The Fundamentals ofFederal Grant Writing

Friday, February 27, 20159:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. • Lower Dansbury

“How To” at ESU Grant Writing

Christina McDonald, Director

Office of Sponsored Projects and Research (OSPR)

Frequently Asked Questions1. Do I need to submit a grant individually or through the Office of

Sponsored Projects and Research?

2. How much time do you need to have the proposal go through the internal university process?

3. There is an internal review process?

4. Is ESU set up to submit a federal online proposal?

5. I am applying for a federal grant where I need to register my institution on grants.gov. Do you know if East Stroudsburg has been registered, already? If not, do you know ESU’s DUNS number? Also, is ESU registered with SAM?

6. Does the faculty member as PI and the institution both need registration in federal systems or is it just the institution for higher education? 

Where do I begin?

1. You are not working alone, but within the university’s framework. OSPR is here to help you.

2. Contact your Office of Sponsored Projects and Research

Why?1. OSPR is the single point of contact representing the

university to outside funders.

2. OSPR helps you navigate the sometimes confusing, and frustrating, process of submitting a grant.

3. OSPR monitors for conflict and impact on ESU.

4. OSPR ensures compliance to federal, state and other regulations, avoiding penalties and legal problems.

5. OSPR consolidates information for reporting, and also helps you with recognition for your efforts. See: Tom LaDuke Story

ESU 10-Year External Grant Award History

 

Fiscal Year

 

Funds

Requested

 

Funds Awarded 

Success RateFaculty

Staff

2004-2005

 $14,618,532 $2,200,253 15% --

2005-2006

 $20,150,162 $8,566,763 42.5% --

2006-2007 

$49,027,977 $3,893,615 7.9% 50

2007-2008

 $16,446,406 $5,098,064 30.9% 49

2008-2009 

$22,300,390 $4,543,614 20.4% 131

2009-2010

 $21,739,699 $3,399,767 15.6% 140

2010-2011

 $6,477,055 $3,935,872 60.7% 116

2011-2012

 $3,994,905 $2,798,109 70% 114

2012-2013 $2,551,784 $1,986,038

 91% 27

2013-2014 $2,789,151$1,745,047

 65% 30

 

TOTALS

 

$184,549,600 $45,092,486 39.6% avg. 657

Source: Funding Year in Review Booklets based on reports submitted to the State System of Higher Education

Funding Year in Review

PRE - AWARD

= all activity before a grant is awarded

Where do I Find Federal Grant Opportunities?1. ESU subscriptions:

•Grant Forward•The Foundation Center

2. Directly from Federal Agencies:

http://www.esu.edu/red/ospr/external_grants/finding_funding.cfm

3. Ask OSPR to help

Acronyms

FOA – Funding Opportunity AnnouncementCFP – Call for Proposals

RFP – Request for ProposalsPI – Primary Investigator

PD – Project DirectorCo-PI – Co Project Investigator

PROCESS1. Let OSPR know well in advance about your intention to apply for a

federal grant.

2. Inform OSPR about the specific Call for Proposals, Guidelines and Deadline.

3. Present a narrative and budget well in advance of the federal deadline for internal review.

1. OSPR reviews first. A dialogue ensues.2. The Provost and Vice President for Finance and Administration review and sign

4. Have all documents related to the proposal prepared in Word and sent to OSPR at least the day before OSPR submits.

5. OSPR will submit the proposal 1 – 2 days before the deadline.

6. Be available to clarify questions and to develop last minute materials, if necessary.

Pre-AwardFlowchart

http://www.esu.edu/red/ospr/

external_grants/

index.cfm

TIME

Internal Clearance FormBasic Data that is important:

• Timeframe of the grant• Project Abstract

• Amount requested

Items related to compliance and that affect the university budget:• Faculty Release time• Cost-sharing involved

• How much is the indirect rate that we can ask• Does this project involve human subjects?

Signatures:PI is responsible for getting signatures from the Chair and Dean

OSPR is responsible for the Provost and Ken Long.

Federal Grant Application

Federal Grant Application

Can be as many as 60-100 pages including attachments

Federal Grant Proposal Narrative

A. Significance (up to 20 points)

B. Quality of the Project Design (up to 30 points)

C. Adequacy of Resources (up to 15 points)

D. Quality of Project Personnel (up to 15 points)

E. Quality of the Project Evaluation (up to 20 points)

MAXIMUM OF 80 POINTS

Federal Grant Proposal Scoring

Excellent 16-20Good 11-15

Average 6-10Minimal 1-5

Not Addressed 0

POST - AWARD

= all activity after a grant is awarded

Typical Post-Award ActivityAward letter or ContractPost-award meetingGA appointmentsOther hires – HR requirementAdditional Compensation and related formsNCRTPurchasing

– Contracts– Consultant

Travel Requests and Reimbursement

October 2007 Grant writing workshop 1

CONTACT

Christina McDonaldOffice of Sponsored Projects and

Researchcmcdonald9@esu.edu

422-7954