The office also has copies of successful proposals to a number of granting agencies which can serve as a resource in the proposal-writing process. Office personnel also contact faculty and staff members directly by memo, phone and e-mail. Advising and Project Development Office staff are available to meet with faculty members to advise on the appropriateness of a project for a given granting agency, to suggest names of foundation and other agency personnel who may be helpful, and to make inquiries on behalf of faculty members. This office also is in a position to suggest the appropriate format of proposals to different funding sources. This advice will be most effective if faculty contact the office as early in the grant-seeking process as possible.
Good proposals take time to develop.
Corporate, foundation and government agency proposal deadlines may be as much as six to nine months before decisions are announced. A good rule is to begin working on a request 12-18 months in advance of the time one expects to start using the money. Proposal Preparation and Editing The Director of Corporate, Foundation and Government Relations, Bob Weisenfeld, writes institutional proposals, and is available to assist with the writing, critiquing and, to some extent, production of applications from individual faculty and departments. As noted earlier, this assistance can best be provided when a faculty member or department contacts the office early in the proposal-writing process. Stewardship The project director of a funded program has responsibility for project implementation, fiscal management, and reporting.