10:27 AM
September 13,
2016
PROPOSAL:
OVERVIEW AND EXPLANATION OF GRANT WRITING FOR A HUMANITIES COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
Mary Janda | Tutor | 09/13/16
Grant Lifecycle
Pre-Award Phase
Award Phase
Post Award Phase
Funding Opportunity Announcement &
Application Review
Award Decisions & Notifications
Implementation, Reporting &
Closeout
Pre-Award Phase
The pre-award
phase represents the beginning of the grant lifecycle, which includes
announcing opportunities, submitting applications, and reviewing applications.
Below are explanations of what generally occurs during the pre-award phase.
Funding Opportunity Announcement
Both the
grant-making agencies and prospective applicants conduct their planning
processes. The awarding agencies prepare and publish Funding Opportunity
Announcements (FOA) based on the related legislation and their budget.
An FOA
includes all the pertinent information and requirements for an applicant to
assess their eligibility, competency, and interest in the funding opportunity.
How do you find these opportunities? That's where Grants.gov comes in.
You, a
prospective applicant, can use the
Search Grants function to navigate through opportunities and settle on
the right FOA for you. Once you select on a funding opportunity to apply for,
there are two high-level steps, in addition to your own application development
processes, to work on before submitting your application in Grants.gov:
·
Register
to apply for grants
·
Complete
your application
Registering to apply for grants on Grants.gov includes several steps and types of registration, including DUNS, SAM.gov, and Grants.gov accounts. We have pages dedicated to walking you through the
Organization Registration and
Individual Registration processes under the Applicants tab. It's not a highly complex process, but it can take 1 to 3 weeks to complete, so please register as early as you can. Do not allow yourself to miss the application deadline because you waited until the last week to try to register.
Completing Your Application
Before
jumping into the process of filling out the application, you (i.e., an
organization or individual) should spend time analyzing your own capabilities
as compared to the specific eligibility and technical requirements detailed in
the application instructions. The application planning process is lengthy, but
it is critical when considering the importance of carrying out government-related
work and the competition you may face for funding. While the specific steps vary
widely depending on the type of grant you are applying for, major components of
the planning process includes developing your ideas, conducting research,
writing your proposal, and completing the application in Grants.gov.
If you are
interested in more specific information or training on the development of an
effective proposal, there are a number of options out there. First,
we recommend perusing the awarding agencies website. Often, the awarding agency
provides specific information on pre-award processes pertaining to their types
of funding opportunities. Next, we also recommend looking at the Grant Community page for additional information and upcoming grant events
from across the grants sector.
Application Review Process
Once the application
submission deadline passes, the awarding agencies get to work reviewing the
applications. The specific process for reviewing an application varies based on
the type of grant you applied for. The generally applicable steps are as
follows:
- Initial screening to ensure
application is complete
- Programmatic review and assessment
of the substance of the applications
- Financial review of proposed
budgets
- Award decision and announcement
Initial Screening of Application
In the
initial screening, sometimes called a basic minimum requirements review, the
agencies will check each proposal to ensure it includes all the required
elements to qualify for the grant. What the specific requirements are will vary
for each grant, but common elements are eligibility, program narrative, and
budget attachment. The key
for the initial screening is that the agencies are looking for the presence of
the required element, not the quality of the element. If your
application does not meet all of these basic requirements, then your application
is likely to be rejected.
Programmatic Review and Assessment of Applications
Review and
assessment for their technical and programmatic quality and competency. For discretionary grants,
the review is conducted by independent experts who assess the applications
using the uniform rating or scoring system established by each awarding agency.
A common
format is a peer review
panel of at least three people, who assess and score each application
independently. Then, the peer review panel will convene to discuss the merits
of the applications. A series of policies and assurances are in place to
maintain a fair, objective process based on material facts in the applications
and without conflicts of interest (COI) for the peer reviewers. The federal
agency staff monitor and participate in this review process.
Financial Review
1. your budget also needs to be
well-documented and reflect the requirements of the grant program.
2. The federal agencies conduct a cost
analysis. Additionally, the financial review also factors in the total budget
for the grant program in relation to
3. how much money each application
requests.
Post Award Phase
1. work over the duration of the award
dates
2. implementing the grant
3. reporting progress
4. completing the closeout requirements.
