Sponsored Programs

Step 1: Consult with SPO

How to Begin

Proposal development takes time, coaching, and practice. The more you write proposals, the better you get at it. Perserverance is a key to success. Rejection is part of the learning process. You learn from formulating and submitting proposals, getting feedback from reviewers and program officers, refining your idea, and submitting again. When fortune shines upon you, your proposal is funded and then you must face the prospect of implementing and managing a project.

When you have an idea for a research or instructional project, contact the Sponsored Programs Office. We will help you turn your idea into a fundable project proposal. Here's what happens during your initial consultations:

1.	We will ask you to describe your project idea as well as any efforts you have made to secure funding in the past. Reviewing a one-page description or previous proposal text is very helpful.
2.	Next, we will ask you to outline what you hope to achieve with your project, who will be involved, and how much money is needed to accomplish your goals and objectives. Our goal will be to focus your project idea into tangible objectives, milestones, and other deliverables that will be of interest to a funder.
3.	After that, we will will look for funders and funding mechanisms that match the scale and nature of your project. For larger scale projects, federal and other governmental sources might be appropriate. For smaller projects, private foundations and corporations might be good sources.

Use this form to start the brainstorming process with the Sponsored Programs Office.

This process may take many meetings, so it's good to plan ahead before submitting a project proposal. It can take up to a year to write a complex proposal and the timeline from initial project idea to funded project can be three years or more. In proposal development, patience is a virtue!

Helpful Links

Here are some links to websites that have helpful tips for getting started with the proposal development process:

National Endowment for the Humanities – How to Get a Grant from NEH

National Science Foundation – Guide for Proposal Writing

National Institutes of Health – Grant Writing Tips Sheet

Nature – A funding adviser's guide to writing a great grant application

Spencer Foundation – Writing Proposals that Engage Research with Youth, Families, and CBOs

Step 2: Develop Your Proposal

Constructing a Proposal

Writing a proposal is as much a construction process as it is a creative writing effort. Most proposals require you to assemble a complex array of documents.

After consulting with Sponsored Programs, begin assembling your proposal elements. These elements include:

Face Page or Cover Letter – Provides basic information about you, your project, start and end dates, and amount requested. Typically, face pages are completed online and may already be populated with most of the needed information. Cover letters are written separately and may come from the Sponsored Programs Office itself.

Abstract or Summary – Outlines the research objectives, methodology, and significance. One page or less is allocated to this document. It typically is the public face of your proposal if your project is funded.

Statement of Work, Work Plan, or Project Description – Provides a detailed explanation of the problem you intend to address and why is it important. This detailed description of your project can be five to twenty pages or more long. Succinctness, clarity, and detail are critical in this document. Your audience is the people who will review and score your proposal. Your goal is for your proposal to get the best possible score it can achieve. Doing so gives program officers freedom to advocate your proposal for funding.

This document includes:

Objectives – What do you plan to achieve?

Approach – How do you plan to achieve your objectives?

Personnel – Who will do the work and why are they qualified to do so?

Evaluation – How will you know that you’ve achieved your objectives?

Sustainability – How will you sustain your efforts once these funds are exhausted.

Budget – Provides a reasonable estimate of costs required to conduct the project and a detailed justification of expenses.

How to Begin Developing Your Proposal

It's often useful to begin the proposal development process by writing a one-page abstract for your project. After that, it's good to start developing a budget and budget justification.

Abstract

Many people advise writing your abstract last after you've figured out all the details of your proposed project. We consul people to write an abstract first. Although you'll need to revise your abstract many times during the proposal development process, writing it first helps you formulate your proposal idea. It also can serve as a calling card to recruit collaborators, evaluators, and potential funders.

Budget

It's also important to work on the project budget early in the process. Doing so helps you focus your project goals into achievable objectives. For the budget, you will typically need to specify the following project expenses:

Personnel Salaries and Benefits	Sponsored Programs will help you estimate salaries for faculty, staff, administrators, and students, as well as relevant benefit rates and cost of living expenses.
Equipment and Supplies	Detailed costs of equipment and supplies to be purchased for a project should include purchase sources, taxes, shipping, and any licensing and maintenance expenses.
Contractors and Consultants	Many projects include people who are not employees of the university (e.g., web designers, editors, teachers). Sometimes, contractors may be businesses, governmental agencies, schools, non-governmental organizations, and other colleges and universities.
Subawards	Federal agencies frequently will require other institutions to be subawardees on a proposal. In such cases, the collaborating organization will submit its own budget and budget justification. Additionally, we will need to work with the other institution's Sponsored Programs Office to coordinate approvals and submission of the proposal. Such coordination can take time.
Travel and Subsistence	Proposed projects involving travel need to estimate detailed expenses for lodging, air transportation, ground transportation, personal mileage, and per diem.
Indirect Costs	Indirect costs are charged by the university to cover the costs of administering the project, as well as expenses related to providing office space and equipment for personnel working on the project. The university has a federally negotiated rate that is charged on personnel expenses. Other rates are used depending on guidelines provided by funders.

