How to Apply for External Funding

How to Apply for External Funding

If you are applying for a grant from a government, industry, or other sponsored funder, the Office of Research will process your submission. For corporate and foundation grants, please contact Corporate and Foundation Relations. Feel free to contact us if you need advice.

Applicants should use eGrants for external grant applications to federal, industry, and other funders. See eGrants Resources page for help with submitting Intent to Apply and proposal forms through the system.

For more information, see Grants Workshop slides.

How to Apply for Funding: Overview
1. Alert your dean or director that you are interested in applying for funding.
2. Define your project and identify funding sources and opportunities.
3. Prepare and route the Intent to Apply Form in eGrants (see tutorial).  Submit the form as soon as you know you will be applying for a grant, typically at least six weeks before the proposal is due. 
4. Contact and set a meeting with Office of Research Staff to discuss planning your proposal. 
5. Prepare your proposal and budget.
6. If you are requesting released time from courses, secure the approval of your department.   

Intent to Apply Form in eGrants
Saint Mary’s has two offices that support applications for external funding – the Office of Research and Corporate and Foundation Relations.

• The Intent to Apply form notifies administrators and staff of your plans to apply for external funding.  
• The form includes funder information; application deadlines; a brief project overview; and a checklist of project details. This information helps deans and the staff who would support an application to determine the level of complexity of a proposed project and advise you on proposal development strategies, timelines, and processes.
• As primary investigator (PI) or project director, you will use eGrants to submit your Intent to Apply form (see tutorial).
• The directors of the Office of Research or Corporate and Foundation Relations will review your form and follow up to advise you on next steps for your project.

Proposal Development Roles and Responsibilities
The PI/project director is responsible to:

• Identify prospective funding opportunities;
• Prepare and route the Intent to Apply Form in eGrants (see tutorial);
• Design the project;
• Write the proposal content except for college boilerplate;
• Develop the budget in consultation with the Office of Research;
• Gather supporting documents required for the application;
• Secure the approval of your department. 
• Prepare and route External Proposal Form in eGrants (see tutorial); and
• Submit all application documents for review 5 business days (7 calendar days) ahead of the submission* deadline.

*Saint Mary's College's submission deadline is two business days ahead of the funder's absolute deadline.

The Office of Research provides pre-award services. The office is responsible to: 

• Guide faculty and staff in preparing their Intent to Apply Form. 
• Advise on timeline and strategy for proposal development.
• Provide advice on funders' guidelines and how to make the proposal competitive.
• Provide Saint Mary's boilerplate.
• Prepare business pages and coordinate with the Business Office for its approval.
• Submit the proposal on behalf of the PI/project director and the college.
• Collaborate to negotiate the terms of the award. 
• Once the award is finalized, coordinate hand-off to the Business Office for post-award services.

Proposal Development Process
The PI/project director collaborates with the dean, Office of Research, Business Office, and other offices to develop a proposal.  A typical proposal takes three or more months to develop.  

SAMPLE Proposal Development Timeline and Process

Application Routing, Deadlines, and Timelines
Prior to final proposal submission, the PI/project director circulates the proposal in eGrants by completing the External Proposal Form (see tutorial):

• The External Proposal Form is used to review and approve all sponsored and public funding requests.
• Applications must be approved by the PI/project director’s dean or supervisor and all senior administrators (provost, vice presidents, and vice provosts) whose staff are involved in proposal preparation or project implementation.
• Complete the External Proposal form in eGrants (see tutorial) at least 5 business days* (7 calendar days) prior to the Saint Mary’s submission deadline for the application.  The Saint Mary’s submission deadline is 2-5 days prior to the funding agency’s absolute deadline.

*For a complex project or an institution-wide project that requires extensive review, the External Proposal Form should be submitted up to 10 business days ahead of submission.  The Office of Research will inform you if your project falls into this category.

Questions? Contact Elizabeth J. Gallagher, Director, Office of Research at 925-631-4223 or egallagher@stmarys-ca.edu.