The Proposal Development Process
All funders provide guidance on rules and expectations for a proposal at the agency and program level. Below is an outline of the general process for developing and submitting a proposal to an external sponsor.
Common Proposal Timelines
- Announcement. RFPs, PAs, or foundation application guidelines are commonly announced on sponsor websites or through centralized services such as grants.gov (see Find Funding page). Each signifies that a sponsor has an identified area of interest to fund. These documents provide instructions on how to compete for available funds.
- Key submission information. Announcements provide critical information such as submission instructions, deadlines and eligibility requirements (including collaborations and cost-share). Proposals deviating from sponsor instructions or missing deadlines are typically rejected without review.
- Proposal development. Requires tailoring a specific project or research idea to sponsor parameters, guidance, and funding priorities. Institutional approval must be secured prior to submission. OSP should be notified of the submission deadline and level of assistance required from the office.
- Proposal writing. PIs draft the main programmatic narrative due to their subject expertise, with support as required. Specific questions identified by the RFP as those that reviewers will ask or by which they will rate the proposal should be addressed.
- Budget development. OSP is available to collaborate on budget development. At minimum, this process should be coordinated with OSP.
- Compliance and other requirements. OSP can direct faculty to appropriate compliance committees such as IRB (research with human participants), IACUC (animal welfare), or IBC (recombinant DNA). OSP, on behalf of the college, will secure internal and/or external certifications and assurances, as required through the RFP.
- Proposal submission. OSP will submit the proposal or collaborate on the submission process, as determined in advance.
- Post-submission. The PI should send OSP a copy of the final proposal and should obtain reviewer comments if the proposal is denied. Addressing comments and resubmitting to the same or another funder greatly increases chances of being funded.