Stetson University
Grant Proposal Process
Stetson University encourages faculty to apply for externally funded grants supporting their research, strategic initiatives, and scholarly activities and pursuits through the Office of Grants, Sponsored Research, and Strategic Initiatives.
The proposal-development process varies according to the format of the proposal, the faculty member’s available time, and the complexity of the project, among other factors. However, several steps are common to all applications, such as:
1. Speak with your dean, department chair, and other colleagues to gather guidance and suggestions regarding external support in general, experience with specific funders, and the institutional or departmental implications of your project. The Grants Office can provide information regarding faculty members who have been awarded grants.
2. Contact the Grants Office early in the process to tell them your plans and deadline. They can advise on proposal preparation, interpret agency or foundation guidelines, and assist with any required documents and/or letters of commitment. The Grants Office will work with you to develop a First Alert, which is a grant advisory that will be emailed to the provost, your dean, department chair, and administrators for review and comment.
3. Budgets are a vital part of all proposals. In the planning process, discuss your budget with the Grants Office and think through items such as cost-sharing or match, course release, equipment, indirect costs, laboratory needs, personnel, and renovation of facilities and opportunities for including undergraduate students in your research. In addition to the Provost, the Finance Office must review all grant proposal budgets, and most federal agencies require the University’s fiscal officials (such as, Administrative Official, Authorized Organizational Representative and Signing Official) to conduct a compliance review and submit your grant through a federal portal, such as Grants.gov, NASA NSPIRES, or NSF Fastlane.
4. After completing the summary narrative and budget supporting the External Grant Form (see the Grants Office webpage), obtain the signatures of your department chair and dean. Please submit the External Grant Form with those signatures to the Grants Office three weeks before the deadline for submission for administrative review and routing.
The Grants Office will assist with compliance review, editing, proofreading, and budget development. If you plan to apply for a federal grant from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, or other federal agencies, please contact the Grants Office as soon as you begin planning. Federal grants often involve substantial time commitments for administrative review and routing and typically require formal submission by the Grants Office as Stetson’s Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR).