A Note on Timelines

Meet with the Dean of Faculty

Schedule a meeting with the Dean of Faculty to discuss your idea for a scholarly, artistic or curriculum development project. The Dean will help you determine if your idea is better suited for internal or external funding.

Identify Funding Agencies Interested in Your Subject Area

The Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations can help you identify potential sources of external funding. You’ll find links to some major funding agencies (i.e. NSF, NEA) on the faculty development section of the college web site. Of course, for many faculty, the listservs and newsletters within their particular academic field provide monthly, if not daily, announcements about grant opportunities.

Complete the “Grant Project Approval Form”

Craft a brief narrative describing the project for which you are seeking funding. Submit that narrative along with a Grant Project Approval Form to the Dean of Faculty. Once signed by the Dean, the Grant Project Approval Form slates your proposal (and its deadline) as a priority for the Advancement and Finance offices. (Note: The Grant Project Approval Form is available on-line or from the Office of the Dean of Faculty).

Develop the Formal Proposal

Successful faculty grant-writers precisely follow the funding agency’s specific guidelines for proposal form, content and length; they also “translate” their intimate knowledge of an academic field into narratives that are meaningful to outside decision-makers.

The Academic Grant Support Team (AGST) will be happy to provide you with feedback about your proposal. The AGST members represent a wide variety of academic disciplines; as such, some can offer you field-specific guidance on your proposal’s goals, while others can offer you that critical “non-expert” read to ensure that your proposal will be clear and persuasive to decision-makers who don’t share your academic background.

Submit your draft proposal and the funding agency’s guidelines to the Assistant Dean/Faculty Development Coordinator, who will forward the materials to the AGST. Normally, the AGST will provide you with written feedback within thirty (30) days of receiving your materials.

Develop a Budget

Grant budgets can be tricky to project because many “hidden” but significant costs come into play if you plan to hire student workers, if the project requires significant on-campus administration or if college “match” funds are involved. The Controller and the Vice President of Finance keep abreast of federal and state regulations that govern such expenses and requirements; meet with them early in your budget-projection process so they can help you take such costs into account. Additionally, the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations can assist you in presenting your budget in a manner that meets the funding agency’s requirements.

Complete the Grant Submission Process

All external grant proposals require particular “signatories” or signed authorizations for submission. Likewise, the College itself requires that key officers sign off on all grants prior to submission to an external agency. Take the following steps to ensure that your grant proposal is properly authorized prior to submission:            

• At least forty-five (45) days prior to the funding agency’s submission deadline, send an electronic copy of your proposal and the funding agency's submission guidelines to the Dean of Faculty. The Dean may require additional revisions to the proposal before approving it to move forward.
• After the Dean approves your proposal, send copies electronically to all other required signatories: VP of Finance, VP of Advancement and Director of Information Technology Services. They review proposals to ensure compliance with legal matters, compatibility of new technologies and the like. They will respond with any concerns within 10 business days of receiving your proposal.
• Finally, provide the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations with both print and electronic copies of your final proposal, as well as the funding agency's submission requirements. He will circulate a Ripon College Grant Submission Approval Form and the final proposal on your behalf to all required signatories. He then will submit your proposal to the funding agency along with a letter of support from the President.

Administering Grant Funds

When you receive notice that an external agency has approved your request for funding, immediately notify the Dean of Faculty, the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, and the Controller, so that they may begin the process of setting up the accounts you will need to administer your grant in accordance with college, funding agency and government requirements. If you receive notice that a grant proposal has been denied, please copy the written notification to the Dean of Faculty, the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, and the Controller.

Final Reporting