About the Office

Steps for Seeking External Funding

The Office of Foundation, Corporate and Government Relations

• Provides campus-wide leadership and support to the president, administrators and faculty in developing programs and translating these programs into competitive proposals to public and private agencies for support for university priorities and faculty scholarly and creative endeavors.
• Provides grantsmanship skill development workshops for faculty.
• Builds and strengthens relationships with external funding organizations, writes and edits proposals, reports on funded projects.
• Directs implementation of intellectual property agreements and compliance with government regulations.
• Negotiates grants and contracts.
• Provides information and advice to communications office regarding scholarly activities of faculty and students.
  

Advice, Consultation and Proposal Preparation

• Advises faculty as they develop a strategic plan for seeking external funding.
• Acts as a university resource for emerging ideas about new directions in research and funding trends.
• Links departmental efforts to integrative disciplinary programs.
• Assists with project planning and design.
• Forms teams both internally and externally.
• Provides institutional narratives and statistics.
• Arranges meetings for faculty to visit and/or speak with program officer prior to preparing a proposal.
• Researches public and private funding sources.
• Analyzes proposal guidelines.
• Assists with budget preparation and copy editing.
• Secures institutional approvals, certifications and assurances.
• Assists with electronic proposal submission.
  

Suggested Steps for Seeking External Funding

• Schedule an appointment to discuss your area of scholarly interest. Please bring an up-to-date curriculum vitae and a one-page summary of your project.
• At this meeting the Office will assist you in developing a plan for seeking support, which may begin with searching for possible funding sources from our databases. A report will be sent to you providing an overview of possible funding opportunities.
• Review the information provided and determine some likely or desirable funding sources. Call the Office to request more detailed information (guidelines and application information, and examples of successful proposals or other pertinent information), or review the agency's web site.
• Notify the Office once you decide to prepare an application for funding. We can determine a schedule to provide you with proposal writing and budget development assistance.
• Discuss your intent to apply for external funding with your department chair. She/He needs to plan to fill teaching vacancies if your project will take you away from the University. You may also need the chairperson's letter of endorsement.
• Your completed proposal, budget and all necessary attachments must be submitted to the Office at least five (5) working days before the mailing deadline.
• The Office will obtain all required institutional authorizing signatures. Please note that, in addition to any authorizations required by the funding entity, the University requires that all applications for external funding must be approved by the Dean and Controller.
• Once your proposal is funded, be sure to send the Office a copy of your award letter. We will forward it to Accounting so that a grant account can be established, and will enter your report dates on our reminder system. Please provide us with copies of any progress or final reports you submit. The Office is also available to assist with these reports as required.
• If your proposal is not funded, please forward a copy of your notification letter to the Office. Make certain that you request a copy of reviewer comments if applicable. The Office will assist with resubmission as appropriate.
  

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