Step 4: Submit Your Proposal

Grant Submission Procedures

Once a project idea has been brought from a concept to a fully developed proposal, and both PART A and PART B of the Routing & Authorization Form has been completed, ensuring the application is complete, meets compliance standards, and has been authorized by the college then the proposal is ready to submit. NO application may be submitted to any external sponsor without completing the Routing & Authorization Form.

The Principal Investigator (PI) serves as the primary contact for a project throughout the grant life cycle. PI’s should review these documents carefully as they prepare to submit their proposal.

Submitting Your Approved Proposal

Following the completion of the Routing & Authorization Form, the Office of Sponsored Programs will provide instructions regarding the submission of the proposal. Each and every submission process is different. In most cases, OSP will submit the proposal to the funding agency. In some cases, an authorized PI may be required to submit the application directly. Depending on the requirements of the funding agency, final submissions may be submitted through an on-line system, via email or through the postal service.

Specific funding agency instructions for submission are often contained in the solicitation and application materials. These instructions should be reviewed early in the proposal development process and followed explicitly.

Next Steps Following Submission of a Proposal

• Save a Copy: An electronic copy of all final submitted proposal materials should be provided to the Office of Sponsored Programs, the PI, and the appropriate Dean/VP/AOR.
• Keep up Communications: The PI or OSP will maintain internal communication and notify each other if the Funding Program Officer makes contact to discuss the proposal or award funding.

Questions & Award Negotiation

Occasionally, a Funding Program Officer contacts for clarification and/or revisions prior to making the final award. This is typically a good sign! If they are asking questions they are interested in your project.

The PI & Office of Sponsored Programs should work together to make revisions and respond. Multiple communications may occur during this process, and the process may take anywhere from a few days to a few months to complete.

What if your proposal wasn’t awarded?

Don’t be discouraged. Reworking a proposal and resubmitting, either to the original sponsor or a different one, often results in an award. If your proposal was turned down, request the reviewers’ comments and seek feedback from the Program Officer. Use this as a learning opportunity. If the sponsor discourages re-submission, consider finding an alternative funding source or modifying your project idea or approach. The Program Officer, your colleagues, and the Office of Sponsored Programs may be able to provide suggestions.

If the sponsor encourages re-submission, be sure to:

• You can further your cause by working closely with the Program Officer
• Be willing to rethink aspects of the project based on the agency’s feedback
• Be as objective as possible in revising the proposal
• Respond specifically to reviewer’s comments in the revised proposal
• Point out changes made to strengthen the proposal in the areas judged to be weak
• Clarify information that may have been misinterpreted in the initial review