Step 3: Route Your Proposal

Routing Process and Purpose

Proposals are submitted by Sponsored Programs on behalf of the university. Each proposal is routed to confirm that your supervisor is aware that a proposal is being submitted and that the university can meet all the obligations stated in the project proposal.

For instance:

Sponsored programs must approve all proposal budgets to determine if expense categories (salaries and benefits, equipment and supplies, and contractors and consultants) are correctly calculated and indirect expenses applied.

A budget narrative must be approved that supports all project expenses with appropriate detail.

Course releases must be approved by an appropriate Dean.

Any project element that exposes the university to financial or liability concerns must be approved by the VP for Finance/CFO.

Human subjects approvals must be in place or planned, as well as clearances involving treatment of vertebrate animals and hazardous substances.

All in-kind donations and foregone indirect costs contributions must be approved by the Budget Office, Dean or Provost, and Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

A completed routing form, abstract or one-page summary, budget, and budget narrative must be routed for signature by the Sponsored Programs Office, a cabinet member, and the CFO at least SEVEN DAYS before the submission deadline.

Step 4: Submit Your Proposal

Submissions

As noted elsewhere, the Sponsored Programs Office typically submits proposals on behalf of the university. Accordingly, while faculty and other proposal writers can initiate proposals with funders, ultimately it is the Sponsored Programs Office that submits proposals or provides the green light for submission.

Federal Proposals

Although the federal government has a single gateway site for submission of grants and contracts (Grants.gov), all submissions of federal proposals are unique and most have special documents and processes unique to an agency or subdivision of an agency. Many of the major research funding agencies also still maintain their own electronic submission sites and either give the institution the option or use aspects of both.

Almost all agencies either allow or require proposal writers to initiate the start-up process of a grant. However, all federal agencies require that the proposal can only be submitted by a responsible institutional officer – an Authorized Representative Official (ARO) or Signing Official (SO). For this reason, submission of proposals must be coordinated through the Office of Sponsored Programs.

The major federal electronic grant gateways are:

Grants.gov The centralized gateway for all federal grant submissions

NSF FastLane: The NSF’s grant submission and management gateway

NIH eRA Commons: The NIH interface where grant applicants, grantees and federal staff access and share administrative information relating to research grants.

NASA NSPIRES: The NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System. Used for both proposal submission and administration.

Other Governmental Funders, Private Foundations, and Corporations

Most funders have some sort of online system for submitting proposals. Many allow proposal writers to develop and submit proposals on their own. Other systems require approval from one or more officials at the university. In all cases, proposals should not be submitted without approval from the Sponsored Programs Office.

Role of Principal Investigator

The University delegates responsibility for both the technical and financial management of externally supported projects to the Principal Investigator (PI) or Project Director (PD). PI/PD responsibilities include:

Ensuring compliance with all University and sponsor requirements pertaining to the sponsored project, including but not limited to:
Adherence to all University and sponsor procedures applicable to sponsored programs.
Timely submission of progress reports.
Effective and responsible use of sponsor’s funds in accordance with the award terms and conditions and University policies.
Ensuring that expenditures are reasonable, necessary, allowable under the terms and conditions of the award, properly allocated in proportion to the benefit received by the award or other funding sources, and limited to the funds awarded for the project,
Acquiring and maintaining training, approvals or licenses required to comply with all applicable federal and state laws and statutes, such as human or animal protections, environmental and personnel safety, or export controls.

Individuals who consistently fail to demonstrate adequate management of sponsored projects, including fulfilling the above responsibilities, may be subject to sanctions including the loss of privileges to apply for external support.

Role of Dean/Provost

The Deans and Provost are academic leaders with programmatic, managerial and fiscal responsibilities for all internally and externally funded projects and activities within their department, school, or University.

Review, Approval and Management of Proposals and Awards

The Dean and Provost review and approve Grant Routing Form for:

all activities within their department/school/University
academic and programmatic review
requests to reduce or waive indirect cost rates
requests to modify on-campus space
requests for the University to provide the matching funds
requests for the University to provide additional resources to support the project
approve all faculty buyout

Acceptance of Awards

The University of Redlands is the legal recipient of all external funding. All awards must be signed by an authorized representative.

The Principal Investigator (PI) in conjunction with the Office of Sponsored Programs and Grants Administration is responsible for reviewing all conditions of an award prior to acceptance by the University. Both parties are also responsible for ensuring that the sponsor’s requirements are compatible with the University's policies and procedures.

The Office of Sponsored Programs and Grants Administration has primary responsibility for resolving any disagreement between the sponsor and the University in regard to the terms and conditions of the award.

Acceptance of a sponsored project binds both the sponsor and the University to specific financial and programmatic commitments as outlined in the approval and acceptance of the final budget and award.

Course Release

Faculty are expected to request from a sponsor the full cost of their time from a released course. If six courses are taught per academic year, then for one course release, a one-sixth amount of salary support must be requested. All course release must be pre-approved by the appropriate Dean.

Faculty Overload

Faculty overload is generally discouraged. Overload must be approved by the Dean and must be pre-approved if part of a proposal to be submitted.

Indirect Costs

All proposals are expected to request indirect costs at the University’s approved federal negotiated rate unless limited by the sponsor. All proposals with less than full indirect costs must be approved by the appropriate Dean prior to submission.

