Resources

Evaluation Resources

American Evaluation Association

Proposal Writing Tips from Federal Agencies

National Endowment for Humanities (NEH)

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency created in 1965. It is one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States.

National Endowment for Humanities Webinars

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The National Institute of Health mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. There are 28 Institutes of the NIH. National Institute of Health Webinars

National Science Foundation (NSF)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..." NSF is vital because we support basic research and people to create knowledge that transforms the future.

National Science Foundation Resources

• NSF’s Big Ten Ideas
• NSF Evaluation Criteria/Merit Review Process
• What are Broader Impacts?

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation. They have funding opportunities for individuals and organizations.

Department of Education (ED)

The U.S. Department of Education’s mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. They have a number of funding opportunities through their numerous programs.

Institute for Educational Sciences (IES)

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is the statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education. They maintain four national centers:

• National Center for Education Research (NCER) supports rigorous research that addresses the nation's most pressing education needs, from early childhood to adult
• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to
• National Center for Education Evaluation (NCEE) conducts unbiased, large-scale evaluations of education programs supported by federal funds; provides technical assistance; and supports the development and use of research and evaluation throughout the United
• National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) supports a comprehensive program of education research designed to expand knowledge and understanding of infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities and those at risk for

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

NASA's Vision is to discover and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity.

US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans. We fulfill that mission by providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services. It has nine agencies, including: National Institute of Health (NIH), Indian Health Service (IHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Administration for Community Living (ACL), and Administration for Children & Families (ACF). Each of whom provide funding opportunities specific to their mission.

General Proposal Writing Tips

• The Art of Writing Proposals (Social Science Research Council)
• Proposal Writing Short Course (The Foundation Center)
• Grant Proposal Writing Tips (The Corporation for Public Broadcasting)
• Guidelines for Writing a Proposal (LearnerAssociates.net, with examples)
• Grant Resources: Deborah Kluge, freelance proposal writer and developer with 30 yrs. of experience

For more specific assistance with proposal and budget development, contact Keith McCullough at (336) 750-2606 or mccullough@wssu.edu.

• WSSU General Information
• WSSU Tax Exempt Status Official Letter
• WSSU Board of Trustees
• WSSU Financial Statements

Sponsored programs are those projects and/or activities which are originated and conducted by members of the faculty. Such programs are supported wholly or in part by external restricted funds awarded to the University.

“Sponsored programs” refers to scholarly, professional, and creative activities that UNC personnel conduct with support from external funding instruments such as grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, or other agreements deemed appropriate by the UNC Board of Governors (Administrative Memorandum #408, dated November 17, 2000).

The Office of Sponsored Programs is a support structure and seeks to assist faculty members in a variety of ways - identifying funding sources; assisting with proposal/budget review and processing, and proposal submissions. In addition, the OSP alerts the administration on matters of regulatory compliance, internal sponsorship of scholarly activities and other related issues.

In general, sponsored activities should be directly related to the three-fold mission of the institution: research, teaching and service. Other support such as competitive or formula funds awarded to some other areas, but restrictive in nature, are also included.

Sponsored Program is research or programmatic activities funded by external sources. Sources may include the Federal Government, the State, or private foundations. Awards are made by a sponsor to the University; however, the proposal author is the Principal Investigator or Project Director.

Sponsored Programs differ from gifts and donations: Gifts are not used to fund sponsored programs which support a defined project. Gifts represent an unrestricted source of support for general University programs or activities with few restrictions. Generally, funds from private, non-government sources are administered as gifts when the funding source neither expects nor requires consideration in return for transfer of funds to the University.

Submission of grants and contracts for sponsored activities must be processed through the Office of Sponsored Programs to ensure that the proper guidelines have been followed and the proper university approvals have been obtained prior to submission of the proposal to a sponsoring agency.

The term “Principal Investigator” indicates the sole individual responsible for managing the sponsored program both project management and grant management. When this individual takes on the task of preparing a proposal for submission to an outside source, he or she agrees to manage the ensuing grant or contract in compliance with the terms conditions, and policies of both the sponsor and the University.

