External Grant Development Award

• Supports faculty actively preparing a named external grant submission.
• Varied award amounts of $5,000–$20,000 per application, based on the actual needs of the project.
• Applicants must identify a specific, named external funding organization (e.g., NEH/NEA, NIH, NSF, Mellon) and a submission timeline. This award is not for early-stage or undefined grant exploration.
• Funds can cover preliminary data collection, consultants, proposal development workshops, collaborator travel, and subcontract negotiation costs.
• Paired with the Radow College existing grantsmanship workshops led by the Associate Dean of Research — mirroring the Hanover Grant Academy model. Funded faculty receive both capital and coaching.

The External Grant Development Award exists to close the gap between a viable grant idea and a submitted application by funding the concrete costs associated with proposal development. Faculty apply once they have identified a specific target sponsor and mechanism, and funds are scaled ($5,000–$20,000) to the actual cost of getting that particular application submission-ready. The award is intentionally paired with college’s grantsmanship workshops so that funded faculty receive both capital and coaching in the same cycle.

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• Full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member in Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences, in good standing.
• Actively preparing a specific, named external grant application.  The applicant must identify the target funding organization (e.g., NEH/NEA, NIH, NSF, Mellon, or other named federal/foundation sponsor) and the specific program or mechanism.
• Must provide a submission timeline, including anticipated internal/institutional deadlines and the sponsor’s posted due date.
• Faculty who have received a Research Excellence & Impact Award or Interdisciplinary & Community-Engaged Research Grant may also apply for this award to fund specific proposal-development costs, provided funds do not duplicate expenses already covered by another internal award.
• Radow College interdisciplinary collaborators are eligible and encouraged; however, one Radow College faculty lead must be designated as the PI for administrative purposes.
• Strongly encouraged (though not required): concurrent or prior participation in Radow’s grantsmanship workshops offered by the Associate Dean of Research.

1. Rolling Submission: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, given the award’s flexible size and faculty-specific timelines. Faculty should apply as soon as a target sponsor and mechanism are identified.
2. Application Packet: Submitted via the college’s designated system (e.g., InfoReady or email to the Associate Dean of Research).
3. Required Components:
   –    Brief project description (1–2 pages): research focus, significance, and current stage of proposal development.
   –    Named target sponsor and mechanism (e.g., NEH/NEA Fellowships, a specific NSF program, an NIH mechanism such as R21, or the Mellon Foundation).
   –    Submission timeline with key dates, including the sponsor’s deadline.
   –    Itemized budget request ($5,000–$20,000) with justification tied to specific allowable expense categories.
   –    Brief explanation of how the requested funds move the application to submission-ready status.
4. Biosketch (sciENcv) for all faculty team members 
5. Internal Review: Applications reviewed by the ADR Office using an Evaluation Rubric.
6. Notification & Award Setup: Successful applicants will be notified in writing by email; funding will be made available through the college’s research administration process. Awardees are encouraged to enroll concurrently in Radow’s grantsmanship workshop series.

Applications are reviewed by the Associate Dean of Research on a rolling basis. Review criteria emphasize the specificity and credibility of the named sponsor and mechanism, the realism of the submission timeline, and the direct connection between requested costs and proposal readiness. Because award amounts are flexible, the review also evaluates whether the requested amount is appropriately scaled to the described need. The review may request revisions or clarification before final funding decision; awards are competitive and not guaranteed based on eligibility alone.

Total: 100%. Minimum threshold score for funding recommendation to be determined by the reviewer. 

Examples of Allowable Expenses:

• Preliminary or pilot data collection directly supporting the named proposal.
• Consultant fees (grant-writing, statistical, methodological, or subject-matter expert review).
• Registration or participation costs for research and proposal development workshops, including Radow’s own grantsmanship workshops where fees apply.
• Collaborator travel needed to finalize the proposal (site visits, in-person planning meetings, program officer meetings).
• Summer salary in June.

Not Allowable:

• Conference travel to present research (please request this support from your department).
• General departmental operating costs unrelated to the named proposal.
• Equipment purchases not directly tied to the proposal’s aims.
• Retroactive reimbursement for costs incurred before award notification.
• Indirect/overhead costs (award is direct-cost only unless otherwise specified by the college).
• Funding for exploratory ideas without an identified sponsor and mechanism.
• Duplicate funding for costs already covered by another internal award for the same proposal.
• All funding must be expended or encumbered by the date noted in your written award notification and is subject to standard institutional budget and procurement policies.

• Primary Deliverable: Submission of the named external grant application to the identified sponsor by the stated timeline.
• Progress Check-in: A brief written update is required if the submission timeline extends beyond six months from award receipt.
• Final Report: Upon submission, awardee must provide confirmation details (sponsor, mechanism, amount requested, submission date).
• Acknowledgment: Any resulting proposal, presentation, or publication arising from award activities should acknowledge Radow College Research Advancement Award support.
• Non-Completion: Awardees who do not submit to the named sponsor within 12 months of award receipt must provide a written explanation to the Associate Dean of Research; this may affect eligibility for future awards.
• Strategic Reporting: Aggregate outcomes (submission counts, sponsors targeted, dollar amounts requested, funding decisions) will be reported by the Radow College Associate Dean of Research to support college-level research development metrics.
• Workshop Pairing: Awardees are strongly encouraged to participate in Radow College’s grantsmanship workshop series during the award period to maximize proposal quality and leverage the college’s coaching investment.