DIVISION OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Preliminary
Sketch of a Proposal for Humanities Initiatives
at Community
Colleges (Optional)
You are
encouraged to submit this form for feedback from NEH staff before you submit a
final application. You may submit a
sketch until November 1, 2016; please send it as an attachment to hi@neh.gov.
(Applications are due via
Grants.gov on January 12, 2017.)
Project Director(s), Department(s), and
Institution:
Phone and e-mail contact:
Have you discussed this project with an
NEH program officer? If so, please
provide his or her name.
- What is the topic of
the project (e.g., local history as expressed through sites, Latino
literature and culture, history of food ways), and why is it important? (limit 150 words)
- How would the
project strengthen the teaching of humanities subjects at your
institution? (limit 100 words)
- What specific
humanities texts and resources will be incorporated in your project?
- Who would be the
faculty participants and other beneficiaries of this project? (limit
100 words)
- Are there any
external scholars or institutions who might be invited to contribute or
collaborate? If so, please identify
them.
Before you
complete this form, be sure to read the application guidelines and the
Frequently Asked Questions document. You may also find it helpful to consult
the sample narratives of funded projects. All of these documents are available
on the program resource page.
PROGRAM RESOURCE ~
IMPORTANT PAGE LINKS
EXAMPLES OF BUDGET & GRANT-WINNING PROPOSALS
THE FOLLOWING
ARE MISSING THE BUDGET SECTION FOR PRIVACY:
SAMPLE APPLICATION NARRATIVES
INSTRUCTIONS
DIVISION OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS
HUMANITIES INITIATIVES AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are the humanities?
According to
the 1965 National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act, “The term
‘humanities’ includes, but is not limited to, the study of the following:
language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history;
jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the
history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of social sciences
which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and
application of the humanities to the human environment with particular
attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to
the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national
life.”
My project is
related to the arts. How do I know whether my project is more appropriate for
the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) or the National Endowment for the
Humanities (NEH)?
If your
project involves the creation of musical compositions, dance, painting, poetry,
short stories, novels, or arts performance or training, then NEA would be the
more appropriate choice for your application. NEH supports projects that
provide scholarly, analytical, or historical perspectives on the arts.
What first steps should I
take in developing an NEH Humanities Initiatives grant proposal?
First, read
the program guidelines carefully, including the eligibility requirements. Be
sure to read the evaluation criteria by which your application will be judged
(Section V of the guidelines). You may wish to discuss your proposal with
colleagues or consult with a grants officer at your institution, if one is
available. After this preparation, contact an NEH program officer for answers
to questions, advice on the proposal, and review of preliminary sketches of
proposals. The submission
of preliminary sketches is optional; if you wish to submit a preliminary
sketch, consult the application guidelines for the deadline. Call 202-606-8471
or email hi@neh.gov to reach NEH staff. E-mail hi@neh.gov to submit a
preliminary sketch. The form to use for the sketch is available on the program
resource page.
Are sample proposals
available? (See above for links)
Does my institution need a
grant writer to prepare an application?
No. NEH staff
members are available to answer your questions and assist you as you prepare
your proposal. Please contact us at hi@neh.gov.
Another institution has
resources or faculty that would enhance my project. May we collaborate?
Yes, we
encourage collaborative projects. The applicant institution must, however, be a
U.S. nonprofit tax-exempt two-year college.
When should I start
consulting with scholars about a project?
As a rule, the
earlier that scholars are involved in a project, the better. Usually projects
that receive grants have benefited from an extensive dialogue among faculty at
the applicant institution and with consulting scholars from other institutions.
May I apply for more than one
NEH grant at the same time?
Yes, if, for
example, your institution is both an eligible minority-serving institution and
a community college, you may apply to both the Humanities Initiatives program
for the relevant group of minority-serving institutions and the Humanities
Initiatives at Community Colleges program. There are, however, certain
restrictions. For example, individuals may not simultaneously hold an NEH
fellowship and serve as a project director of another grant. Applicants
interested in applying for more than one grant should consult with a program
officer.
I just found out that my
institution will submit an application for another Humanities Initiatives
project. Will NEH fund only one?
Each
application is evaluated on its own merits. NEH might fund both applications,
one, or neither.
My institution applied for a
grant last year and was unsuccessful. Will this be held against us if we apply
again this year?
No. NEH
evaluates all applications as new applications.
