What is a grant?

A grant is money that is given to the University to fulfill one or more approved goals. The grantor (also called the sponsor) gets the final say in determining if activities and expenditures are fulfilling the goal. The faculty member who is responsible for the grant is known as the PI (Principal Investigator) or the grantee. The agency that awards the money is known as the sponsor, grantor, or grant agency. The money is not given to the PI, but to the university. The PI works with the university system to access the money.

The term "submitting a grant" includes the following activities:

Developing and writing goals, the steps to complete them, and the ways in which they will determine if the goals have been met.
Gathering information requested by the sponsor and entering it into any forms that the sponsor requires.
Contacting department, school, and university administrators and receiving permission to submit the grant.

Some examples of goals include:

A clinical trial to determine if a medication is effective.
An investigation into the impact of depression on work.
Funds to develop new classes and pathways for nursing education
Funds to support nurse researchers who are starting their careers.

What can I expect to do when I start a grant?

In general, sponsors want the following information:

Background information about the PI and the University. (Contact information, certification numbers, tax-exempt status, etc.)
Budget: Total dollar amount, categorization of dollar amounts
Personnel who will work on the grant and their qualifications.
Resources that are already available (and will require no funding) to support the grant activities.
Goals for the grant.
The tasks and steps that will lead to the goals.
Relevance - why it is important for the grant to be funded.

Read the funding opportunity to determine what forms are required.

The School of Nursing will require a detailed budget using the budget spreadsheet.

The University will require a GC-1 form filled out online on the SAGE system.