The Grants Office is the only formal THR authority to review, submit and accept sponsored projects for external funding for a THR entity. Prior to submission, you must have additionally reviewed your proposed budget with THR Grant Accounting. This is necessary to ensure that all research and other extramurally funded projects conducted by THR employees, or with the use of THR resources or facilities, comply with relevant federal, state, and THR policies. These policies include but are not limited to:

  • Appropriateness of the activity to THR
  • Conflicts of interest
  • Integrity in research (fraud and misconduct)
  • Liability, insurance, and indemnification issues
  • Intellectual property
  • IRS regulations
  • Personnel policies, including equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and compensation of employees
  • Proper reporting of research activity to various federal agencies and others
  • Protection of human subjects, animals, and the environment
  • Publication rights
  • Recovery of direct and indirect (F&A) costs
  • Use of THR equipment and facilities
  • Completion of time sheets that reflect services under the Statement of Work
  • All other conditions specified in the award document

Exceptions are:

  • Concept papers or white papers that are used in the development of a proposal.
  • Most pre-proposals and letters-of-intent should be routed through the Grants Office prior to submission since they often require THR approval.
    Carefully review the sponsoring agency’s guidelines. Contact the Grant’s office when the sponsor requests a formal, official proposal with a commitment of THR resources.

    Additionally, all budgets must be reviewed and approved by THR Research Finance.

Collaborations

With projects that are in collaboration with other organizations, such as universities, THRE (on behalf of THR) can either be the prime contractor, subcontractor or joint collaborator. In all cases, the resources required for the THR/THRE portion of work will be clearly identified and coordinated prior to submission of the proposal and will be included in the award to THRE.

Planning your Proposal

Investigators should plan a minimum of fourteen (14) working days prior to the sponsor’s deadline for the Grant’s office to process the proposal. Please see flowchart for submissions. Last minute applications are always accepted. As all applications require a complete review, we cannot guarantee that proposal deadlines will be met for those that are submitted less than 14 days prior to the submission deadline. Incorrect or incomplete applications will result in additional review/processing delays. Although most applications are submitted electronically, keep in mind submission systems can become congested with last minute submissions close to the deadline.

Contact Grants Office

Award Process
  • Pre-Award Process
    Effective and ongoing communications between the applicant and the funding agency during the Pre-Award, Award and Post-Award Processes is critical.  Even if an application receives favorable initial review, a number of pre-award activities to determine the readiness of an institution and its staff to receive an award must occur. The grantor may ask the applicant to address scientific concerns, provide additional documentation as well as assurances and certifications. The grantor will conduct cost and capabilities analyses before an award will be made.  If the grantor perceives any deficiencies they may impose restrictive terms and conditions in the final contract or delay issuing the award until all standards have been met.
  • Award Process

    The Principal Investigator (PI)/ Program Manager (PM) will be notified by THRE Research Administration when a Notice of Award (NoA) is received. This does not mean that the project in question has been funded. Before funds can be allocated to a project, THR and the grantor must both agree to and approve the terms of the award. Refer to the Award Negotiations & Funding document for more information about this process.

    Research Administration will negotiate all sub-contracts and Finance will assign a project number to the award to facilitate funds receipts, disbursements and reporting. The Principal Investigator (PI)/ Program Manager (PM) will be notified once this process is complete.

  • Post-Award Process

    Once a NoA is received, the PI/ PM can expect his/her management role to expand and an ongoing relationship with Research Administration and Finance as well as the grantor to develop. The Pre-/Post-Award Responsibilities diagram graphically depicts these interactions from the PI/PM perspective.

    The financial support the grantor has committed to the project begins when the recipient organization starts drawing down funds. This signals the grantor that the recipient and their institution agree to comply with all terms and conditions of the award. Refer to the Award Negotiations & Funding document for more information about this process.

    Once a grant funded project has begun, the PI is responsible for a number of administrative and reporting tasks as well as for renewing required certifications.

    Recipients must also submit a variety of certifications and reports during the lifecycle of a grant. These reports will be based on individual award requirements. All reports must be accurate, complete, and submitted on time.

    The roles of the Grants Office and THRE Finance do not end with Award negotiations. Each plays an ongoing part in successful administration of the grant. Refer to the Post-Award Administration document for more information about the individual responsibilities of the PI, Grants Office and THRE Finance.

