Office of Grants and Sponsored Projects
The Office of Grants and Special Projects (OGSP) is the authorized organizational representative through which Lesley University submits and receives external (private foundations and government) funding for special projects.
The role of the Grant Officer is to facilitate the grant process by assisting faculty and staff with all aspects of the grant process from researching potential funding sources to submitting grant requests for a project related to the faculty’s teaching or research. For more information on Grants and Sponsored Projects policies and procedures, please refer to lesley.edu/faculty-staff/faculty-academic-resources/teaching-and-scholarship/grants-and-sponsored-projects.
External Funding Request Process
Proposal Submission Process Steps
1. Seek Department Chair and Dean Approval
A faculty member who has an idea for a project which requires external funding should meet with the Department Chair and then the Dean to discuss the project and seek initial approval to confirm that the project is a department priority and that the timing of the project is manageable.
2. Identify Funding Sources
Once the PI has received initial approval from the Dean, PI should contact OGSP.
Need Help identifying external funding?
If faculty (Principal Investigator (PI)) or staff need help identifying external funds for a project or program, they should send an email to Eileen Kronauer, Grant Officer at eileen.kronauer@lesley.edu with a brief description of the project and the amount of funding needed along with the timeline for funding. The Grant Officer will review the request and contact the PI for additional information and to set up a meeting. The Grant Officer will begin searching for funding sources and report to the PI about funding opportunities.
External funding has been identified:
If faculty (Principal Investigator (PI)) or staff have identified an external funding source for a project, they should send an email to Eileen Kronauer, Grant Officer at eileen.kronauer@lesley.edu with a brief description of the project, amount of funding needed, and the web link to, or information on, the funding source. After review of the proposed project and funding guidelines, the Grant Officer will contact the PI to schedule a meeting to discuss the project and establish a timeline to prepare the proposal.
3. Initiate a Proposal Preliminary Grant Approval Form (via Dynamic Forms)
Following an initial meeting of the PI and Grant Officer, and if it has been determined that the proposal can be completed in a timely fashion, the next step is for the PI to complete and submit a Preliminary Grant Approval form through Dynamic Forms -- which will be initiated by the Grant Officer -- along with a project summary and preliminary budget to the Dean and Provost for approval. This should be completed at least 3 months prior to the application deadline.
4. Identify Project Team
PI will be responsible for identifying the project team, consisting of up to four Co-PIs as the leadership team as well as inviting other faculty and staff to participate in the project, if appropriate. All members must commit to preparing the proposal on time.
5. Proposal & Budget Development
The PI will schedule a meeting with project participants and the Grant Officer to review the guidelines, discuss the project, assign responsible to team members to help write the proposal, and create a time line. The PI is responsible for writing the intellectual content of the proposal with input from the project team.
Frequent team meetings are crucial to developing a competitive proposal on time. The PI may request the Grant Officer’s help in preparing an outline of the grant. The Grant Officer will be responsible for completing any application forms and collecting attachments, reviewing/editing drafts, and submitting the final proposal. The Grant Officer will help to facilitate the team meetings to ensure that the proposal remains on track, and will request updates from team members at each meeting to keep the project on schedule.
The PI and Dean will initiate the budget preparation. If the funder requires matching funds, the PI or Dean would discuss Lesley’s contribution with the Provost.
6. Final Internal Review (Dynamic Forms)
Grant proposal applications are due to the OGSP for review at least 2 weeks prior to the deadline. The final proposal and budget are submitted to the Dean, Provost, and Budget Office for final approval. The Final Approval Grant Form can be accessed through Dynamic Forms. OGSP will keep the signed copy on file.
7. Submission
Once the Grant Officer has been notified that the proposal and budget have received final approval, the proposal can be submitted to the funding organization. The Grant Officer will receive notification of approval or denial and notify the PI, team members, Dean, and Provost of the decision.