Proposal Development

Only eligible faculty or staff are allowed to apply for extramural funding on behalf of the University. Please visit Search Funding Opportunities to locate and search for various funding opportunities. The ORSP staff are happy to meet with you to discuss possible funding opportunities and review the submission guidelines. Tip: Leave plenty of time to develop your proposal. Most applications require four to six weeks to prepare.

Complete the LMU Intent to Apply Form and the ORSP staff will receive an automatic notification. ORSP staff are here to facilitate discussions between you and others on campus who may be able to help in the development of your proposal.

As the leader of the project, you will be responsible for writing the narrative, collecting any letters of support and completing all other elements of the proposal required by the sponsor. Meet as early as possible with a member of the ORSP staff to discuss the guidelines and necessary timeline. Please visit Grant Writing Guidance for more resources and see the LMU Institutional Profile for proposal preparation information. PLEASE NOTE: Data requests must be made with two (2) weeks notice to process.  

Your budget is the translation of your proposal into financial reality, ensuring that you will be able to conduct your project successfully. Be specific as you estimate the cost of all resources needed, and following the instructions regarding unallowable costs described in the sponsor guidelines. The ORSP staff will help you develop the budget to ensure that the costs are reasonable, allocable, and consistent with both LMU policies and compliant with sponsor guidelines. For more information, please visit Budgeting.

Talk to the ORSP staff about compliance issues related to your work. If your work involves human or animal subjects, you may need to work with LMU's Institutional Review Board (IRB) or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

Discriminatory harassment training is required of all Principle Investigators who receive awards from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health as well as the faculty and staff who work on these grants.

Staff are available to review your proposal materials and make suggestions for strengthening your proposal narrative pending any time restrictions. Please allow at least seven business days prior to the deadline for review.

The ORSP will complete the LMU forms that require signature approval and work with the PI to distribute the documents (including the narrative, final budget and agency guidelines) to the necessary parties for approval (including department chair, director, associate dean, dean, vice president, or provost, etc.) At least EIGHT business days are needed for signators to review the final application materials. If matching or contributed funds from the university are being requested, an LMU Institutional Commitment Agreement Form will be prepared by the ORSP staff for signature approval. The ORSP will issue the Routing Form. Once the Routing Form is returned to the ORSP the submission may move forward.

The ORSP facilitates all submissions on behalf of the PI and must be notified before applying for a grant. PLEASE NOTE: For applications requiring submission through an online portal, the ORSP requires applicants to submit all final materials eight (8) business days prior to the agency deadline. This timeframe is necessary for internal review and signature approval, to format and upload documents, and for the lengthy validation process conducted by online portals.

ORSP staff is pleased to assist you after submission by discussing reviewer feedback and considering how to improve your proposal’s chances for award at your next submission. If an award has been issued by the sponsor, ORSP staff will arrange an appointment with the Post Award Administration and Accounting Office to set up your new grant account.