The principal investigator must be a member of the full-time faculty, professional, or senior staff, or be an administrative officer of the University. Depending on the nature of the proposal, individuals with other university appointments may serve as principal investigators. Naming an individual in the proposal who is not an employee of the University does not commit the institution to employing that individual.

Unless otherwise indicated in the proposal, principal investigators are expected to be in residence at the University during the period of project operation. Principal investigators seeking a leave of absence during this period must obtain written authorization from the sponsor through the Office of Sponsored Programs.

All sponsored projects that utilize campus facilities such as laboratories, classrooms, etc.; involve human subjects, animals, radioactive materials, toxic or hazardous substance; involve any other faculty, staff or graduate students as part of the project budget; or in any way affect the University, must comply with university regulations. All sponsored program requests must
be submitted through the OSP for university review and approval.

PI management responsibilities include:

1. Complying with the sponsor regulations which govern performance of the program and special
   terms and conditions of the award;
2. Complying with applicable University policies and procedures during the conduct of the
   sponsored research, including the WSSU policy on Responsible Conduct in Intellectual and
   Creative Activity
3. Complying with fiscal agent (WSSU ) policies and regulations
4. Overseeing the staffing and performance of the sponsored program;
5. Approving expenditures as budgeted for personnel, goods, or services which directly benefit
   the sponsored program;
6. Ensuring timely submission of invention reports to Technology Transfer and Licensing.
7. Reporting inventions to WSSU’s office of Sponsored Programs prior to any public disclosure.
8. Complying with Close-out policies and procedures of the project.

The identification of potential funding sources for a research, training, or technical assistance project is the first step in designing a funding strategy. The OSP provides a number of valuable services to faculty at this stage of securing outside support.

Faculty may complete the Funding Opportunity Request Form which is located on the OSP Websites. Searches for various programs can also be executed through grants.gov or the sponsoring agency’s portal directly. The OSP staff will forward opportunities to the appropriate faculty/staff via university email.

After computer search, faculty will be prepared to choose one or more sponsors from whom they may wish to request financial support. Program descriptions, guidelines, and applications are available on-line through federal and state agency websites or through Grants.gov. Call or email the OSP staff for any assistance you may need.

Special Types of Funding

Government Fellowships: Some graduate fellowship programs sponsored by government agencies (such as the Fulbright-Hays and Patricia Roberts Harris Fellowship through the U.S. Department of Education) require submission through the University. Students cannot be principal investigators, even if the fellowship is intended for them.

Funding Opportunity Request Form

Individuals interested in conducting sponsored research, training, or technical assistance projects are advised to visit OSP to discuss their interest. A Funding Opportunity Request Form should be completed and returned to the OSP. This questionnaire will provide information about interest and/or expertise in sponsored projects. The form will provide an opportunity to inform OSP that faculty members have a specific sponsor or approach in mind. The OSP can then provide information on funding opportunities in their areas of interest as these opportunities arise. The Funding Opportunity Request Form may be forwarded to the Grant Resource Center in Washington DC to further the search. The center is a resource of support for the OSP and faculty members to help support the faculty members effort in the pursuit of proposal funding.

Solicitation/Announcement

A. Solicitations are usually government - generated "Requests for Proposal", (RFP) "Request for Application" (RFA) or "Requests for Quotation" (RFQ) on a specific research, training, or technical assistance project. In such cases, the intended scope of work is pre-determined by the soliciting agency, and specific requirements for the format and content of both technical and cost proposals are presented in the published requests. The successful solicited proposal may result in either a contract, grant or a cooperative agreement. Government RFPs and RFAs are widely advertised in sources such as the Federal Register, Commerce Business Daily, and Grants.gov.

Proposal Types

A proposal is a request for external or internal support of a research, training, or technical assistance project. A proposal to a funding agency for sponsored research may either be solicited or unsolicited. The information provided in this section will give you a general perspective and difference of proposal types and advise on how to interact with the agencies prior to the submission of a proposal.

