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External Funding Guidelines

ORSP provides leadership and support to assist faculty and staff to compete successfully for external funding to conduct research and scholarship; engage in creative work; develop curriculum; advance student learning, aid recruitment and retention; and, support campus programming and community outreach.

Kean University seeks external funding to support research, scholarship and creative activity that will advance knowledge in the traditional disciplines, improve skills in professional areas, and integrate research and teaching to enhance student learning. Projects are expected to support Kean’s mission of excellence, equity and access. 

Deadlines

All proposal documents must be submitted to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) a minimum of seven days before the funder’s due date. This internal deadline allows sufficient time to review specific content and formatting requirements and to ensure the budget conforms with the funder’s requirements and with Kean University policies. Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to contact ORSP well ahead of this minimum deadline to take advantage of a wide range of support available from ORSP staff (see ORSP Service Model link).

Proposals that have not been submitted to ORSP by the internal deadline may not be accepted. ORSP will provide support based on available time and resources given existing priorities. Proposals that were submitted by the deadline will have priority. When ORSP cannot meet the deadline because of a late submission by faculty or staff, the Executive Director/Chair and the Dean will be notified.

There may be instances when this deadline cannot be followed, such as late notice from a sponsor or a collaborator, and these will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

University Policies Regarding External Funding

  1. All letters of intent, full proposals and contracts must be submitted by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP); faculty or staff cannot directly apply for grants or other external funding. However, faculty may apply directly for funding that is awarded to the individual and not to the institution. Examples may include certain fellowships and awards from professional associations. Contact ORSP with any questions prior to submitting an application.
  2. Faculty or staff cannot partner with or enter into any agreements with external organizations, schools or school districts without prior authorization from ORSP.
  3. No member of the University community is authorized to solicit funding from foundations, corporations, alumni or individuals either formally or informally. The Kean University Foundation accepts all private donations in accordance with the donor's wishes and for the benefit of the University.
  4. Part-time faculty or staff must partner with a full-time member of the University community to apply for external funding.

Proposal Submission Guidelines

For proposals responding to an announcement or request for proposal from an external funding agency:

The prospective Principal Investigator (PI) should contact ORSP to schedule a planning meeting. This should be done as early as possible to allow time for registering new PIs, developing budgets, obtaining letters of support, etc. As soon as possible after a decision to apply for funding, ORSP will meet with faculty/staff to review the proposal guidelines, plan the proposal submission process, review the required supporting documents, and discuss the development of budgets and budget narratives that fit funding agency guidelines and University policies. Interested faculty/staff members have the primary responsibility for writing the proposal narrative. ORSP will aid faculty/staff in the preparation and writing of the proposal. ORSP will prepare all necessary forms for the proposal. ORSP will facilitate and complete all submissions.

For investigator-initiated proposals:

The prospective Principal Investigator (PI) should discuss the idea with his or her Executive Director/Department Chair and Dean.

  • The PI faculty should submit a one-page project summary along with an email from his or her Executive Director/ Department Chair and Dean indicating their support of the proposal.
  • ORSP will contact the prospective PI for an appointment to discuss the proposal.
  • If a funding source was not identified by the PI, ORSP will complete a search for potential funders.
  • ORSP will submit the proposal on behalf of the PI.

For limited submission proposals:

Some funding opportunities limit the number of applications per institution (e.g. only two applicants from each institution may apply for NEH Summer Stipends). For limited submission programs, the University has established an eight-week internal deadline. Faculty interested in applying for limited submission opportunities must contact ORSP at least eight weeks prior to the sponsor deadline to express their interest in applying. Interested faculty should submit a one-page project summary along with their expression of interest. In instances where the number of interested parties exceeds the number of submissions the University is allowed to make, these summaries will serve as the foundation for an internal review subject to final selection from the Provost and Vice President of Research and Faculty. Applicants will be notified of the final decision within one week after the internal deadline. If ORSP does not receive expressions of interest exceeding the number of allowable submissions by the eight-week mark, ORSP will proceed on a first-come-first-served basis until the maximum number of allowable applicants is reached.

Procedure when Kean University is not the lead (submitting) institution

ORSP must be notified immediately when faculty, staff or administrators are asked to collaborate with another institution that will be submitting a proposal for external funding. All University guidelines and policies for external funding apply to collaborative proposals submitted by other institutions. The faculty, staff or administrator should provide ORSP with a contact in the collaborating institution. In some instances, ORSP will need to work directly with the sponsored programs office in the collaborating institution.

Required cost sharing or match

The University defines cost sharing as out-of-pocket or in-kind project costs contributed by the University. Match is defined as funding that is pledged to match a portion of the primary sponsor’s funding and may come from the University or a third party. Cost-sharing/match can only be added to a proposal if it is required by the sponsor as one of the eligibility criteria to submit an application. Voluntary cost-sharing/match will not be allowed. All requests for out-of-pocket cost sharing/match must be approved in writing by the President before a proposal can be submitted.

Requirements for including a sub-grant or subcontract

If you plan to include a sub-grant or subcontract in your proposal, please notify ORSP immediately. The following items are required from the institution receiving the subcontract before proposal submission:

  • statement of work
  • separate budget
  • budget justification
  • copy of the institution’s Indirect Cost Agreement
  • letter of intent to form a consortium signed by an authorized representative of the institution receiving the subcontract.

These documents must be provided to ORSP before the proposal can be approved and submitted to the funding agency. ORSP can assist in obtaining this information. Subcontracts are normally described in detail in both the proposal narrative and in the proposal budget and therefore will be approved and included by the funding agency in the award documents. ORSP will establish the subcontract with the other institution when the award is set up. If an award is received but the proposal did not mention a subcontract or include it in the budget, approval must be obtained from the funding agency and significant delays may occur.

Establishing grant-funded institutes and centers 

The establishment of all new grant-funded institutes and centers must have written approval from the Provost and Vice President of Research and Faculty before a grant proposal can be submitted. This applies whether the center or institute is University-wide or housed within a school/department or college. If the center or institute is housed solely within one college, written approval from the Dean must be obtained before the request is submitted to the Provost for review. If the center or institute spans more than one college, written approval from each college Dean and from the Vice President for Academic Affairs must be obtained before the request is submitted to the Provost for review.

Grant-funded centers and institutes are expected to become self-supporting after the end of the initial grant funding. Institutes/centers must prepare a plan for program development and funding that explains how the institute/center intends to acquire funding to achieve sustainability after the end of grant funding. Failure of an institute/center to acquire funding may result in termination of the institute/center.