The intent of the Internal Grants Program is to encourage innovation and collaboration, advance the goals of the CUL Master Plan, stimulate new services, and support grass-roots ideas that might not otherwise be possible to implement.
Grants will be funded generally at the $3,000-$5,000 level, but proposals requesting up to $25,000 will be considered. Projects may be funded fully or in part, depending on the amount requested, the relative strength of the proposal, and available funds. Collaborative projects, where two libraries or departments may pool ideas and resources to submit a joint proposal, are highly encouraged. In such cases, two separate supervisory reporting entities submit a joint proposal. The same submission criteria apply.
This funding opportunity is intended to be a competitive process. All applicants should clearly define the scope of their project, explain its importance within the context of their given unit or library, and submit a coherent and defensible budget. The proposal evaluations and awards will be made upon these basic criteria.
Please note that the internal grants process seeks to give a diverse group of CUL staff the opportunity to learn about the grants process. It also seeks to allow a wide range of projects to be funded. To ensure that as many interested staff as possible have the opportunity to receive funding, those who have been principal investigators on projects funded during the previous year will not be eligible for funding this year. Past recipients may apply for funding again in the next round.
The letter of intent may be brief, and should be accompanied by a completed Preliminary Proposal Notification Form (found online at: http://www.library.cornell.edu/grants/Internal_Grant_Approval_doc.html.) No other forms are required. Designate "CUL Internal Grants 2003" as the desired sponsor/donor, and omit the University Librarian's signature. For the approximate amounts requested from the program and total cost of the project, provide your best estimate. Also estimate the length of time you anticipate the project will require. If you need to revise your budget and/or time estimates significantly between the submission of the letter of intent and the final proposal, submit a revised Notification Form with the final proposal.
Important note: You must supply both your supervisor's (or supervisors') signature(s) and that (those) of the appropriate AUL(s). No proposal will be considered without these signatures. The signatures are required to ensure that appropriate managers and administrators are aware of your proposed project and approve of your working on it.
In general, successful submissions will be those that follow the grant award guidelines completely and contain these key ingredients. The proposal must:
The key to success lies in the effort made in thinking through and describing a doable project and then presenting it coherently in a well-written proposal. Proposed projects should be completed within a six to twelve month period; extensions will only be granted after formal review. Proposals should not attempt to resolve general operating budget shortfalls.
Successful proposals from past internal grants competitions include:
In addition to supporting the goals of the CUL Master Plan, the Internal Grants Program provides an opportunity for staff to formulate fundable ideas and describe those ideas coherently in a formal proposal. The form of the proposal -- its clarity, internal logic, and project articulation -- is as important as the creativity or potential impact of the project itself. Applicants should consult and be guided by CUL policy and guidelines articulated on the CUL External Funding and Grant Support Web Page (http://www.library.cornell.edu/grants/home.html).
All proposals should be submitted on standard 8.5" x 11" paper, printed on one side of the page only. The narrative should be no more than five pages in length. (For joint submissions only, the narrative may be expanded to seven pages.) Appendices may be included when they are deemed necessary to clarify some aspect of the proposal. Applicants should, however, exercise judgment when deciding whether to include appendices, especially if they are lengthy.
Proposals must include the following:
The cover page must include the following information:
The proposal must contain an executive summary of 120 words or less on a separate sheet of paper. The summary should be a concise abstract of the overall goals and relevance of the proposed project.
The narrative must include the following sections under specified and separate headings:
The Preliminary Proposal Notification Form, submitted with the letter of intent, is required for all proposals. See the guidelines under Letter of Intent for further details.
A final report must be submitted on completion of the project to Susan Pickett, 201 Olin Library.
Submit one original copy of your proposal (with signed CUL forms if there have been significant changes from the forms submitted with the letter of intent) along with 1 electronic copy to Susan Pickett (slp23@cornell.edu), 201 Olin by 5 p.m., March 17, 2003. Submissions delivered after this date will not be considered. Be aware that your supervisor may want to approve or read your proposal before you submit it to the committee. Allow time for such contingencies. No late submissions will be considered.
An e-mail message will be sent out to you within 5 working days acknowledging receipt of the proposal. The University Librarian will make award announcements on or before April 30, 2003. The Library Accounting Office will handle the allocation of funds and assist with project management.
Submitted by: Marcy Rosenkrantz 1/09/03
12/03/02, vwb
1/09/03, mer
CUL Staff Web Site | Grant Support and External Funding Web-site