External Grants and Contracts: Developing a Proposal
DEVELOPING A GRANT PROPOSAL
Developing a grant proposal can be a time consuming process. To assist the principal investigator during this time, the Office of Sponsored Programs has developed several resources to aid with grant development and writing. To make sure there is sufficient time to receive all the necessary approvals for grant submission, please review the Proposal Development Timeline.
PROPOSAL NARRATIVE
Many sources are available to assist in grant writing and proposal development. Check out Developing and Writing Grant Proposals sponsored by the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA). Grants.gov, the main portal for federal grant submissions, also provides guidance on how to write a federal grant proposal, which is also applicable to other types of funding sources. More ideas are available in the 12-Step Program for funding your best ideas. When developing the proposal narrative, take into consider the top reasons proposals are rejected.
Viewing grant applications which have been funded can help you prepare a better proposal narrative. Please access sample grant applications through D2L by selecting the Grant Information module under Semesterless. For additional information on successfully funded grant proposals submitted by St. Cloud State University, contact the Office of Sponsored Programs.
BUDGET DEVELOPMENT
There are many aspects to consider when developing the grant budget. Click here for detailed information on salaries/wages, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual, subcontracts/subawards, other direct costs and participant support costs. You may use the Budget Spreadsheet to enter in specific costs and have the spreadsheet perform the calculations for you!
There may be times when the funding agency is requesting cost sharing either in the form of hard- and/or soft-cash match. Any matches should be documented in the budget narrative and the grant budget in a column labeled match, if space is provided.
Indirect costs are a necessary part of budget development and all externally funded projects must include these costs (sometimes called facilities and administration costs). It is the responsibility of the principal investigator to include indirect costs in the budget. Click here for additional information related to indirect costs. For federally funded projects, the federally negotiated rate should be used. When using the federal rate, costs are calculated using modified total direct costs as noted in the Federal Rate Agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services. All other projects use the standard indirect cost rate.
- 33% - Federally Negotiated Rate for On-Campus Activities
- 16% - Federally Negotiated Rate for Off-Campus Activities (use of non-SCSU facilities for which rent is paid by the project)
- 12% - Standard Rate for All Non-federal Sources
FREQUENTLY USED DATA
Most grant applications request frequently used data such as various identification numbers, governmental districts, fringe benefit rates and authorized officials. The Office of Sponsored Programs maintains this information on the website for your convenience.