My previous application for
an NEH Humanities Initiatives grant was unsuccessful. Is there anything I may
do to increase my chances for success this time?
If you are
revising a previous submission, you may find it helpful to request the
evaluators’ comments on that application and to consult with an NEH program
officer. To see the evaluators’ comments, send an e-mail message to hi@neh.gov.
May we continue the work of a
currently funded project with a subsequent NEH Humanities Initiatives grant?
It is possible,
but no NEH grant program, including NEH Humanities Initiatives, guarantees
funding beyond the current grant. If you submit a new application that builds
on the work of a previous grant, in the new application you must demonstrate
successful completion of the earlier project.
May I propose a project that
would teach, for example, introductory Italian grammar and vocabulary?
No. NEH
supports the study of foreign cultures (which may be conducted in a language
other than English), but not the teaching of basic foreign-language skills.
May I incorporate a
study-abroad program for students into a Humanities Initiatives proposal
focused on foreign cultures?
No. Successful
Humanities Initiatives projects that focus on foreign cultures emphasize
faculty development. NEH does not support work undertaken in the pursuit of an
academic degree.
If my institution receives
NEH funding, may we also accept money from other sources?
Yes. NEH
encourages applicants to seek support from diverse sources. Submitting proposals
to other funders has no bearing on how NEH reviews proposals. We do ask that
you tell us about those applications, so that we can better understand the
project’s funding situation.
May I use an NEH Humanities
Initiatives grant to acquire equipment, materials, and supplies?
The
acquisition of equipment, materials, and supplies is allowable when it supports
the primary purpose of an NEH Humanities Initiatives project. For example, work
on a new website developed in the course of a series of faculty workshops may
be facilitated by the purchase of a computer. NEH Humanities Initiatives grants
may also support the purchase of texts for participants’ in-depth study of a
topic in the humanities. The acquisition of closely related titles for a
college library may sustain further research by faculty and students.
May I use an NEH Humanities
Initiatives grant for the pursuit of independent research?
No. NEH does,
however, support independent research in the humanities through its Public
What is the deadline for
submitting the application?
Applications for NEH Humanities
Initiatives at Community College grants must be received by Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m.
Eastern Time on January 12, 2017. Grants.gov will date- and
timestamp your application after it is fully uploaded. Applications submitted
after that date will not be accepted.
NEH suggests
that you submit your application no later than 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the
day of the deadline. Doing so will leave you time to contact the Grants.gov
help desk for support, should you encounter a technical problem of some kind.
The Grants.gov help desk is now available seven days a week, twenty-four hours
a day (except on federal
holidays), at 1-800-5184726. You can also send
an e-mail message to support@grants.gov.
How do I know if I have
submitted my application successfully?
After you sign
and submit the application, a confirmation page will appear. This page includes
the Grants.gov tracking number and other important information. Note the
Grants.gov tracking number and save or print the confirmation page for your
records.
You will then
receive the following e-mail messages:
Grants.gov Submission Receipt;
Grants.gov Grantor Agency Retrieval
Receipt;
Grants.gov Agency Tracking
Number Assignment;
and Grants.gov Agency Notes Assigned for Application.
These messages
are normally sent within twenty-four hours of the submission, but minor delays
could occur when system usage is heavy.
If you do not
receive these messages, or if the messages indicate that the application has
been rejected, contact Grants.gov at 1-800-518-GRANTS (4726) or support@grants.gov. Include the Grants.gov tracking number in
correspondence regarding the application.
For additional
information, see the PDF document What to Expect after You Submit Your
Application to Grants.gov, which is available here.
How will my application be
reviewed?
All
applications will receive peer review. Using the evaluation criteria listed in
Section V of the application guidelines, teachers and scholars in the
humanities will convene in panels to read and rate the applications. NEH staff
will compile a slate of recommended applications based on the panelists’
comments and ratings. The
National
Council on the Humanities
will review the
recommendations and provide additional insights. All advice—from the panelists,
staff, and National Council—will be sent to the NEH Chairman. By law, only the
Chairman is empowered to make an award. More details about NEH’s review process
are available here.
How long must I wait to learn
the outcome of my application?
Applicants will be
notified of the decision by e-mail in July 2017.
One non-humanities grant
PAR-14-231
Exploratory Studies of Smoking Cessation Interventions for People with Schizophrenia (R33)
Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
More non-humanities grants
