Grant-Seeking Procedures

  1. Office & Department Directory
  2. Corporate and Foundation Relations
  3. Grant-Seeking Procedures

The C&F Grants Office is ready to assist you in every step of the grant-seeking process, from identifying potential funding sources, to developing your ideas, to writing and submitting your proposal. Proposals for grants or subcontracts that will be administered by St. Lawrence University (i.e., funds paid to and disbursed by the University) must be reviewed and approved before they are submitted to the funding agency. Applicants for external funding should follow these procedures to secure the necessary institutional approvals, produce a quality proposal, and ensure timely submission:

  1. Contact the C&F Grants Office to discuss your project idea and potential funding sources. Agree on a proposal development schedule (with milestone dates) for your project with ample lead time for drafting and refining your text, budget, and other items.
  2. Prepare a brief project summary, budget estimates, and project timeline for review by the C&F Grants Committee. Comprised of the  Academic Dean, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Executive Director of Finance, Vice President of University Advancement, and the C&F Office staff, this Committee is charged with reviewing and approving all external grant proposals for funds that will be administered by the university.
  3. Work with the C&F Grants Office to secure additional internal approvals and supporting documentation as needed from all applicable offices and committees, such as IRB (for research on human subjects); IT (for technology and equipment purchases); Human Resources (for grant-funded positions); and Department Chair (coursework-related matters), etc. Key policy requirements are outlined below. 
  4. Plan in advance to have final drafts of all proposal components at least ten (10) days prior to the submission deadline to allow time for thorough proofreading, editing, and verification that all funder guidelines have been met.
  5. Submit your proposal with C&F Office assistance and celebrate your hard work!

Important Policy Information for Grant Proposals

Financial Conflict of Interest on Sponsored Research (e.g., National Science Foundation/NSF)

In accordance with Federal regulations, St. Lawrence University requires that a principal investigator or other responsible person disclose any potential conflict of interest due to a significant financial interest in a sponsored activity to the Corporate and Foundation Relations Office before a proposal for that activity may be submitted to a sponsoring agency.  For more information, please consult the St. Lawrence University policy.  

Financial Conflict of Interest on Sponsored Research for National Institutes of Health (NIH)

St. Lawrence faculty members seeking external funding from the NIH for research projects are subject to NIH-specific additional financial conflict of interest compliance requirements. The faculty PI is required to disclose potential NIH-specific financial conflict of interest to the C&F Grants/Sponsored Program before a proposal for that sponsored activity may be submitted to the NIH. The NIH-specific financial conflict of interest policy can be found here.  

Research Involving Human Subjects and IRB Requirements

In accordance with Federal regulations and institutional policy, all proposed research projects involving human participants must be approved by the St. Lawrence University's Institutional Review Board (IRB) before it can proceed.  Faculty and students conducting such research are required to complete CITI training.  Detailed information is available at St. Lawrence University's IRB website.

Research Involving Laboratory Animals

Research projects involving the use of laboratory animals must be approved by the St. Lawrence University Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

Proposal Writing Resources