Proposal Preparation Steps and Funding Research:
To start: Contact the grant development specialist
Office of development, (417) 255-7731, to provide grant announcements and forms. These materials will be reviewed with the office of research administration to determine if it is appropriate to pursue.
Next: Initiate grant proposal preparation
Summarize the concept of the proposal, review the funder's instructions, prepare a draft, consult colleagues and prepare a draft budget.
Then: Complete the internal approval form
Complete the form with the required signatures, budget estimates and return to the development office for transmittal.
- For 501(c)(3) requests: the grant development specialist must contact the Missouri State University Foundation
- For federal and state requests: coordinate the application process with the grant development specialist
- Finalize the electronic or hard copy at least five days before the due date.
- The grant development specialist must submit the proposal to the office of research administration for review.
- The office of research administration staff secures the approval signatures and submits to the funding organization.
- The office of research administration will send a confirmation notice to Missouri State-West Plains.
Faculty and staff are encouraged to identify unfunded campus needs, develop new project ideas and look for external resources. The grants development specialist on the West Plains campus is available to assist faculty and staff in all phases of the grant preparation process:
- Seeking funding sources: using online resources and subscription databases
- Preparing the grant competition factsheet: to highlight grant requirements for administrative review
- Initial planning of proposal, budget and logic model: prepare outline and documentation
- Office of research administration review: work with Springfield staff to provide proposal documents and make changes as necessary
Private foundation requests that require a copy of a 501(c)(3) document should be discussed with staff at the Missouri State University Foundation early in the proposal planning process. The Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that encourages private financial support for Missouri State University programs and services.
Government or public-sector requests should be discussed with the grant development specialist and office of research administration staff to better understand the application package. Packages include the request-for-proposal (RFP), agency guidelines, required forms and other materials.
During the pre-application (idea or concept stage), faculty and staff should make sure that the funding opportunity selected is a good match for the institution's long-range plan. One tool often used at this stage is a "grants decision diagram" for new programs. An example that can be useful to evaluate a grant proposal is described below.