Resources

One way of advancing our scholarship and expanding our capacity for serving students and other essential research endeavors is through the grants process. Grants are non-repayable funds disbursed by one party to a recipient. In order to receive a grant, some form of “Grant Writing,” often referred to as either a proposal or an application, is usually required.

Most grants are made to fund a specific project and require some level of compliance and reporting. The grant writing process involves an applicant submitting a proposal (or submission) to a potential funder, either on the applicant’s own initiative or in response to a Request for Proposal from the funding agency.

Most grants are made through a competitive application process; however, many grants are noncompetitive. A grant may be awarded without competition if either Congress or the agency determines that a single organization is the best resource. Noncompetitive grants can include new awards, supplements, extensions, and continuations.

The Grant Cycle

A typical Grant Cycle has three major stages:

1. Pre-award (4-12 months) – The pre-award phase begins when the funding agency plans for the solicitation through Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) or Request for Proposals/Applications (RFP or RFA) and ends after applications have been reviewed and scored. Applicants submit assurances and certifications verifying compliance with federal statutes as part of the pre-award process.
2. Award (1-5 months) – Applications are submitted on-time are reviewed and scored based on the criteria published in the NOFO or RFP. Research applications are reviewed for both scientific merit and ability to meet programmatic needs. Non-research applications are reviewed for ability to meet programmatic needs. After the review of all applications, the awarding agency will determine whether an award will be made. If an applicant is successful, then the agency will notify the applicant by issuing a Notice of Award (NoA).
3. Post-award (1-5 years) – The post-award phase begins when a successful applicant, known as a known as a recipient, expends awarded funds and starts work on achieving the outcome(s) of the grant. This phase encompasses ongoing monitoring of the funded project. The post-award phase concludes after the period of performance ends and closeout activities are completed. Closeout occurs after the end of the period of performance. This is a process that ensures recipient have met all financial and reporting requirements.

The Academic Writing and Research Office advances funded research, scholarship, and creative endeavors for faculty and staff. It serves as a resource to find extramural funding opportunities and builds capacities of faculty and staff to pursue extramural funding through technical assistance, training, and strategic proposal review. The office manages the Vanguard proposal authorization process and maintains records of Vanguard submissions and awards.