Grants Procedure: From the Idea to the Proposal

The objective of this page is to expedite the proposal process and facilitate administration of grant awards. The grant policies and procedures outlined here have been developed to ensure that the University and its administration retain control of the approval and submission of external grants and comply with the requirements of public and private granting agencies.

The Office of Foundation and Government Grants is available to assist the grant seeker throughout the process of grant writing and submission to the appropriate funding agency.

All aspects of the grant writing and submission process are grouped under the general term of pre-award services.

The OFGG serves faculty and the institution in the following ways:

Assists faculty and staff to identify potential funding sources

The Office maintains a resource library consisting of reference books on proposal writing, directories of funding sources, and copies of successfully funded proposals.

Disseminates information about upcoming deadlines for major grant programs.

OFGG subscribes to The Foundation Directory OnLine and The Grant Advisor Plus, subscription services that provide online access to information on grant, research, and fellowship opportunities directed to faculty in institutions of higher education. Faculty and staff may access this information from their office computers.

Maintains current application forms, guidelines, and annual reports for most major federal, state and private funding sources.

To remain current on funding priorities and guidelines, the Office of Foundation and Government Grants receives RFPs, annual reports, and newsletters from all major federal funding agencies and many national and state private foundations. These are kept on file in the office and are available for review and checkout.

Helps Prepare a Concept Paper or Letter of Inquiry

Writing or developing a concept paper (sometimes called a prospectus, abstract or preproposal) is often the first act of transforming a creative and worthwhile idea into a reality. Concept papers are excellent tools to help faculty and staff clarify and organize an idea; they are also useful in providing the basis for a funding search. The Director will aid the grant seeker by reviewing the concept paper or letter of inquiry and, where appropriate, assisting with the writing and editing.

Once completed, the concept paper is attached to the Good Idea! form and is submitted to various offices at the institution for review and approval. Faculty members must submit the finished concept paper with the completed cover sheet to the Director who will route the document through the necessary channels in order to obtain signatures from the appropriate personnel: 1) the department chair, 2) Dean of Faculty's office, 3) Executive Vice-President and CFO, and 4) the UMW President.

In cases where the concept paper has not already specified a granting agency and/or specific grant program, and after appropriate approvals have been obtained, the Director of OFGG will formulate an initial list of funders that might support the concept.

These potential funding prospects will be reviewed and authorized by the Office of University Advancement and by the President. In cases where the concept paper has identified a particular funding source and/or grant program, the approvals obtained will constitute permission for the Director to proceed with submitting the grant to the indicated funding source.

In cases where an institution must nominate faculty to be eligible to be considered for a grant (e.g. the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend), the Director will secure a decision from the Dean's Office about who has been selected as a nominee. Individuals expressing interest in being nominated who are not selected will be informed by the Director.

Makes appointments for faculty and staff with appropriate funding agencies and accompanies them on visits, if appropriate.

Meets personally with program officers and directors of private foundations and corporations as a critical step in the funding process.

The Director of OFGG will assist by initiating phone calls and requesting appointments. When appropriate, the Director will go on the call.

Assists faculty and staff with proposal and budget preparation based on program guidelines, policies of government and private funders, and University policy.

The Office of Foundation and Government Grants provides full logistical support in the final preparation, review and submission of proposals to meet sponsor deadlines.

The OFGG assists in the development of project budgets, provides standard University background materials, and prepares all institutional forms and certificates to meet federal and state requirements.

Schedules Appropriate Training Workshops

Throughout the academic year, the Office of Foundation and Government Grants will present workshops of interest to faculty and staff seeking grants. The workshops will address topics identified by the faculty and staff at the University of Mary Washington. Most workshops will be conducted by outside speakers who bring specialized expertise. The Director will coordinate and collaborate with offices and programs that have a particular interest in securing external funds for faculty initiatives such as TIP (Teaching Innovation Program), CARC (Campus Academic Resources), DTLT (Department of Teaching and Learning Technologies), and the Academic Affairs Office.

Reviews and facilitates the submission of all grant and contract proposals to outside funding agencies.

The following procedures apply:

Final versions of proposals prepared for submission to an external funding agency must be received in their final form in the Office of Foundation and Government Grants at least two full weeks prior to the agency's target date for mailing. Prior to this point, the proposal will have been approved for submission. The OFGG and the grant seeker will determine which office should mail or deliver the proposal to the funding agency. When required (such as in FastLane), the Director accomplishes all steps necessary to electronically submit a grant application after it has been fully prepared and made ready for submission by the proposer. The deadline for making the proposal ready for electronic submission will be agreed upon in advance by the proposer and the Director.

A Proposal Sign-Off Sheet must accompany all proposals.

The Office of Foundation and Government Grants then reviews the completed proposal, creates a permanent file for the proposal, and verifies that all necessary requirements have been met. The completed proposal is then signed by the Director and returned to the Project Director for final review, making the required copies and for mailing from the department.

The Project Director sends the original Proposal Sign-Off Sheet and a copy of the proposal to the OFGG for filing and cataloguing in the data system.

Project Directors should contact the OFGG with any news about the grant application: a win, a loss or general comments. All grants are different and each granting organization is different, so communication about the win or loss is important. The Office of Foundation and Government Grants will inform the appropriate University officials, including University Development, of pending grant/contract awards and will be responsible for contacting the Business and Finance Department. The Director will serve as a liaison between the grant recipient and any administrative offices supporting the grant once it is awarded (should procedural and/or fund management questions or problems arise). The OFGG will publicize all grant wins on its website and by campus e-mail.

The Director reviews and accepts all grant awards and coordinates with the Business and Finance Department to begin the financial management of the grant. All reports will be the responsibility of the grant winner.