Once you have identified a funding opportunity, it's time to prepare a proposal. SPA staff will work with you on the development of your proposal including identifying and helping to complete forms needed to submit proposal. Check out the Grant Writing Resources for more information on preparing a competitive proposal.
Grant Writing Resources
- WMed Grant Template Repository
- A repository of proposal template text for PI reference and use. This section is password protected with access restricted to WMed faculty and staff. If you are unable to access the repository contact the Pre-Award Coordinator for assistance.
- NIH Application Guide (guidebook)
- Grant Writing for New Investigators (Podcast)
- How to Tell Your Story (Podcast)
- Sample Applications
- NIH has developed four video modules , with accompanying discussion materials that focus on integral components of reproducibility and rigor in the research endeavor.
Preparing the Budget
The budget gives an overall financial picture of your proposed project and helps the funder determine if the project is fundable. Funders review budgets to verify that costs are reasonable, necessary, and in keeping with budget guidelines.
SPA staff will work with you to develop a budget that will be submitted in conjunction with the Sponsored Award Approval Form (SPAF). This budget must be completed two weeks before the grant submission proposal date and will be reviewed and approved by a WMed Authorized Official. Once approved, SPA staff will work to input budget information into funder’s required format.
Facilities and Administrative Costs
Budgets will include both direct and indirect costs or Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Costs. F&A Costs are those costs that cannot be readily identified with a particular sponsored program. These costs include general administration, accounting, building utilities and maintenance, and any other costs associated with supporting a sponsored program that are not represented by a line item in the budget.
WMed recovers F&A costs associated with sponsored programs by applying an F&A rate to the direct costs charged to a sponsored program. WMed has established and documented F&A rates that must be incorporated into budgets for sponsored programs.
| Applicability | Location | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Grant Funded Research and Instruction | On-Campus | 51% |
| Grant Funded Research and Instruction | Off-Campus | 24% |
| Other Sponsored Activities | On/Off-Campus | 24% |
| Industry Funded Clinical Research | On/Off-Campus | 30% |
Rules surrounding the allowability and application of F&A rates vary between sponsors. All sponsored program budgets must take into account F&A costs at the appropriate rate. SPA is available to support the development of sponsored program budgets including determination of the appropriate F&A rate and direct cost base. Waiver or reduction of F&A costs for sponsored programs requires institutional approval and must be requested through SPA.