Assistance with Proposal Development

A proposal's development can vary based on the agency from which you seek funds. They also reflect a faculty or staff member’s personality in many ways. However, the most important thing is to follow the funder’s guidelines and requirements.

Here are a few suggestions you may find useful in developing a proposal:

  • Utilize the University’s Proposal Development Process. This comprehensive guide will assist even the novice grant seeker through the University’s process for finding funds to developing your proposal to receiving funding.
  • Discuss your ideas and plans with colleagues, department chairs/program directors, and your college’s dean. Try to assess the impact your proposal will have on your department, other departments, the curriculum and the College.
  • Identify potential funding sources. Consult the staff of Corporate & Foundation Relations.
  • Obtain the proposal guidelines and application packet (if available)
  • Carefully read and review the guidelines and instructions
  • Assess campus needs and contact the appropriate person. For example, call the Chief Information Officer for technology needs, the Vice President for Finance and Administration for space requirements and necessary matching funds, and the University Librarian for library resources. The CFR office will work with you to ascertain who will need to be consulted, and to attain the appropriate authorizations to move forward with your proposal.
  • Obtain required authorizations. Again, the CFR office will work with you to obtain these.

The Office of Corporate & Foundation Relations will provide assistance with draft organization and preparation, creating a budget, and editing and submitting proposals. After a grant is awarded, CFR will also assist with grant administration, including monitoring and submitting reports on the grant.