The Award Lifecycle

Finding Funding includes instructions on how to use the funding databases according to which type of project you may be developing (pilot, exploratory, research, collaborative activities, and more) or according to the type of sponsor (federal, state or foundation).

Developing Proposals highlights key information that covers the proposal development process from developing collaborations to beginning the writing process to writing specific proposal sections. Information about submitting a proposal through NIU, including approveals and submission policies can be found here.

Submitting Proposals explains the process for submitting your proposal for external funding along with special considerations and the recommended timeframes for working with SPA for an on-time successful submission.

Contract proposals also follow this process. Standard deadlines apply but contract negotiation may impact timelines. 

Preparing Budgets provides information to help you when preparing budgets for proposal submission and when managing awards, including key budgeting concepts like common direct costs and best practices for cost allocation. Budget and budget justification templates can also be found on this page.   

Receiving Awards provides helpful information regarding the process following proposal submission and awaiting new awards.

Managing Awards supplies awardees with the information and tools for managing projects (accessing budgets, submitting progress reports, etc.) from beginning to end and all the important steps in-between.

Effort and Effort Reporting summarizes the concept of effort and includes resources to assist with accurate budgeting and charging of labor costs on grants.