Proposal Elements

  • Project Summary/Abstract:  A condense everything in the proposal into a concise, direct, easily read synopsis of the project that grabs the readers’ attention. It is affirmative, confident, and clear about the proposed project.
  • Project Narrative/Description: Makes a compelling argument to peer reviewers to fund the proposal. Always be considerate of the reviewer. Be concise. A good rule of thumb is to read a sentence to see if there is a different way to convey the idea in a more concise or less wordy way. Avoid jargon. Visual aids such as a logic model help to break up verbiage and ease eyestrain. The Kellogg Foundation's  extensive logic model development guide.
    • The National Science Foundation states that the project description includes “objectives for the period of the proposed work and expected significance; relation to longer-term goals of the PI's project; and relation to the present state of knowledge in the field, to work in progress by the PI under other support and to work in progress elsewhere.”
    • The National Science Foundation states that the project “The Project Description should outline the general plan of work, including the broad design of activities to be undertaken.” See Broader Impacts below. Integrating them into the project description is prudent.
  • Research Plan/Design/Methods: The NSF provides guidance for the project description stating it requires a “clear description of experimental methods and procedures”. In addition, the scientific and measurable methods utilized to achieve objectives are sound and provide a linear description of the process of proving or disproving a hypothesis. Peers are objective sources of assessing research methods. A useful tool in working with research methods for undergraduates is http://www.webguru.neu.edu/index.php.
  • Specific Aims: Specific aims include questions asked at the early stages of the pre-award process. Who is the audience and what are the outcomes if successful?
  • Current and Pending Support: According to the NSF “This section of the proposal calls for required information on all current and pending support for ongoing projects and proposals, including subsequent funding in the case of continuing grants. All current project support from whatever source (e.g., Federal, State, local or foreign government agencies, public or private foundations, industrial or other commercial organizations) must be listed. The proposed project and all other projects or activities requiring a portion of time of the PI and other senior personnel must be included, even if they receive no salary support from the project(s). The total award amount for the entire award period covered (including indirect costs) must be shown as well as the number of person-months per year to be devoted to the project, regardless of source of support. Similar information must be provided for all proposals already submitted or submitted concurrently to other possible sponsors, including NSF.”
  • Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources: A description of assets at the disposal of the Principal Investigator or Project Manager that enhance their ability to achieve the specific aims and objectives of the proposal must be included in the proposal.
  • Bio Sketch: Often limited to two pages, depending on the sponsor, the bio-sketch never exceeds ten years of history and can be limited to as little as five. If possible, the bio-sketch should emphasize relevant work.
  • Budget: OSP assists in preparing the budget, verifying the correct salary, fringe, mileage, and per diem rates are used. Working with the Principal Investigator (PI), OSP captures all costs associated with the project. The budget is a fiscal narrative of the proposed work and so creates a correlation between the work and the budget. If the total amount exceeds a limit set by the sponsor, OSP helps to refine the scope of work to fit the funding available.
  • Salaries & Wages: OSP obtains CNU Faculty salary and fringe benefit information and calculates it based on the effort assigned to the scope of work.
  • Fringe: FICA is 7.65% of faculty summer salary.  Faculty fringe benefits are calculated and charged proportionately to the amount of effort applied to a grant during the academic year. 
  • Students: CNU’s Career Connect Program provides guidance on student salaries. Contact them at http://www.cnu.edu/ccp/index.asp.
  • Consultants and Other Contractual Services: The use of external consultants requires justification including unique experience, qualifications, and they bring to the project, along with a rate of pay.
  • Subcontracts/Sub-awards: A separate budget and memorandum of agreement or letter indicating ability and desire to participate in the proposed work is required prior to proposal submission to federal sponsors. The Federal Funding Accounting and Transparency ACT (FFATA) require that awards from the federal government with subcontracts or sub-awards in excess of $25,000 provide the information collected on the FFATA questionnaire. Justification for the use of a contractor and their unique qualifications are necessary.
  • Supplies: Typical administrative supplies, considered indirect costs, are not allowable in the direct cost proposal. Supplies specific to the proposed work, such as printing questionnaires, lab supplies, etc. are allowable.
  • Travel:  CNU’s Business Office provides guidelines about travel expenditures and how to budget for them. http://www.cnu.edu/busoff/facultystaff/travel.asp OSP assists in estimating these costs. When airfare is included in a federal budget adherence to the Fly America Act, requiring the use of American and now European Union carriers is necessary. Travel out of the country may require additional protections, so OSP recommends a check with the State Department’s site http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html .
  • Equipment Purchase and Rental: Consideration for space requirements or alterations, installation costs, and maintenance are necessary along with a clear justification for the need for equipment.
  • Tuition: http://financialaid.cnu.edu/
  • Stipends: http://www.cnu.edu/honors/benefits/summerstipends.asp
  • Facilities and Administrative (F&A or Indirect): A copy of CNU has a federally negotiated Facilities and Administrative Rate (F&A) is located at Indirect Cost Rate Agreement. This rate applies to all salaries and fringe benefits budgeted.
  • Budget Narrative/Justification: A budget narrative includes a simple description of the line items included in the total budget and how they relate to the proposed work.   The sponsor needs to know how each expense or expense category moves the project forward. Be as specific as “Travel to Washington, DC for 2 nights @ $178/night, airfare of $580, per diem $100/2, miscellaneous tax and tips $50/2 for a total of $1,236.00”.
  • Cost-Sharing Matching: If the costs of a proposed project exceed the amount available from a sponsor, cost sharing or cutting the scope of work is necessary. OSP works with the PI to identify cost-sharing sources or identify areas for budget cuts. However, some sponsors require cost sharing or matching. Cost-sharing means that the sponsor expects the institution to share in the total cost of a project. If the total cost is $100,000 and the sponsor requires a 50% cost share, then the institution will need to contribute $50,000 to the project. Cost matching means that the sponsor wants the institution to demonstrate support of a project by matching a portion of the total costs. If the total costs of a project $150,000 and the sponsor requires a 50% match, then the sponsor provides $100,000 and the institution's 50% match is $50,000 of the costs. Both cost sharing and matching require a trail of materials available for audit, meaning that a person or organization in the position to contribute the share or match certify that if awarded they contribute that portion and provide documentation for reporting purposes. If awarded these costs must be auditable.
  • Data Sharing Plan: All NSF proposals must describe plans for data management and sharing of the products of research, or assert the absence of the need for such plans. FastLane (the NSF's portal for proposal submission) does not permit submission of a proposal missing a Data Management Plan. The Data Management Plan reviewed as part of the intellectual merit or broader impacts of the proposal, or both, as appropriate.
  • NIH PubMed: Publication of NIH funded research results is required. The National Institutes of Health created the NIH PubMed portal to facilitate this requirement.
  • Broader Impacts: Although required by NSF, broader impacts help the PI to ascertain what success means to their funded research.  Per the NSF’s Grants Proposal Guide “Broader Impacts Criterion: What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
    • How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning?
    • How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)?
    • To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships?
    • Broad dissemination of reultss enhance scientific and technological understanding?
    • What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?
    • Advance Discovery and Understanding While Promoting Teaching, Training and Learning
    • Broaden Participation of Underrepresented Groups
    • Enhance Infrastructure for Research and Education
    • Broad Dissemination to Enhance Scientific and Technological Understanding
    • Benefits to Society”
  • Literature Review/Bibliography: What topically relevant documentation already exists? Provide literature references to document previous work and work that supports the proposed work.
  • Statement of Sustainability: Many sponsors, especially with a sponsored program, require some assurance that the work supported by the initial award continues after the award ends. A full explanation of how this is accomplished is expected.

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