1. Proposal deadline 2. Timeline

 A grant opportunity announcement will include a sponsor deadline for receipt of the proposal.  The instructions will state the method(s) of submission to use.  Mail   Downloadable electronic application package (example: grants.gov)  Online electronic web portal

 Use submission deadline to draft a timeline for the stages in the grant proposal development.  The 2 major purposes of a timeline are to allow adequate time to:  Write and assemble the required parts of a full proposal  Involve all necessary external and internal parties in the review, edit, and approval of the proposal for final submission.

 External parties (outside of Coop):  Individuals or agencies who will partner or collaborate in your grant project if funded.  If they have a budget request or/and match to contribute in the grant proposal, we need their authorized officer approval for their participation in the project.  Internal parties (Coop):  The Project Director, Departmental grant administration staff and Program or Regional Director.  Cooperative Extension Divisional budget office.  UW-Extension Business Services’ Office of Extramural Support (OES):  Final review and request for any remaining edits; gives institutional authorized approval and signature to proposal. Submits the proposal to the sponsor.

Each participant in the review process will need time to: Read draft, provide feedback, and edit or request your edits to the proposal. Provide advance notice when necessary to help participants plan time for your proposal. Complex proposals involving multiple partners and subcontracts or shared grants, required match, and/or numerous attachments such as forms, vitas and signed letters of commitment or intent will take more time.

Budget into your timeline additional time for revisions, to check for and follow-up on missing items, and for contingencies such as participants’ absences from the office or lack of time. Timely and clear communications, and the participants’ understanding of their role and responsibility in the proposal process, are essential for meeting the deadline. It can take days for a participant to obtain their authorized officer’s approval on a letter of commitment. Make sure subrecipients know exactly what items you need from them. List the items in writing.

With subcontracts and shared grants, we not only need their authorized officer approval, we also need to review the materials they submit to us for accuracy before including them in the main proposal. Errors that have been found are:  Wrong date on letter  Incorrect math (doesn’t add up)  Inconsistent numbers between letter, budget narrative and budget form  Missing statement of match commitment or dollar amount.  Missing vitas, current/pending support forms, and other items required by the sponsor from subrecipients.

Monitor sponsor’s s and funding opportunity website for post-announcement changes to their submission guidelines or application forms. Conference calls, webinars, and FAQs may be provided by sponsor for additional instructions and clarification. If you’re not sure of an item or form in the instructions, a sponsor contact name and address or telephone number is usually included for such questions.

 A basic timeline will look like this: UWEX-approved proposal submitted to Sponsor Planning and preliminary data collection Contact potential collaborators and advisors Feedback on project concept UWEX Office of Extramural Support Review, request edits, approve Coop Divisional Budget Office Review, request edits, approve Assign sections of the proposal work Establish internal deadlines Write the proposal draft Final reviews, feedback and revisions Complete application package, check against RFP 5 working days before sponsor deadline months 2-3 months 1-2 weeks

The project director and departmental grants administration staff will coordinate the proposal process.  Make sure everyone stays on tasks and meets deadlines.  All required proposal items are accounted for and checked for accuracy and completeness.  The application package is filled out and all required files attached to it and in the correct file format. The purpose of the timeline is to end up with the best possible proposal to submit on time.