Principal Investigator (PI) Toolbox
The Principal Investigator (PI) Toolbox is a resource hub containing templates, samples, documents, and forms for proposal submissions. Each template includes instructions to guide completion and sample text. Please remove all blue text and instructional content before submission.
Budget and Budget Narrative Templates
General Budget - Basic budget guide for project costs by line item. This is an internal document for budget development.
General Budget Narrative - Standard budget justification template by line item.
NSF Budget Narrative - Budget justification template tailored to National Science Foundation requirements.
NSF Budget Justification Samples - NSF budget justification samples from a funded project.
NIH Budget Narrative - Budget justification template tailored to National Institutes of Health requirements.
NIH Budget Justification Sample - NIH budget justification samples from funded projects.
NIH Modular Budget Narrative - Budget justification template designed for NIH modular budgets.
NSF Supplemental Documents and Templates
NSF Mentoring Plan - Template for preparing mentoring plans for NSF proposals.
NSF Collaborators and Other Affiliations (COA) - Sample language, for disclosing collaborators and other affiliations.
NSF Synergistic Activities - Describe synergistic activities that demonstrate broader professional contributions.
NSF (Individual) Facilities, Equipment and Other - Describe available facilities, equipment, and other resources for proposed project, including unfunded effort of others.
NSF (Research Collaborative) Facilities, Equipment, and Other - Describe shared and site specific resources across participating institutions for ‘research collaborative’ NSF proposals.
NSF RUI Impact Statement - Sample guidelines for preparing the Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) Impact Statement, addressing educational and institutional impacts.
NIH Supplemental Documents and Templates
NIH Multiple PI Leadership Plan - Describe leadership structure, roles, responsibilities, and communication plans for NIH proposals that include multiple principal investigators.
NIH Facilities and Other Resources - Describe facilities, equipment, and other resources aligned with proposal activities.
Institutional Capacity to Support Research Boilerplate - Section in NIH proposals that ask for a description of the institutions’ capacity to support research R2 universities.
Other Supporting Documents, Templates, and Attachments
Statement of Work - Describe project scope, objectives, tasks, deliverables, and timelines for proposed work.
Data Management and Sharing Plan - Sample template for DMP plan about how data will be collected, stored, shared, and preserved in federal format.
LMU Financial Forms – Financial Statements / 990 - Official LMU financial documents, including audited financial statements and IRS Form 990.
LMU 501c3 Letter - LMU’s nonprofit tax‑exempt status letter for use in grant and funding applications.
LMU Subrecipient Commitment Form - Form for documenting subrecipient participation, including scope of work, budget, and institutional approvals. ORSP must prepare and endorse any agreements.
Letter of Intent Sample/Template (outgoing) - For use with FDP member institutions who are considered subrecipients. ORSP must prepare and endorse any agreements.
LMU Board of Trustees - Current list of LMU Board of Trustees.
LMU Organizational Chart - Current LMU Organizational Chart.
LMU Boilerplate - Institutional language describing LMU’s history, mission with academic year demographics, accolades, governing structure, and accreditations.
LMU Infrastructure to Support Research & Financial Capacity Boilerplate - Describes institutional research resources and support available to PIs, as well as financial capacity and infrastructure. Can be used for NIH description of ‘research environment section.
Sponsored Research Terminology - A glossary of common terms and acronyms used in sponsored research activities.
Sponsored Research Roles and Responsibility Matrix - Guidance about the roles and responsibilities of investigators, departments, and administrative offices throughout the lifecycle of a sponsored project.
Subrecipient vs. Contractor Checklist - Checklist to determine subrecipient (sub award) or Contractor classification for sponsored projects.
Sponsored Projects Reference Guides
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Guidance about Indirect Costs (IDC), including what they are, how they are calculated, and how they apply to sponsored projects.
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Guidance about fringe benefit rates, what costs are included, and how they are applied to personnel salaries in sponsored projects.
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Guidance about course release and effort commitments, including how faculty time is calculated and documented for sponsored projects.
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Guidance about cost sharing (“matching”) requirements, types of cost share, and when institutional or sponsor approval is required.