Emory & Henry College: Grants

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a grant?
The American Heritage Dictionary defines a grant as, "a giving of funds for a specific purpose". In the context of higher education, grants:

are like venture capital
enable individuals and institutions to make a leap forward in their work
represent an agreement between the funding agency and the principal investigator/project director to implement the project as described in the grant application
signify the informed approval of peers in the field
have enforceable terms and conditions
are very competitive
offer something new, refreshing, and enlightened
convince the funding agency of the ability of the project director to carry out the proposed project or program
demonstrate a tangible vote of confidence from the funding community for the project
are not contracts, which are a means of procurement for services
are not charitable gifts
are not necessarily donations to the institution as a whole (e.g., individual faculty research grants).

Why is grant money available?
A grant is a tool the federal government, state agencies, private foundations, corporations, and other organizations use to achieve their larger goals.

Who must provide internal approval for my proposal and why?
The Emory & Henry employee’s direct supervisor, the Executive Council member for his or her area/division, the Director of Foundation & Corporate Relations, and the President’s office must all approve the project concept and sign-off on the Pre-proposal Grant Coordination Form and the Match Commitment Form (if applicable) before research can begin to find grant funding and before a proposal may be submitted. The steps in this process are to:

discuss your project idea with the direct supervisor, the Executive Council member for your area, and the Director of Foundation & Corporate Relations a minimum of eight weeks prior to the grant deadline;
complete the Grant Pre-Proposal Coordination Form and include the Match Committment Form, when applicable;
obtain the signatures from your direct supervisor and the Executive Council member;
ask the direct supervisor to route the completed forms to the Director of Foundation & Corporate Relations in the Office of Institutional Advancement who will, in turn, present the pre-proposal package to the President for review and approval, and
wait for further instructions regarding your application from your direct supervisor.

The Office of Institutional Advancement has developed this process to ensure that resources and staff time are being committed to support the strategic priorities of Emory & Henry College. Even individual research projects can have an impact on the distribution and use of institutional resources such as equipment, lab space and time, and the teaching obligations of faculty. Issues that are factored into these decisions include the likelihood of funding, matching fund requirements, and the sustainability of the program or project.

The Office of Institutional Advancement monitors all submissions to public and private funding sources to avoid internal conflicts and to ensure that Emory & Henry's fundraising and academic goals are being served. The clearance process ensures that multiple proposals from various departments are not being submitted to the same funding source at the same time and competing against each other.

Do I need to have a funding source in mind, or do I just need an idea?
Grant seekers do not need to have a funding source in mind, although having identified and researched a specific grant program in advance is advantageous. Grant seekers may request the assistance of the Office of Institutional Advancement in finding other funding sources. The project idea should be sufficiently well-defined that searches can be done efficiently to reveal the most likely grants sources. Potential grant seekers should familiarize themselves with all keywords related to their research or program interests.

Grant seekers, at a minimum, must be able to supply accurate search terms to the Director of Foundation & Corporate Relations to make the research process productive. The Grant Pre-proposal Coordination Form is an aid to grant seekers in program planning and should provide the basis for grant research.

How do I find out about grant opportunities in my discipline?
One of the best ways to locate funding opportunities is to talk to colleagues and monitor the journals and web sites of professional associations. Networking and "word of mouth" information-sharing can be very helpful in seeking grant funding. All faculty, staff and administration interested in pursuing grant funding should routinely visit web sites of the major funding agency in their fields and which provide information about potential grants:

Grants.gov
(E&H is authorized to submit applications through this site. Contact the Director of Foundation & Corporate Relations for assistance.)
National Science Foundation
National Institutes of Health
National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Arts
US Department of Education

Most of these agencies also offer e-mail alert services, which allow a principal investigator to create a profile matching his or her research interests, career phase, funding needs, etc. Hits - or descriptions of grant programs that match the profile - are generated and e-mailed to the prospective grant seeker. Also, the Office of Institutional Advancement staff monitors newsletters and grants information sources and routinely directs information to faculty via e-mail grant alerts.

Who actually applies for the grant? And who gets the money when the grant is awarded?
In general, it is the institution that applies for grants and the President is the signatory on all grant proposals and applications. In the case of research proposals, however, the Principal Investigator (PI) is the applicant and if the PI leaves the institution, the research grant goes with him/her. Actual grant funds are always remitted to the College.

In the vast majority of instances, agencies and private foundations will only make grants to organizations that the Internal Revenue Service has determined to be private and not-for-profit. The exception, again, would be fellowships, which generally cover a researcher's living costs at another institution. In those cases, funding flows through the College to the faculty member.

Where can I get advice on proposal writing?
Proposal writing advice is plentiful on the Internet and in print sources. A small library of books is available in the Institutional Advancement Office. General guidance is also available from the Foundation Center and the Grantsmanship Center. The Social Science Research Council offers advice for researchers in their fields and the Environmental Protection Agency provides one of the best interactive grant writing sites, which includes a grant writing exercise.

How difficult is it to obtain a grant?
Grant seeking is competitive. A grant seeker can greatly improve his/her chances of being awarded a grant by:

closely matching the proposed program guidelines
researching funded proposals at other institutions
contacting program staff or officer to determine their funding priorities
submitting the proposal draft for comments, and
revising drafts in accordance with program officer's advice.

How long does it take to get a grant?
Four to six months is the standard review period among federal agencies from submission until notification. The proposal development process, from the time when a funding opportunity is discovered until the grant is approved, can take longer. Learning the culture of the granting entity and becoming familiar with funding priorities, application guidelines, and the regulations of an agency require an investment of time.

What is the incentive for faculty and staff to apply for grants?
The real incentive for faculty and staff to pursue grants is to obtain the resources to further their work or to test new ideas. Departmental budgets and internal faculty grants are not sufficient to support the research and programmatic activities of all faculty and staff. Funding through grants enables faculty who balance their teaching and research activities to acquire equipment, travel to other facilities, develop new curricula, or provide research experiences for undergraduates. Emory & Henry staff members gain access to funding for special projects and other activities to benefit the College and the community. Grants and the programmatic activities that they fund enhance the reputation of the College, which factors into student, faculty, and staff recruitment. Often success in obtaining grants has a multiplier effect, with one grant positioning a researcher or project director to receive subsequent grants.

Where can I find the College's DUNS or employer ID number and other institutional data required by granting agencies?
The Office of Institutional Advancement will provide grant seekers with information such as the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, the institution's approved rates for indirect costs and fringe benefits, the EIN number, IRS determination letters, forms 990, a copy of the most recent audit, list of current board members and other components of a grant application, including access to electronic submission through grants.gov.

Who has ultimate responsibility for the management of grant-supported projects and the administration of a grant?
The Principal Investigator or Project Director has the responsibility for the day-to-day implementation and administration of the grant project. The Director of Foundation & Corporate Relations will review all reporting documents prior to their submission by the Principal Investigator to the funder. Reports should be submitted to the Director of Foundation & Corporate Relations at least two weeks prior to the funder’s deadline. Copies of all submitted reports should also be forwarded to the Office of Institutional Advancement for inclusion in the project file. Adhering to the project timetable, expending grant funds, and preparing and submitting progress reports is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator. The post-award involvement of the Office of Institutional Advancement staff is generally limited to advising the Principal Investigator on the timely submission of reports according to the funders' specifications, along with the responsibilities outlined here.