Grant Resource Center

1. Identifying a Project
   Work with your Dean or VP to select or create a project or program that aligns with your skills, departmental strategy, and university mission. A strong proposal always starts with innovative ideas, a demonstrated need in the field, and a strong proof of concept.
    
2. Grant Information Form
   Once you have an identified funding need, fill out the Grant Information Form on Etrieve. This is a required internal form for proposal tracking, internal approval, and compliance. It must be completed and approved by relevant approvers before proposal development can continue and before a submission can be made. Please use this guide if you need help logging into etrieve or using the form. 
    
3. Identifying a Funder
   If you do not have an identified funder when you fill out the Grant Information Form, Institutional Advancement and Sponsored Programs will help you identify potential funders.
    
4. Proposal Development
   Depending on the funder, your proposal may be a detailed application form or simply based on a suggested outline. Beyond the required proposal elements, your proposal should clearly align with goals and vision with your funder. Institutional Advancement and Sponsored Programs can share history, trend data, past giving, and contacts to help guide your proposal development.
    
5. Submission
   Your Grant Information Form must be approved before submission to ensure the grant complies with internal and external regulations. The Office of Sponsored Programs submits all government grants, while Institutional Advancement submits foundation grants. Occasionally, a P.I. will have a close relationship with a private foundation program manager, and the grant should be submitted by the P.I. with Advancement in cc. 
    
6. Managing Your Grant
   P.I.s are responsible for the timely and accurate use of grant funds as outlined by the proposal. Roger Central is used to track budget vs. actuals in real-time. If you have questions about your GL, purchasing, or Roger Central, please contact Finance directly.
    

   The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs has developed an Introduction to Grant Management Course – An online video instruction of eight modules on varied subject which provide an overview of managing and administering externally funded projects at Roger Williams University.    Principal Investigators are encouraged to view the contents to gain familiarity with the procedures and responsibilities of conducting research and other sponsored programs at RWU.
   
   To Access the Course:  Please navigate to Bridges in Chrome or Firefox to the Following Link:
   
   Introduction to Grant Administration
   
   Click “Yes” to be added to the site and Join as a Member.  The Introduction to Grant Administration course will appear in the site navigation across the top of the screen.
    

7. Reporting on Your Grant
   Final reporting on the use of funds and grant outcomes. Reporting requirements may be defined by the funder or created by the P.I. in the evaluation and assessment section of your proposal. Similar to the submission process, required reporting and important stewardship is submitted through Institutional Advancement and Sponsored Programs. 

Adherence to University and funder policies is essential for the success of a grant and the long term relationship with the funder. Essential policies and forms are linked below:

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
Human Subjects Review Board (HSRB)
Research Misconduct Policy
Annual Conflict of Interest Form
Grants Policies and Procedures
Grant Conflict of Interest Form
University Policy for Distribution of Recovered Indirect Costs

How long does it take to get a grant?
It can take up to three years to get a large grant when taking into account proposal development, application and funding timelines, and relationship building with new funders. Shovel-ready funding requests with a clearly aligned funder can take as little as a month. With such a wide range it is helpful to keep in contact with Institutional Advancement and Sponsored Programs about long-range funding needs so that a responsive funding pipeline can be developed.

I have a grant. What's my GL?
Please contact Finance directly for any questions about spending or tracking your grant.

Who establishes priorities for fundraising at the University?
Priorities for funding requests are set by the Office of the President, the Provost, the Deans, and VPs according to the University's mission, vision, and strategy.

May I apply on my own if I know the funder?
No. The University’s internal review process makes sure that the proposal meets with administrative approvals, documentation standards, and institutional strategy. Also, the administration works jointly with P.I.s to maintain consistency and integrity of approach through on-going relationships with funding agencies.

What are some of the most important things for me to know?
Be sure to consider whether you have the time available to spend on writing and revising your project proposal and budget and actually coordinating the project once funds have been secured. Finally, determine what you are going to do when grant money ends. You have a better chance of securing a grant if you have a good long-range plan for supporting your activity after the grant period is over.

What is the difference between a grant, a gift, and a contract?
A gift is an outright donation to the University. It may be a general gift to be used at the University’s discretion or it may be for a specific purpose. A grant is given to attain specified project objectives that have been proposed by the University and agreed to by the University and the grantor. A contract is an agreement between the University and an external funding source; whereby, certain provisions of services or products are “contracted” to be delivered by the University to the grantor.

Cost Share
Cost sharing may be indicated when required by the funder or when the cost of a program is not fully covered by a grant proposal. These budgeted commitments of University resources must be approved in advance of the proposal. 

Direct Costs
Directs costs are the budgeted foreseeable expenses of a grant. This includes staff time, materials, travel, etc. Direct costs do not include overhead such as utilities, administrative support, rent, etc. These are indirect costs.

Grant Information Form
The Grant Information Form is required an internal approval and proposal tracking tool. 

Guidelines
Grant guidelines are the specific set of rules laid out by the funder for applicants to follow when developing a proposal. This usually includes required proposal elements, prescribed formatting, applicant eligibility, allowed expenses, etc.

HSRB (Human Subjects Review Board)
The Human Subjects Review Board exists to protect individuals who participate in research conducted at RWU or by a member of the RWU community. To learn more about compliance or if your work requires HSRB approval, please visit our HSRB site.

IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee)
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) the responsibility of review and written approval of all research and related teaching activities involving the use of vertebrate animals, conducted under the auspices of a school, department, or other unit within the University. To learn more please visit our IACUC site.

Indirect Cost
Indirect cost payments reimburse the University for expenses incurred during the course of a grant-funded project. Such expenses include use of the libraries, student services, personnel, payroll, grants administration, utilities, grounds maintenance, janitorial services, sanitation services, and similar expenditures that cannot be readily identified with a single grant-supported project or program. Private funders dictate whether or which indirects may be eligible under a grant. RWU negotiates a single indirect rate for federal grants. 

LOI (Letter of Interest or Intent)
An LOI is a formal communication with the funder that precedes a grant proposal, indicating interest in applying and a general concept for proposal.

PI (Principal Investigator)
The principal investigator is the faculty or staff leading the grant. Some grants may have co-P.I.'s. 

RFP (Request for Proposals)
A request for proposals is a formal announcement of the funding opportunity, objectives, eligibility, and deadlines. 

Subaward
A subaward is really a “sub-grant” and represents a portion of contracted work under a larger grant-funded project that is to be provided by one or more other institutions or organizations (third parties). The third-party must provide an accountable PI for the worksite who will be responsible for required oversight of the project and generating the necessary reports. This is a standard way to organize partnerships or coalitions to work together. 

Subawardee
A subawardee is receiving a portion of another institution's grant, as budgeted in the primary applicant's proposal.

Stewardship
Stewardship is the ongoing and long-term communication with a funder that includes formal reporting, informal updates and communications on grant progress, and award acknowledgment. Strong stewardship builds trust and long term partnership with funders.