Pre-Award Services

The Director of Research and Sponsored Programs, Leslie Mangold, offers pre-award services to faculty and staff in pursuit of external funding.

Distribute information about changes in federal budgets, funding priorities, and guidelines from agencies.
Share news related to philanthropy that is pertinent to the liberal arts.

Funding opportunities encompass research, teaching, or public service initiatives accessible from federal and non-federal sources.
Provide regular updates on a broad range of funding sources relevant to faculty and staff within the liberal arts.
Educate faculty and staff on creating tailored search profiles on GrantForward, to streamline their search for suitable funding opportunities.
Conduct targeted searches for funding on behalf of specific projects as requested.

Analyze sponsor guidelines to pinpoint critical considerations.
Develop the budget, ensuring the budget justification is thorough and accurate.
Draft and negotiate Memoranda of Understanding (MOU), teaming agreements, contracts, confidentiality agreements, and other necessary contractual documents.
Engage with potential sponsors to secure necessary forms not already available through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) or to seek additional guidance and clarification on proposal submission processes.
Serve as the mediator and representative between the principal investigator/project director (PI/PD) and the funding agency for any issues before receiving funding.
Assist with managing cost-share commitments, filling out sponsor forms, and navigating electronic submission platforms.
Ensure the proposal complies with the sponsor's guidelines and formatting requirements.
Facilitate the provision of institutional support letters.

Ensure the routine facilitation of proposals and secure necessary approval signatures.
Offer institutional endorsement for proposals.
Manage and execute the submission of proposals.

Assist with sponsor inquiries for re-budgeting, just-in-time information, and similar requests.
Collaborate with other administrative entities, including IRB and IACUC committees, to ensure research compliance across areas such as Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI), Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Work with departments (e.g., business office, fiscal associates, institutional research, and human resources) to coordinate comprehensive post-award services.