Call the program manager and discuss your idea to make sure it fits the program.

Read the agencies guidelines. Make sure your proposal responds to the program guidelines. Pay special attention to any information the agency gives you on the review criteria. (For example: NSF will return without review, proposals that do not separately address both of their merit review criteria.) If there are no specific proposal guidelines for sections of the, use the NSF grant proposal guide as a template.

Notify your Contract and Grant Specialist of the program to which you are responding and the due date of the proposal.

Alert your Contract and Grant Specialist any of the following will be included in your proposal:

Subcontracting
Use of Consultants
Intellectual Property Issues
Human Subjects
Animals

The use of subcontracts or consultants for a portion of the proposed work requires additional documentation. Intellectual property issues (patents, software, copyright) should be discussed before the proposal is submitted.

Work with your Contract and Grant Specialist to develop your budget and budget notes, agency forms and current and pending reports.

Allow the time to meet with your Contract and Grant Specialist before the final submission to go over all the sections of the proposal to ensure the proposal is complete.

If cost-sharing is required, your Contract and Grant Specialist will work with you to document the cost-sharing commitments.

To obtain cost-sharing commitments, you will need to contact the following individuals in this order:
- your Department Chair
- your Dean*
- the Vice Provost for Research*

*Be prepared to present an abstract or project summary and a budget.

Keep it simple. Make it simple for the reviewer to navigate through your proposal with clear headings, a reasonable font (use 12-point whenever you can even if the agency allows a smaller font), and readable prose. Pay special attention to agency required page formatting and counts.

Abstract: The abstract is one of the most important sections of your proposal. It sets the tone for your proposal, it may be the only thing some reviewers read, and it may be used by the program manager as justification for funding your proposal! Have a colleague read your abstract to make sure it is clear, free of unnecessary jargon, and paints an accurate picture of your proposed work.

Additional Resources:

If you have not done so already, contact the Research Development Officer in the Vice Provost for Research Office, Pamela Wheat (85450 pds205@lehigh.edu).

SMARTS™ and GENIUS™ service, an on-line service for searching funding opportunities. Contact Pamela Wheat (85450 pds205@lehigh.edu for a password and basic instructions for using the system.