Project Development

The prospecting phase, often referred to as Project Discovery, is when we learn about your areas of interest and help you access resources to best identify forms of support for your work.

The resources below are available to help you identify funding opportunities:

• Opportunity Watch (our email newsletter for faculty, of curated grant opportunities)
• Opportunities List [Google Doc]
• Grants.gov
• Research.gov
• Candid

A crucial step at this stage is to fill out and submit the Project Discovery document [Google Doc]. (Drafts are welcome!)

Note: To use the Project Discovery Template, click on Use Template in the top right corner of the screen. This will save an editable version of the document to your Google Drive.

This discovery form helps us gather information about your project, allowing us to assist you in developing your proposal to align with funding opportunities. It will enable us to have a productive conversation, tailored to your project needs.

1. Start by identifying an opportunity you are interested in. If you already have one in mind, please continue to section I. If not, please review our Opportunities List to select one (or more) that suits your interests and fill out Section I.
2. If you do not find a suitable opportunity, fill out Section I and skip Section II.
3. Once you have filled out the form, email it to research-partnership@pratt.edu to request a meeting with our team. You can expect to hear back from us in three business days.
4. After reviewing the submitted form, the Office of Research and Partnerships might suggest and provide different opportunities for you to consider.
5. Once the discovery phase is complete, you will move onto proposal development.

Note: For complex opportunities, partnerships, and applications involving multiple potential partners or subrecipients, we recommend scheduling a meeting at least 3 months ahead of the deadline.

After the discovery phase is complete, a funding opportunity will have been identified, and your project will proceed to proposal development. The proposal development stage is an important and pivotal point in the process that requires communication and collaboration between our office and your school’s administrators (Chair & Dean). You, as the PI, will facilitate this collaboration. This phase is essential to a successful submission process.

An important step in proposal development is the completion of the Proposal Routing Form [PDF]. To successfully complete the form:

1. Carefully review the guidelines from your identified opportunity to ensure your project aligns with the funder’s priorities and meets funder requirements
2. Understand the requirements around course release/relief.
3. Review our explanation of cost sharing.
4. Take note of the policies around indirect cost rates (if they are allowable or not).
5. Prepare your high-level budget.
   • Open the Budget Template [Google Sheets].
   • In the top right corner click on Use Template to save your own editable version to your Google Drive. Do not download and open this in Excel or another desktop program, as the formulas will break.
   • It is strongly recommended that all applicants for external grants use the approved Pratt Institute budget template to ensure that funds are properly allocated and dispensed, and to avoid the possibility of budget alterations to align with Pratt finance processes.
   • If you need guidance on how to complete the budget template, please consult the ORSP Budget Template Walkthrough video [Talks.Pratt].
6. Once you have completed the guidelines review and budget preparation, please fill out the Proposal Routing Form [PDF], acquire the necessary signatures from your Chair and Dean, and send it to research-partnership@pratt.edu.

Note: In the top right corner click on Use Template to save your own editable version to your Google Drive. Do not download and open this in Excel or another desktop program, as the formulas will break.

Pratt employees who use Institute resources or facilities to develop or support their proposal/project are expected to submit all proposals and receive all awards for external support through the Office of Research and Strategic Partnerships (ORSP). This requirement is necessary to ensure compliance with relevant Institute, state, and federal regulations, and to ensure appropriate fiscal oversight of external funds. The Institute may decline to administer awards that were not submitted through ORSP.

Projects developed through private practice do not need to be submitted through ORSP.

To avoid potential tax liabilities, faculty are strongly encouraged to process all grant funding through the Institute. Otherwise, the funds may be treated as personal income, and purchases may be subject to sales tax.