Proposal Resources

Need assistance with your proposal?  Please contact the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs (sponsoredresearch@hope.edu), to discuss. 

Agency-Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions

Several agencies have general proposal preparation instructions for all applications. However, these are general instructions and applicants should consult program-specific instructions for deviations. 

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration Proposer's Guidebook
• National Institutes of Health Application Guide
• National Science Foundation Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (for proposals submitted or due ON or AFTER January 30, 2023).

Broader Impacts Wizard

The Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence Networked Ocean World (COSEE NOW) created a Broader Impacts Wizard to assist investigators with the development of their Broader Impacts statement in National Science Foundation proposals.  

The goal of the wizard is to to guide investigators through a series of well-defined steps for the construction of their Broader Impact statement, including the identification of target audiences, planning and preparing for appropriate Broader Impact activitites, and the implications on the overall project budget, objectives and evaluation plan. 

Budget Development

The Office of Sponsored Research and Programs can assist with developing your sponsored program budget. Sponsored program budgets can be quite complicated with many federal or sponsor regulations governing their development; please contact the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs for assistance in developing your project budget. 

Whether the PI or OSRP develops the budget, all PIs should be familiar with the principles governing budget development and subsequent awards:

• Allowable: All costs must be reasonable and necessary for the performance of the sponsored program, be consistent with Hope College's policies and procedures and whether the project is federal or non-federal, be afforded consistent treatment, and be incurred during the approved budget period.  
• Reasonable: A cost is considered reasonable if, in its nature and amount, does not exceed that which would be incurred by a prudent person at the time the cost is incurred. Costs should be generally recognized as reasonable and necessary for the performance of the sponsored program.
• Allocable: Costs must be allocable to a particular sponsored program if the goods or services are chargeable or assignable to that sponsored program in accordance with the benefits received. Benefits to both a sponsored program and other work at Hope College must be proportionally charged that may be estimated using reasonable methods. 

PIs seeking salary on a sponsored program should note there are some restrictions on how course releases or summer salary may be included in budgets. Please see the Sponsored Programs Policy for additional guidance.

Data Management Plans

Many sponsors require the inclusion of a Data Management Plan (DMP) section for proposals, including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy and others. DMPs will provide information on the data generated during the course of the project, how it will be stored, how it will be shared and how you will retain it for long-term access.  

Resources to support the development of DMPs include: 

• Data Management for Researchers: The electronic book, Data Management for Researchers: Organize, maintain, and share your data for research success by Kristin Briney, is available through Van Wylen Library.  
• DMPTool: The DMPTool is a free resource which will guide researchers through the development of DMPs complaint with sponsor requirements.  
• Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR): ICSPR provides resources for the creation of DMPs for humanities and social science researchers; assistance with long-term data management, storage and compliance; and serves as a repository for data to allow for public access. 
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Data Sharing Policies: NIH expects award recipients to share data in order to improve human health.  
• National Science Foundation (NSF) DMP Guidance: NSF requires the inclusion of DMPs with proposal submissions. Individual directorates provide guidance on the creation of DMPs; if a directorate does not have published guidance, applicants should follow the instructions in the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG).
• Van Wylen Library: Researchers are encouraged to speak with the metadata librarian, Jeremy Barney (barneycj@hope.edu, 616.395.7792), to discuss DMPs. 

Facilities and Administrative Costs

Facilities and Administrative Costs (aka F&A Costs, Indirect Costs, Indirects, or Overhead) are real costs associated with the management of sponsored programs. When applicable, F&A Costs must be included in proposals submitted to external sponsors.

• For federal proposals, Hope College must use its federally-negotiated rate in effect at the time of submission unless restricted by the sponsor or the program. 
• For non-federal proposals, Hope College must use the rate provided in the sponsor's public policies or guidelines. 
• For sponsors which do not provide a published policy regarding F&A Costs, Hope College will include F&A at 10% of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) in the budget. MTDC are defined as total costs less equipment, participant support costs/scholarships, and up to the first $25,000 of each subaward. PIs may request a F&A Waiver from their relevant dean.  

Frost Center for Data and Research

The Frost Center for Data and Research supports the data and evaluation needs of Hope College. Institutional data are available for use in research and funding applications. A Data Request may also be submitted for information not publicly available.  

The Frost Center may also participate directly in externally-funded projects, but such participation may include additional costs. Additional information is available from the Frost Center website on how to include these costs in your proposal and budget.

Please note the Frost Center requires two weeks prior to the submission of the proposal to develop their scope of work and direct cost budget. Proposals may not be submitted to external sponsors that include the Frost Center without an approved scope of work and budget on file with the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs.  

Principal Investigator Status

All faculty and staff with an FTE of 0.5 or greater with an indefinite or multi-year appointment may be considered principal investigators (PIs) or Co-PIs in proposals to external sponsors.  

Faculty and staff with appointments of less than 0.5 FTE or appointments of one year or less may request PI Status through the PI Status Request Form. Students may not serve as PIs.

Proposal Templates

Proposal templates for NSF Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) and Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Programs and NIH Academic Research Enhancement Awards (AREA) are available upon request. Please contact the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs (sponsoredresearch@hope.edu), for the templates. 

Proposal Writing Guides 

Online resources to assist investigators with the preparation of various proposals:

• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Proposal Writing Tips: NIH has published a list of tips to assist applicants with developing competitive NIH proposals.  
• On the Art of Writing Proposals: The Social Sciences Research Council (SSRC) provides guidance to social science researchers in developing competitive applications to federal and non-federal sponsors. 
• University of Michigan Proposal Writer's Guide: The University of Michigan Office of the Vice President of Research has developed a comprehensive guide to assist researchers with planning and developing extramural proposal applications. 

SciENcv

The Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) system allows researchers to compile their publications and research accomplishments to produce agency-compliant biographical sketches. Additionally, investigators can link to their biographical data in NIH applications.  

Effective October 5, 2020, proposers to NSF will need to utilize SciENcv for their biographical sketches or utilize the NSF-approved PDF versions of the biographical sketch and current and pending support documents. 

Additionally, the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs has developed a Guide to Managing Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCiD), Faculty Activity Reporting (FAR), and SciENcv Profiles.