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. For more information, see Grants Workshop slides.

Overview
An application for external funding is one step in a grants life cycle that begins with idea generation and culminates in sharing your scholarship with the broader community:

Proposal Development and Timelines
Once you have developed your project idea and have identified a funder, it is time to connect with the Office of Research to plan your proposal. Proposal development typically takes at least 2-4 months, as shown below.

Required Steps in Proposal Development
Please follow these steps as you prepare your proposal:

Submit your Intent to Apply form at least 8 weeks before the grant deadline.
- The form will be used to notify key administrators and staff that you intend to prepare a proposal. The form will be routed to your dean or administrative supervisor, department chair, and SMC’s Business Office.
Contact and set a meeting with Office of Research staff (office_of_research@stmarys-ca.edu) to discuss proposal development, including timelines, data needs, budgeting, and institutional approvals
Plan for a submission date at least 3 business days ahead of the published deadline.

Application Routing and Approvals
Fill in your External Grant Routing form. The Office of Research will route your form along with your project summary and budget.

The External Proposal Form is used to review and approve all sponsored funding requests.
Applications must be approved by the PI/project director’s dean or supervisor, the Office of Research, Business Office, Provost’s Office, and the Vice President for Finance and Administration
Submit your external grant routing form 7 business days ahead of the published deadline. This allows time for all approvers to sign off and for Office of Research staff to process your submission.
Saint Mary’s submission deadline is 3 business days prior to the funding agency’s absolute deadline.

Routing Flow

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

Identify prospective funding opportunities
Submit the Intent to Apply form
Design the project
Write the proposal content except for college boilerplate
Consultation with the Office of Research in the preparation of the budget
Gather supporting documents required for the application
Involve your dean or supervisor and your department chair of your proposal plans
Fill in External Proposal Routing form
Follow SMC Office of Research guidance related to budget development and proposal approvals

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

Guide faculty and staff in proposal development
Provide advice on funders' guidelines and how to make the proposal competitive
Provide Saint Mary's boilerplate
Prepare the proposal’s “business pages” and coordinate proposal approval with institutional administrators
Submit the proposal on behalf of the PI/project director and SMC
Collaborate to negotiate the terms of the award
Once the award is finalized, coordinate hand-off to the Business Office for post-award services