Thinking Ahead | The Southwestern Campaign

GRANTS: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I missed the three-weeks-in-advance date for submitting the Proposal Overview form online. Is it too late?

Hopefully not. Send everything in as soon as possible. Our office circulates the proposals to get the necessary internal sign-offs, which takes time. Some people required to sign may be traveling or on vacation.

Why is there so much red tape involved in grant submission? Isn't this just making the process harder?

Glad you asked. Some foundations or government agencies may not allow the University to submit more than one proposal in a given time frame. In the case of large foundations where Southwestern has a longstanding relationship, there may already be proposal ideas under development. To maximize the benefits from these funding sources, the University needs to coordinate our approach.

The Provost's office and the Office of Fiscal Affairs have to evaluate the impact that grant projects have on the internal workings of the University. Impacts on teaching loads, the need for additional office space and IT support, matching requirements and other costs to Southwestern are all examples of things that need to be addressed up front to make sure the project will be feasible. The President personally reviews all proposals over $15,000 and those that require matching funds.

Do all grant requests have to go through the Proposal Clearance process?

No. For example, summer fellowships taking place elsewhere, travel stipends, Sam Taylor Fellowships and ACS Technology Grants have not typically been required to follow the internal routing process. If the University is not going to be the fiscal agent and there are no other commitments on the part of the University, then your project may not need to go through these channels. Feel free to email Larkin at toml@southwestern.edu if in doubt.