Conflict of Interest

Faculty will certify at the time of each proposal submission (via the Grant Routing Form) that no financial conflict of interest exists and will report any conflict of interest that arises in the course of a grant pursuant to University policy. In addition, NIH and NSF require that all individuals performing research and reporting results certify on an annual basis that no conflict of interest exists. The Office of Sponsor Programs and Grants Administration will provide forms to affected parties as necessary.

Cost Match/Cost Sharing

Though most federal sponsors no longer require cost match or sharing, many non-federal sponsors still do. Cost match or sharing is a legal obligation and requires proper documenting. The method of cost match or sharing must be discussed with the Office of Sponsored Programs and Grants Administration staff prior to budget and proposal finalization. All proposals with cost match or sharing must be pre-approved by the appropriate Dean.

Performance Reporting

Each sponsor and each award has specific reporting requirements. Sponsoring agencies routinely require final reports that may include financial statements, a final technical report, and a final inventory report. Specialized program reports are also typically required.

As PI, you are expected to submit all periodic technical reports (non-financial or cost-sharing) prior to the reporting date (for final reports, usually within 90 days of the project's termination date). Copies of these reports must be forwarded to the Office of Sponsored Programs and Grants Administration. Typically, sponsors will withhold final payments on grants and contracts until all final reporting requirements are met. If you fail to submit the required reports on a timely basis, you may jeopardize future funding from the sponsor for other members of the University community.

As an awarded PI, you will receive email messages regarding upcoming due dates for required technical reports from your sponsor.

The Office of Sponsored Programs and Grants Administration will also send reminders to faculty approximately one month prior to a report due date.

Time and Effort Reporting

All personnel receiving compensation from federal funds are required to certify their time and effort spent of a project. The Office of Sponsored Programs will provide reports for certification.

Equipment

Equipment purchased on sponsored funding is owned by the University or sponsor and not by the individual. Computers and other equipment must be returned to University inventory at the completion of an award or project.

Vacation Compensation

The University uses a cash basis of accounting. As such, vacation time is charged to a project at the time it is taken. When technical staff and others who accrue vacation end their University employment, accrued vacation time that must be paid out will be allocated proportionally to appropriate funds including sponsored funds.

Legal Name:	University of Redlands
Address:	1200 East Colton Avenue PO Box 3080 Redlands, CA 92373-3720
Authorized University Signatory:	Grace Crickette Vice President for Finance / Chief Financial Officer
Institutional Contact:	Dr. Steven Moore University of Redlands 1200 East Colton Avenue PO Box 3080 Redlands, CA 92373-3720 Tel: 909-748-8687 steven_moore@redlands.edu
Type of Organization – Corporate Status	Private non-profit educational institution
Tax Status:	Tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; letter dated July 11, 1971
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)	D22VFH3G7JM6
Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS):	072505746
Employee Identification Number (EIN):	95-1643389
Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code:	1HSJ6
Congressional District:	CA-033
Human Subjects Federal-Wide Assurance Number:	00023072
U.S. Department of Education OPE ID#:	00132200
Fringe Benefit Rate	Full Time Faculty: 26% of salary Part Time Faculty: 15% of salary Administrative Staff: 28% of salary Staff/Administrative (Non-Exempt): 35% of wages Students: 10% of wages
Indirect Cost Rate Agreement	Indirect Cost Rate: 52.0% (effective 7/1/2023 - 6/30/2027) Type: Salary and Wages Cognizant Federal Agency: Health and Human Services Agreement Date: February 14, 2024

Documents

Federal Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate: July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2027

Grant Process and Key Milestones One-Sheet

Examples

Data Management Plan (DMP) examples from the University of California, San Diego

Forms

Proposal Routing Form

Important Links

Institutional Review Board

Templates

General Letter of Commitment Template

NSF Letter of Commitment Template

Proposal Budget Justification Template

Proposal Budget Template

Workplan Template

Current Opportunities List

A list of current and future opportunities is maintained by the Sponsored Programs Office on Sharepoint. Access the list by clicking this link. (University of Redlands credentials are required to access the list.)

Join the UR Sponsored Programs Email List (University of Redlands login required) to receive periodic emails about grant opportunities and Sponsored Programs Office news.

Other Grant Opportunities Lists

Grants.gov is the clearinghouse for all federal funding opportunities. Use the Search Grants portal to hone in on opportunities by Opportunity Status, Funding Instrument Type, Eligibility, Category, and Agency. Use the Save Search button to save criteria used in one or more searches. Subscribe to daily funding alerts via the Manage Subscriptions page. On that page, subscribe to all new opportunities, specific opportunities, and/or saved searches for grant opportunities. Note: Grants.gov registration is required to save searches and subscribe to notifications.

GrantStation is a relatively inexpensive source of information about grant opportunities and funders. You can also sign up for weekly notifications of grant opportunities listed in the GrantStation Insider newsletter.

The Philanthropy News Digest publishes RFPs and notices of awards as a free service for U.S.-based grant-making organizations and nonprofits. You can also sign up for weekly alerts.