Pre-Proposal Activities

Initial Contact with Sponsor

Funding agencies have varying requirements for making initial contacts regarding funding of sponsored projects. These guidelines frequently specify the exact requirements regarding the appropriate means of initial contact (i.e. email, telephone, or pre-proposal).

Once these guidelines are understood, faculty should feel free to contact funding officers directly to discuss the scope of individual projects to ask potential sponsors the kinds of questions that will assist them in submitting a competitive proposal. The sponsors’ officers can offer valuable guidance and assistance to the faculty member in preparing the proposal according to the requirements of their organizations. Before contacting corporations or private foundations, faculty are encouraged to discuss with SP staff; we have additional information that is helpful.

Application Guidelines

Faculty will need to acquire the most recent version of sponsor guidelines from the sponsor’s website.  Follow application guidelines in preparing the proposal.  Organizations return proposals without a review if your proposal does not conform to the application guidelines. Faculty should pay careful attention to:

• page length, margins, font size, and line-spacing;
• limitations placed on the length of resumes or other required materials;
• the deadline date and time for submission of the proposal (date/time of electronic submission to the agency);
• certifications or assurances signed by an authorizing official to be sent with the proposal.

The Authorizing Official at SVSU is the President, Provost, or the Executive Vice President for Administration & Business Affairs.  SP can be of great assistance to you as you prepare your proposal in a timely manner in the preparation of the proposal.  Please contact us to assist.  Our job is to help you find and receive funding!