Proposals vary as much as the individuals who write them. In addition to the guidelines published by the Dean of the College, the following suggestions might be useful in developing proposals:

1. Discuss your ideas with colleagues, your department chair, and the deans. Try to assess the impact your proposal will have on your department, other departments, the curriculum, and the College.
2. Locate funding resources. Consult the staff of Corporate and Foundation Relations.
3. Obtain the proposal guidelines and application packet (if available).
4. Read the guidelines and the instructions.
5. Match your ideas and language to the needs and language of the grantor.
6. Assess campus needs and contact the appropriate person. For example, call the Director of Academic Computing for computer needs, the Vice President and Treasurer for space assignment, and the College Librarian for library resources.
7. Obtain the appropriate signatures for the "External Proposal Approval Form/ Sign Off" (available electronically on the "Forms" page of the Dean of the College website and in hard copy in the dean's office suite). Depending on the kind of grant, you may need signatures from the Department Chair, academic computing, the Business Office, Corporate and Foundation Relations, Assessment/Institutional Research, Vice President and Treasurer, and the Dean of the College.

Beyond this, the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations can aid grantseekers by assisting with draft organization and preparation, creating a budget, and editing and submitting proposals. After a grant is awarded, we can also help with the administration of the grant, including monitoring and submitting reports on the grant.