Grants, Research, and Sponsored Programs

The Office of Grants, Research and Sponsored Programs provides guidelines and general application procedures for grants, contracts and sponsored research at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. Specifically, this office:

Provides general university policies and procedures that affect the application and administration of grants, contracts and other sponsored activities;
Acquaints the principal investigators/project directors with specific functions of the Office of Grants, Research and Sponsored Programs (GRASP);
Describe the application or pre-award process for sponsored activities;
Assists faculty and staff in the preparation and submission of grant and contract proposals; and,
Provides information to assist in the post-award administration of grants, contracts and other sponsored activities.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Office of Grants, Research and Sponsored Programs is to facilitate research and sponsored programs by increasing awareness and competitiveness in the pursuit of internal and external funding to support the mission of the university.

Staff:

Casey Hyatt, Director

Rachel Seminatore, Secretary

Grant Management Information

Project Director (PD) Responsibilities

The PD carries out the project work according to the scope, directing project staff and reporting progress to the sponsor as required. The PD also has responsibility for financial and project management. It is up to the PD to establish and start-up plan for the project, and provide clear roles and responsibilities for project and support staff.

The PD is responsible for compliance and ethical conduct in research.

One of the most important aspects of a project is managing it successfully to ensure additional funding and compliance. This may mean adhering to your reporting milestones, steadily spending your budget, monitoring subcontractors, hiring students, or managing the absence of a project team member.

Post Award Reporting

All agencies and most private foundations have reporting requirements for grantees. The PD is responsible and accountable for meeting the funding agency's reporting requirements by the required due date. It is the PD's responsibility to also send the reports to the Grants Office, where they can be filed with the grant file.

Facilities and Administrative Costs/Federally Negotiated Indirect Rate

SRU has a federally negotiated rate with the government to allow for inclusion of indirect costs in the grant budgets which are made up of a specific percentage of specific line items. Facilities and Administrative Costs are expenses incurred in supporting research or other activities but not directly attributable to just one project. General categories include the cost of facilities, utilities, equipment, and university services such as purchasing, personnel, accounting, or computing. SRU has a F&A cost rate negotiated with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This rate must be applied to projects that allow for indirect costs at a federally negotiated rate. The current rate is 46% on-campus and 17.60% off-campus and is in effect until 7/1/2025.

Grant Seekers Handbook I - A how to manual to guide you through finding funding; project and budget development; and submission instructions.

Grant Seekers Handbook II - A how to manual to guide you through receiving an award; managing your budget; purchasing; policies and compliance; and closing your project.

Federally Sponsored Project Payroll Certification Standard (formally Time and Effort Reporting) - Standard on reporting payroll certification for Federal Grants.

Federally Sponsored Project Payroll Certification Procedures (formally Time and Effort Reporting) - Procedures/Guidelines on reporting payroll certification for Federal Grants.

Purchases Procured with Federal Funds by Non-Federal Entities - Methods of procurement to be followed

Checklist for Purchases Procured with Federal Funds by Non-Federal Entities

Grant Information Sheet

External Grant Project Lifecycle and Proposal Submission Timeline

The lifecycle of a sponsored project begins with finding funding, then developing the proposal, routing and submitting the proposal for approvals, setting up the project, managing it and eventually closing out the project.

The Office of Grants, Research and Sponsored Programs is here to assist in all aspects of the project lifecycle, including preparation of the project budget, writing, editing, or providing feedback, routing for approvals, submitting the final proposal, and helping you set-up and manage the project upon receipt of the award.

If you are interested in pursuing external funding, you are encouraged to contact the Office of Grants, Research and Sponsored Programs at the earliest stage of project development, specifically prior to contacting public or private funders to ensure that the application is developed in compliance with university and sponsored policies, and that proposals can be developed and submitted in a timely manner.

Below is a general timeline to complete tasks for preparing and submitting a grant proposal to an external sponsor. Remember, the earlier the process starts, the better. Contact the Grants Office at any time during the process with any questions or for additional information. We will be happy to assist you in any way we can as you prepare your grant proposal.

Timeline	Tasks
No later than 30 days prior to sponsor's deadline date	Discuss the project with Department Chair/Director and/or Dean/VIP Notify the GRASP Office of intention to submit Review the sponsor's submission guidelines - at least twice! Meet with the GRASP Office staff to discuss proposal development and budget needs
20 days prior to sponsor's deadline date	Send final proposal narrative draft to GRASP Office for peer review and/or external review Send draft budget to GRASP Office and Grants Accountant for review
10 days prior to sponsor's deadline date	Make final revisions to proposal narrative and budget Complete Transmittal Form for External Proposals (link to DocuSign found under Forms section). Complete any additional forms required (i.e., Cost Share Form, Internal Collaborators Form, etc.) Attach final proposal, budget, and any appendices required from the sponsor to the Transmittal Form Obtain signatures of Project Director, Co-Director(s), Department Chair(s)/Director(s) and Dean(s)/VP(s). (Make them aware that this is coming through DocuSign) GRASP Office will obtain any attachments sponsor requires not easily accessible to the Project Director (i.e., Financial Statements, IRS Determination Letter, etc.)
5 working days prior to sponsor's deadline date	Transmittal Form must be in GRASP Office along with final proposal and budget attached. GRASP Office will obtain administrative approvals and notify the Project Director when proposal has been submitted or when the Project Director can submit the proposal electronically.

Note: It is important to remember that while the Grants Office is here to support grant writing efforts, ultimately, the proposal is the Project Director's responsibility. In order to ensure timely submittal of proposals, the Grants Office requires a complete package of the proposal 5 working days prior to the sponsor's due date to allow adequate time for administrative reviews, revisions, and sign-offs. Proposals not submitted to the Grants Office at least 5 working days prior to the sponsor's deadline may not be administratively approved due to insufficient time to adequately review the proposal. SRU reserves the right to withdraw any proposal or decline funding from proposals not administratively approved prior to submission.

Grants Office Publications

Newsletter:

Fall 2022

Yearbooks and newsletters from past fiscal years can be obtained from the GRASP Office.