The Office of the Vice President of Research has established definitions to help differentiate between a “Gift” and a “Sponsored Project”.

• Gift: something of value that is given to the University by a donor who expects nothing of significant value in return, other than recognition of the gift.
• Sponsored Project: has a statement of work to be implemented in exchange for something of value, such as data, results, or intellectual property.
• Further clarification can be found on the OVPR Policy webpage.

Your CARES Team Coordinator will assist you in determining the correct designation for your particular funding request.

All proposals must be approved by OSPA (Office of Sponsored Programs Administration) before submission to an external sponsor. Your CARES Team Coordinator will route your proposal in Streamlyne for you. Please use the CARES PreAward Support Initiation Form to get this process started.

Minimally, your request must include:

1. Budget – in an OSPA budget form to be entered into Streamlyne
2. Budget Justification – in sponsor-required format
3. Project Abstract/Statement of Work/Proposal Draft; before submission the final SOW or the final copy of the proposal narrative.
4. A copy of the Request for Proposals (RFP) (if applicable)

Additional documents could include (but are not limited to):

• Sponsor Budget Template
• Subrecipient Commitment Form
• Transmittal Letter
• Federal forms required for submission
• Subcontract documents
• Personnel documents
• Other documentation as applicable

As a reminder, make sure you are registered for the agency submission portals needed for your proposal.

Budget:

Budgets can be developed using the OSPA Budget form or directly in Streamlyne with the assistance of your CARES Team Coordinator (works best for simple budgets).

 If the sponsor requires their own budget template for the submission, it will need to be included with the application. 

Be sure your budget follows any sponsor guidelines and/or limits as stated in their RFP, including those around indirect costs, and that budgeted items are appropriate and allowable for the work proposed. Your CARES Team Coordinator can assist you with determining allowability of costs. 

Budget Justification:

A budget justification should be included in the sponsor-required format. If the sponsor does not require a specific format, your CARES Team Coordinator can provide you with an appropriate template. The budget justification should explain/describe each category included in the proposed budget. This could include (but is not limited to):

• Personnel salaries and fringe
• Equipment 
• Tuition for graduate student employees assisting with the project
• Materials and supplies
• Publication costs
• Facility Usage Fees/Per Diems/Equipment Rental costs
• Other items as appropriate

Project Abstract/Proposal Draft/Statement of Work:

At the time of proposal routing a draft of the Project Abstract, Proposal, or Specific Aims page should be included so reviewers know what type of work will be conducted under the grant. While the final version is not required at this time, the draft should be complete enough that reviewers understand what will be done, and whether it is something the university can approve.

When ISU will be a subcontract, a Statement of Work should be provided that outlines the responsibilities of the ISU PI towards the overall project goals.

Request for Proposals (RFP):

Most competitive proposals will be in response to a sponsor’s RFP. This can go by other names, depending on the sponsor, and will outline what the sponsor is looking for in submitted proposals. Specifically, an RFP will discuss critical items related to the proposal submission including:

• Budget requirements: total project limits, allowable/unallowable costs, indirect cost limits (if any)
• Deadlines for submission
• Project duration
• Steps to obtain application materials
• What supplemental documents are required
• Naming conventions and document formatting requirements

Additional Documents:

There are many situations that may require additional documents to be attached in Streamlyne for the routing process:

• Sponsor Budget Template: a sponsor may require that budget information be provided in a specific format. 
• Subrecipient Commitment Form: when ISU will be a subaward on a proposal, the lead institution may request that ISU complete their subrecipient commitment form.
• Transmittal Letter: when ISU will be a sub-award on a proposal, it is standard practice to include a transmittal letter, or letter of commitment, that OSPA will sign and return to you upon approving your proposal in Streamlyne. This serves as an institutional agreement to serve on a project.
• Federal Forms
• Subcontract Documents: when ISU will issue a subcontract to another entity upon award, the subcontract institution should provide supporting documents at the time of proposal including their: budget, budget justification, statement of work, and letter of commitment signed by an authorized representative.
• Other Documentation as Applicable: this could include emails related to approval of specialty agreements, cost share documentation, F&A waivers, etc.

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Proposals/ asks to a foundation, corporation, or other non-governmental sources for a gift or grant are routed through Streamlyne and reviewed and approved by the ISU Foundation.

Your CARES Team Coordinator will route your proposal/request/received gift in Streamlyne for you. Please use the CARES PreAward Support Initiation Form to get this process started.

• This includes letters of intent (LOIs), preproposals, letters of inquiry, proposals as described below:
  • Any preliminary proposal (letter of intent, preproposal, etc.) or application requiring line item or categorized budget
  • Any preliminary proposal (letter of intent, preproposal, etc.) or application requiring institutional approval (provost, vice president for research, president, dean). Applications requiring institutional approvals and signatures are coordinated by the ISU Foundation..

• Gifts and grants not requested through an application process and requested or received directly by a university unit must be routed for approval through Streamlyne in order to process the gift and allow access to the funds.

   

• For any pending or received gifts, your request should include the following attachments:
  • A copy of the gift letter/memo and check
  • A copy of any compliance protocols and their approval dates (if applicable)

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Certain internal funding opportunities may not need to be run through Streamlyne prior to submission (or at all). Your CARES Team Coordinator can assist you with document review and budget development, even when you are not submitting proposals through Streamlyne. Please use the CARES PreAward Support Initiation Form to get this process started.

Minimally, your request should include:

1. Budget – in RFP specified template
2. Proposal Draft
3. A copy of the RFP or link to the opportunity announcement

Additional documents could include (but are not limited to):

• Subrecipient Commitment Form
• Letters of commitment from industry partners
• Other documentation as applicable: personnel forms (biosketch, current and pending support, summary of prior internal funding)

Budget:

Follow any sponsor guidelines and/or limits as stated in their RFP, and ensure that charges are appropriate and allowable for the work proposed. Your CARES Team Coordinator can assist you with determining allowability of costs.

Proposal Draft:

Follow any sponsor guidelines and/or limitations as stated in their RFP.

RFP:

Similarly, to external sponsors, most internal funding opportunities have an affiliated RFP or funding opportunity announcement, which will discuss critical items related to the internal proposal submission including:

• Requirements for a Letter of Intent (LOI) or pre-proposal
• Budget requirements: total project limits, allowable/unallowable costs, indirect cost limits (if any)
• Deadlines for submission
• Link or email address for submission
• Supplemental documents (If required)
• Naming conventions and document formatting requirements

Additional Documents:

Supplemental documents for internal proposals will be dependent on the office providing the funding and type of work proposed. Carefully review the RFP for any document requirements. Additionally, your CARES Team Coordinator can assist with reviewing the RFP and providing a checklist:

• Sponsor Budget Template: the funding office may require that budget information be provided in a specific format
• Personnel Forms: these are often requested in a format similar to federal agencies, confirm with the RFP
• Subcontract Documents: when ISU will issue a subcontract to another entity upon award, the subcontract should provide supporting documents at the time of proposal including their: budget, budget justification, statement of work, and letter of commitment signed by an authorized representative
• Other Documentation as Applicable

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