submitted for initial funding.  Most New Proposals are submitted for competitive review by the funding organization and peer review.  The criteria for review and evaluation are predetermined by the funding organization and are usually included as part of the initial proposal information provided by the funding organization.
• Continuation Proposal or Non-competing Continuation - Frequently, government sponsored awards are distributed on a year-by-year basis.  Though the award may have been approved for multiple years, the Principal Investigator must submit a Continuation Proposal to receive annual funding allotments.
• Renewal Proposal or Competing Continuation - A Renewal Proposal requests funds to continue the project beyond the initially approved length of the project. Renewal Proposals are usually evaluated under the same criteria as a new proposal. The Principal Investigator must be aware of submission deadlines, and generally treat a Renewal Proposal as a new proposal.
• Contract Proposal - A Contract Proposal is often in direct response to a Request for Application (RFA) or a Request for Proposal (RFP).  That is, the institution agrees to undertake specific and narrowly defined tasks as defined and controlled by the funder.
• Revised Proposal - A Revised Proposal is one that has been informally acknowledged as fundable by a sponsor with the stipulation that specific changes must be made.  The revised proposal is then resubmitted for funding consideration.
• Supplemental Proposal - A Supplemental Proposal asks for additional funding to expand a program or project's scope or research protocol.  As outlined in a specific sponsor's guidelines, a supplemental proposal may be treated as a new proposal for the purposes of review and competition for funds.