Review the Solicitation
Both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF)
follow established formats for individual research grant applications. Many proposals
also require "standard" sections that appear in nearly every Request for Application (RFA) or Program Announcement
(PA), regardless of project size.
To support you in preparing these recurring components, we have developed tools to help streamline writing while still tailoring each section to your specific goals
and aims.
How to Deconstruct a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)
Initial Questions
- What is the submission deadline?
Does the timeline allow you to prepare a competitive application? Confirm all internal deadlines and begin internal approvals early. - Is there a required letter of intent (LOI) or pre-proposal?
- Are you eligible to serve as the PI?
Do you need to complete any registrations? (eRA Commons, Research.gov, etc.) - Is this a limited submission opportunity?
If so, refer to Limited Submissions for internal requirements.
Program Description
- Does your project align with the agency's research priorities?
- Review publications, reports, workshops, and other materials referenced in the FOA to understand the program vision.
- Are templates, outlines, instructions, or other guidance documents linked in the announcement.
Document Specifications
- What are the page limits?
- What sections count toward the page limits?
- What formatting is required (fonts, margins, spacing)?
- Are headers and footers allowed or required?
- What is the submission method?
- What are the allowable fonts and font sizes? Margin sizes? Spacing requirements?
- Are headers and footers allowed and/or required?
- What is the submission method?
Budget
- What is the budget cap? Can your research be completed within that limit?
- How many awards are expected (i.e., how competitive is it)?
- Is there a cost-sharing requirement?
- Is there a minimum effort requirement for the PI? (PIs generally cannot have 0% effort.)
- What budget format is required (e.g., NIH modular vs detailed budget)?
- Is there a copy on F&A (indirect) costs?
If lower than the University's F&A rate, discuss with your Sponsored Projects Officer. - Are there caps on specific line items?
- Are subawards allowed?
- Is there a salary cap?
Narrative Structure
- What narrative sections are required?
Refer to agency guidance (e.g., NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide) - Are specific headings or subheadings required or recommended?
- If headings are not provided, identify logical headings based on review criteria (e.g., Significance, Goals, Broader Impacts, Evaluation).
- Organize your proposal to mirror the structure described or implied in the FOA.
- Use the agency's terminology throughout to demonstrate alignment with program goals.
- Use headings, graphics, bullets, and bolded text to help reviewers quickly assess how your proposal addresses the review criteria.
Review Criteria
- What criteria will reviewers use?
Are there any unusual or program-specific criteria? - RFAs and PAs may have unique or additional review requirements not found in parent announcements.
- Review the criteria early to ensure alignment across all sections.
Special Required Sections
Examples may include:
- Management Plan
- Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan
- Multi-PI Leadership Plan
- Protection of Human Subjects
- Letters of support or collaboration
Start collecting the required letters early.
If appendices or supplementary documents are permitted, verify which materials are
allowed.
If you have Questions
- Contact your department administrator or your Sponsored Projects Officer.
- Some departments provide additional grant support resources.
- FOAs can contain ambiguities. If something is unclear, contact your Sponsored Projects
Officer or the program official listed in the announcement.
Ask early - some agencies have deadlines for submitting questions.