Unsolicited Proposal

Unsolicited proposals may be initiated by individuals at any time. Many funding entities have general requirements for the format of unsolicited proposals. The OSP staff can assist with finding and reviewing the guidelines or other indications of sponsor requirements.

It is wise to contact a program officer within a government or private funding agency to discuss a project idea before actually submitting a formal proposal. Most program offices welcome advanced contact to research areas of interest at their organizations. However, in no case, should a private foundation or corporate funder be contacted for donations without prior approval from the Office of Development.

Agency contacts are made through

1. a telephone inquiry or agency visit;
2. a letter of inquiry;
3. a letter of intent; or
4. a preliminary proposal.
5. Letter of Inquiry

A letter of inquiry is a general presentation of a project idea designed to elicit feedback from a potential sponsor. As with telephone inquiries or agency visits, commitments cannot be made. A formal routing or review of a letter of inquiry may be required by Department Chairs or University Deans. Individuals are encouraged to forward a copy of such correspondence to notify the OSP of any pending proposal development resulting from such inquiries.

Telephone Inquiry

Individuals are encouraged to make telephone inquiries or visit a potential sponsor or on their own but may request assistance from the OSP staff. In some cases, the OSP staff may make the initial agency contact on behalf of the faculty or staff member. Throughout the course of such calls or visits, there cannot be any commitments of university resources or cash/in-kind matching.

Letter of Intent

A letter of intent expresses the intention to submit a proposal in response to a particular program announcement or Request for Proposal (RFP/RFA). Letters of intent are generally solicited by the sponsor in conjunction with announcements expected to generate widespread interest. Agencies generally require that such letters present only a general statement of the intended research theme. A copy of the letter of intent should be filed with the OSP. If the letter of intent contains budget estimates or ranges, it should be reviewed and processed through OSP as a mini proposal with proper approvals.

Preliminary/Pre-Proposal

Preliminary proposals, like letters of intent, are generally solicited by sponsor agencies. A pre-proposal usually includes a one to five-page description of the project. It may also require an outline budget and some indication of the University's willingness to support the project through a commitment of resources. Any document that mentions budget figures or commits university space and other resources are to be processed through OSP as a mini proposal with proper approvals (Chairpersons, appropriate Deans, and the Provost). The appropriate staff in the Office of Sponsored Programs must review and sign the proposal.

1. What is the need or problem to be addressed?
2. How have you determined that there is a need or problem?
3. What have others done about the need or problem? How have these efforts succeeded or
   failed? What will you do that is different?
4. What do you expect to achieve in relation to the need (goal)?
5. What will you do to address the problem? Can these efforts be grouped together as
   common activities that are measurable (objectives)?
6. Specifically, what do you plan to do?
7. How will you know you are doing it right?
8. How much will each activity cost?
9. Who will manage the project (PI/PD)?
10. What are the qualifications/experiences of this person?
11. What will receiving this funding enable you to achieve or do better?
12. Which office provides assistance on statistics and other support data about the University?

Normally, most agencies provide a cover page. The cover page includes general information about the universities, the project director and the project. Grants.gov and the National Science foundation (NSF) Fastlane has a standard cover page and requirements for each respective electronic module. Please refer to the Grants.gov application guideline instruction and the NSF Fastlane grant proposal guide (GPG) for detail instructions. Other agencies will give you instruction on requirements for the cover page. Example of information provided on the cover page includes but not limited to the following:

1. The title of the proposed research;
2. The name and address of the sponsor to whom the proposal is submitted;
3. Name and title of the principal investigator;
4. The name and address of Delaware State University; (identify OSP as the office to which
   all correspondence should be sent: Winston-Salem State University, Office of
   Sponsored Programs, 601 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Winston-Salem NC 27110;
5. The university department where the work will be conducted;
6. The proposed period of performance;
7. Total requested support (in multi-year projects, include the totals for each year for the
   total request);
8. Signatures of authorizing officials: The signature of the PI, his/her chair, dean and the
   President of the University (or designee) are required on each proposal. NOTE:
   University information can be found on the "Institutional Fact Sheet" on the forms page of
   OSP's website.

