Parts of a Proposal

Most funding agencies will have very specific requirements for the title page, and many will provide a template. If a template is provided, be sure to use it! The title page will typically require:

• Title of the Project

• Name of the Principal Investigator (project lead)

• Name of Co-Investigators 

• Name and Address of the Institutional Affiliation of the Applicant(s) - department and university

• Project Dates

• Amount of Funding Requested

• Signatures of University Personnel Authorizing the Proposal

The abstract should summarize the key points of your project proposal in the future tense (the objective of this study will will...) and include the following:

• General purpose

• Project goals

• Research Design 

• Methods

• Significance (contribution to society, rationale)

This is often the first and last part of a proposal that a reviewer will read before making a funding decision. 

In the introduction, you will typically be expected to address the following key elements of your proposal at a high level. Much of the content will be addressed in greater depth in the Project Narrative.  

• Statement of Need: What is the problem you are trying to address? Provide background and rationale for the project and why funding is needed to support the work you are proposing.

• Purpose of the Project: How will your proposed project address the stated need?

• Goals or Objectives: Outline the goals and objectives for the project. They should align with what you outlined in the statement of need.

• Significance of the Project: Why is this project important? What need will it fill? 

Many funding agencies will require a brief literature review. They will want to know you've done your homework before asking for money to launch a project. Your literature reivew should highlight only key works related to your project. Be selective in what you include. 

The project narrative is the heart of your proposal. This is where you will provide all the details of the project. You don't want to leave your reviewers wondering about your plans. It will often require the following subsections.

Statement of Need (more detailed than in the Introduction)

• • What is the problem? 

  • How do you know it is a problem? 

Project Description

• • What will you do with the grant funds? (If it is a research-oriented project, describe the methods including participants, study design, and instruments.) 

  • How will the project address the stated needs? 

Outcomes or Goals

• • What are the expected outcomes of the project? 

  • Will there be project deliverables? If so, describe them.

Evaluation Plan

• • How will you determine if your project is successful? 

  • What quantitative and/or qualitative data will you gather? How will you analyze the data? 

Dissemination Plan

• • How will you share the findings or products of your project? 

  • Will you present at conferences; publish a paper, toolkit, or handbook; or will you create a website?  

  • Will there be press releases to share about your work? Will you post on listservs? 

Create a timeline for your project. This will help the reviewers see what you have planned for your project and how it will take place over time. They will be looking to ensure the project can be planned, implemented, and completed during the project period. 

• When will you begin each phase or step of your project? 

  • What activities will take place during each phase? 

  • When will each activity take place? 

• It may be helpful to create a visual/graphical timeline.

• A table format is another way you can outline the timeline. 

Share information about your project personnel, including anyone you plan to hire to support your project.

 Identify the personnel already in place 

• • Who will support the project (principal investigator, co-investigators, research assistants, etc.)? 

  • Briefly describe the role they will play.

  • Describe why they are qualified to fulfill their given role on the project. 

  • Include CVs of all existing personnel. (Abbreviated 2-page CVs are typically requested.)

Outline New Project Members You Plan to Hire 

• • Do you plan to hire any new project members with grant funds? 

  • Describe the role new hires will fill for the project and their required expertise.

  • Position descriptions are often expected for new personnel that will be hired. 

Budget

The budget outlines project costs and usually consists of a spreadsheet or table with the budget detailed as line items. It is fairly typical for the funding agency to provide a template for you to use.  The UNC Charlotte Office of Sponsored Research will also complete an additional spreadsheet for university record keeping.

Direct Costs

Direct costs are the funds that you are seeking to directly support your project. Categories typically include:

• Salaries (+ fringe benefits). The UNC Charlotte Division of Research has outlined the fringe benefits rates for all grant-related projects.  These differ based on the type of employee. (EX: For 7/1/23 - 6/30/24 - fringe rates for faculty, other EHRA, and SHRA permanent is 4.38%; Grad & Undgrad, Post Doc, Temps, and Part-Time rate is 0.10%)

• Travel 

• Equipment (often a cost threshold - e.g., items more than $500 is considered equipment; less than $500 are supplies)

• Supplies (Check with the library's budget office to determine whether sales tax should be included for any of your expected purchases. The university is sales-tax exempt for many purchases.)

Indirect Costs

Indirect costs are those associated with overhead and "running the university." 

• There are different rates for different types of projects. These rates are approved for use on grants, and contracts with the Federal Government.  

• Negotiated rates for 7/1/21 - 6/30/24 are outlined in UNC Charlotte's College and Universities Rate Agreement found on the OSR Fringe Benefits page. 

  • Organized Research (on-campus): 54%

  • Other Sponsored Activities (on-campus): 37%  (Most library projects that are NOT research will fall into this category.) 

NOTE: Some funding agencies will NOT allow you to request funds to support indirect costs. If this is the case, you will need to discuss it with your OSR liaison. They may need to request a waiver from the university officials on your behalf.

Matching Funds

Some grant proposals will require the university to contribute in the form of matching funds. This is often a percentage of the total funds requested from the funder (e.g., 50% match, 20%, match). If the project requires a match, you must discuss this with the library dean and budget officer to ensure it is feasible and desirable before pursuing a grant opportunity. 

Sometimes, the match can be in the form of in-kind contributions. This is a non-monetary contribution of goods or services offered "free" to support the grant. For example, the library may provide 20 hours of graphic design services to support a project. This could be monetized as a  dollar value, but no actual funds would be exchanged.   

Budget Justification

The budget narrative (also known as a budget justification) explains the various expenses. In this section, you should briefly outline how much you are requesting in each budget category, why you need the funds, and how they will be used.  Generally, a few sentences for each budget category will be sufficient.