Open AllClose All

Helpful Resources

Open AllClose All

Grant FAQ
  • What is the difference between a grant and a gift?

    Grants are awarded by a government or other organization (the grantor) to an eligible recipient (the grantee) for specific purposes. Grants are usually conditional upon certain qualifications as to the use, standards, or fund matching. Grants typically require performance monitoring and periodic budgetary reporting to the sponsor to ensure the conditions for award are being satisfied during the award period and also at the end of the project. The Award/Post-Award navigation bar explains these requirements in more detail.

    Gifts are made by an individual or an organization to a nonprofit organization, charity or private foundation. Charitable donations are commonly in the form of cash, but can also take the form of tangible assets or services. Gifts are typically for a specific endeavor, short in duration, and usually do not require post-award reporting to the donor. The THR Foundation is your resource for information on available gifts and the application process.

  • What should I know about a funding organization before submitting a grant application?

    It is important to identify funders who have an interest in program areas (eg., education, nutrition, health) similar to yours and who either devote resource to your geographic location or fund a broad service area. Since THR is a 501K non-profit organization, you will look for funding intended for non-profits.

    Federal and State government grant offerings are constantly being augmented and foundations re-focus their interests periodically. Available grant funding may come from unlikely sources so don’t eliminate grantors just because they have not offered grants supporting your program in the past. You may find a one-time grant offering with a single application deadline or a grant with multiple cyclical application deadlines. Some foundations also accept applications on a rolling basis when funds are available. Don’t assume that it’s too late to apply just because the grant opened a year ago. Instead look at the closing date. If your application deadline is 18 months before final grant closure, it might still be worth your time to apply.

    Before spending a lot of time on a particular federal grant, you should check the grant code to determine whether it will apply to your project. You should also determine whether the grant is intended for specific groups like Nurses, Academic researchers, etc. Moreover, you should note whether a grant has a matching fund requirement and determine whether your department or project can meet this requirement.

  • How can I know my project is worth pursuing?
    Conducting a literature search is usually the first step in determining whether your project will be redundant or cutting edge. For some projects, having strong support in the literature lends credibility to your proposal. But finding similar projects that have not been successful may discourage you unless you have a novel approach.
  • How do I write a budget for my grant application?
    Your budget is a key element of your application. A breakdown of types of costs that should be considered in formulating a budget can be found in the Budget section of “How to write a grant proposal”. Your job will be to account for all the expenses associated you’re your project. Calculations of indirect/overhead costs and fringe benefits can be calculated by the Grants Office during their preliminary review.
  • What is cost sharing or matching funds?

    Cost sharing includes cash and in-kind contributions. Cost share includes items to be applied to a project such as personnel, supplies, equipment that are not intended to be solely committed to your project. In-kind contributions are committed to a project by a third party and may include supplies, equipment, real property and the value of goods and services specifically intended for the grant project. Grantors may have specific guidelines for defining cost sharing.

    Matching funds are those that have been/will be provided for your project from another grant or gift in order to fully fund your activities. Some grantors require that their awards be matched by another agency as a condition for funding your project or for even considering your application.

  • Who can help me with information requested for state and federal grants?
    The Grants Office usually has all the information needed to satisfy state and federal grant requirements eg., DUNS numbers, congressional district numbers, etc.
  • What is an "Award"?
    For the Principal Investigator or Program Manager, a Notice of Award (NoA) means that the grantor has conditionally agreed to fund their project. However, the NoA which is an official document comprised of the final approved budget, period of performance and the terms and conditions of the award is just the next step in the process. Since the amount of an award is sometimes less than initially expected, THR and the grantor must both agree to and approve the terms of the award before any funding will be released.
  • What do I do if I am notified that my grant has been accepted?
    You should forward this notification to the Grants Office immediately. There are many activities that must be finalized before grant funds can be accepted and after funding has been received. THR's Research Finance Officer is responsible for many of the funding and reporting activities. Program Managers and Principal Investigators work closely with the Finance Officer to ensure that grants are administered properly.

Open AllClose All

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience on our website and help us
understand how our site is used as described in our Privacy Statement and Terms of Use. By
using this website, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.
Accept and Close