A table of proposal contents should be included immediately following the abstract page. A list of illustrations or tables should also be prepared, if appropriate. Since the abstract precedes the table of contents, the abstract is not listed in the table of contents.

The table of contents should list major sections of the proposal and give the specific page location where each section begins in the narrative. It need not include all subheadings but should be detailed enough to allow reviewers to find the section or sections they are interested in, without having to search through the entire proposal.

While an abstract is not required by all sponsors, it is a highly effective means of presenting a project to a reviewer or review board. The abstract should highlight the scope of the proposed research, including its objectives and the intended methodology, the anticipated results, a statement of potential significance, and the time span of the project. If no requirements are listed in the announcement, abstracts should be approximately 200-250 words and not exceed one typed, double space page. The abstract is the last section to be written.

The abstract should stand alone as a complete description of the proposed project. Do not refer to figures, tables, or literature appearing in any other part of the proposal.

Introduction/Statement of Need

While usually brief, the proposal introduction or statement of need is one of the most important parts of the grant application. The introduction should engage the reviewer's attention, encouraging a full reading of the proposal. Statistically, proposals that are read through at one sitting have a higher rate of success. Here are some general guidelines for the preparation of the proposal introduction.

1. tailor the introduction to the specific guidelines or funding criteria of the sponsor;
2. state the problem, but emphasize why you and/or the University should be funded to address
   the problem;
3. mention your previous accomplishments in the area of research proposed;
4. describe your ability to carry out the proposed project;
5. construct the final paragraph of the introduction to lead into the next section of the proposal.

Description of Proposed Research

The description is a detailed extension of the proposal abstract. Indicate how the research will relate to and reflect the current state of the art. Explain project goals and methodology carefully. To the extent possible, describe in detail a research plan for six to twelve months.

Objectives

The objectives must be articulated clearly. Objectives should state the intended outcomes of the project. These may be presented as specific and measurable expectations.

Objectives and Procedures

The objectives and the procedures are two of the most important sections. The principal investigator should go into as much technical detail as she/he feels is necessary to explain what she/he intends to do and how she/he will carry the project through. An objective should match every need stated in the introduction, and a procedure should describe how every objective will be accomplished.

Procedures/Methodology

The procedures section provides details of how the principal investigator will carry out the project. Procedures may be organized by activities tied to specific procedures; by functional categories such as planning; development; and implementation; or by major time blocks.

If the principal investigator intends to have participants in the project, she/he must briefly describe the skills/expertise of the person(s) to be chosen and explain their responsibilities to the project. One should also include an explanation of how the project will be administered and define the responsibilities of any advisory groups or organizations with which she/he plans to work. A proposal can be greatly strengthened if letters of agreement or letters of support from cooperating organizations or consultants are included in the appendix.

If needed, a time frame may be included as part of the procedures section or may be written up separately. Be sure to leave time at the end of the project for preparation of the final report for the agency. The writer of the proposal should be realistic about how much she/he can accomplish in the period of time set aside for each part of the project. A Gantt chart will be helpful. The persons reviewing the proposal will easily recognize an overly optimistic timetable. Please bear in mind that the agency limits the number of narrative pages. All materials necessary for review should be included in the body of the proposal. Only supplementary materials should be placed in an appendix.

• Printing and publishing
• Photocopying Publication costs, such as per
  page charges and reprints
• Meeting expenses
• Space (leases or rental of off-campus space)
• Animal purchase and care costs
• Publication costs
• Equipment maintenance expenses
• Fees-for-service, such as commercial lab tests

• Communication and printing costs
• Project-owned vehicle expenses
• Costs of conducting a seminar series or symposium, such as facility use fees
• Tuition
• Rent for use of off-campus space