Grants.gov
NSF and most other proposals are submitted through grants.gov, coordinated by the Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG). The following information is meant to help you submit successful proposals that meet the many requirements and deadlines imposed on them. Please send your feedback on this section to Julie.
Written guides
NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, last updated Oct. 2012.
Julie has created detailed presentations that cover many aspects of the proposal process and post-award issues:
- Life Cycle of an Award
- Proposal Writer's Guide (1.7 MB PDF)
- Post-Award Guide (1 MB PDF)
Deadlines
OGC has internal deadlines for proposals to make sure they can get them processed by the agency deadlines. Stein Sture backs them up.
- 3 weeks before the proposal deadline for Grants.gov submittals; 2 weeks before proposal deadline for other submissions: 3 required forms (Basic Info, Questions, and Reviews & Signatures)
- 14 working days: budget for Grants.gov submission
- 10 working days: budget for complex grant (not submitted through Grants.gov)--includes grants with multiple subcontracts, etc.
- 5 working days: budget for grant submission not submitted through Grants.gov
Proposal forms
This page contains links to six forms, each of which is available in Word and PDF formats. The Word .doc version allows you to fill out the form on your computer. The PDF version is intended for printing and filling out by hand.
You can download the forms individually below or all six at once here.
Proposal process
PI/CoPI Personal Info: All INSTAAR PIs and co-PIs should complete this short one-time form of basic personal info. This form must be on file before any Grants.gov submission can be made.
Six steps for submitting a proposal through INSTAAR:
1. Fill out forms and draft budget.
At least 3 weeks before the proposal deadline for Grants.gov submissions and at least 2 weeks for other submissions:
Complete 3 required forms:
- form 1. Basic Info (Word | PDF)
- form 2. Questions (Word | PDF)
- form 3. Reviews & Signatures (Word | PDF) - Includes submittal of info to INSTAAR Director
Create a draft budget and give to INSTAAR Chief Financial Officer Julie Hughes.
Complete an additional form if submitting via Grants.gov
Complete an additional form if using subcontractors or submitting a collaborative proposal (where each university has its own budget and proposal submissions are coordinated)
2. Budget
Work with INSTAAR Chief Financial Officer Julie Hughes to complete your budget. If she is absent for an extended period, she will send out instructions to either work with someone else at INSTAAR or work directly with OCG.
Some items in the budget should be treated differently:
3. Routing
Required only if the proposal requires specific commitments such as matching, IDC splits, etc.
4. OCG completes:
- Routing sheet
- Cover sheet
- Budget sheets
5. PI completes:
- Project summary
- Project description
- Budget Justification (in addition to the standard INSTAAR blurb)
- Bio sketches
- References
- Current and Pending Support (NSF form)
- Facilities, equipment and other resources
6. Proposal submission
OCG will send the proposal to the sponsor when all final text has been received.
Compliance
Wondering who to call for questions about compliance and your research (biosafety, export controls, NSF Responsible Conduct of Research)? Here's the list of people and their contact info.
Extensions
A No-Cost Extension allows the PI additional time, usually a year, to complete the original Scope of Work without additional funds. Learn how to get one.
Equal opportunity
Many of our funding agencies are committed to building diverse communities. They want you to remember that is against the law for recipients of their financial assistance to discriminate on the basis of factors such as race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency), sex, disability, age, and retaliation/reprisal for a previously filed discrimination complaint. For details, check a particular agency's policies such as those of NSF and NASA. For example, see a NASA poster and NASA brochure. Also, check policies for CU-Boulder.
Inflation factors
See the rates as of July 2012.