Grantseeker's Vocabulary

Ralph Nelsen, CEC

Absolute Priority: One or more conditions that MUST be met in order for a project application to be considered for funding. For example, the Secretary of Education may determine that all awards in a science competition must include a community volunteer component or, perhaps, that all teacher in-service projects focus on Internet training for classroom applications. (Compare to Invitational Priority.)
Award: A formal document notifying an agency of its receipt of a grant.
Boiler-Plate: Pre-written blocks of generic material which, with slight modification, can be used in a variety of proposals. (dissemination plan, agency description, community profile, staff qualifications, etc.)
Contract: A formal agreement by which a funding agency (e.g. NSF) agrees to pay a specified amount for a task or set of tasks it has need to have performed. For example, the U.S. Marine Corps might contract with Associated Uniforms, Inc., to produce 5 million pairs of trousers of a certain color and with other well-defined characteristics--- eight belt loops, two inch cuffs, elastic waistbands, etc. In essence, a contract differs from a grant in that the product is specific and the cost is up for bid. (Also see grant.)
Contract Officer (often Project Officer): A staff member of the funding agency assigned to monitor the fiscal (not programmatic) aspects of your project. (Compare to Program Officer.) Note that in October 1996, the U.S. Department of Education eliminated the position of Contract/Project Officer and assigned responsibility for the financial aspects of a grant award to the Program Officer assigned to the project.
Deadline: The final date for proposal submission, either by hand delivery to the funding agency or to the post office for mailing (with date established by postmark, so send your proposal Certified and get a dated receipt!).; Note that the National Science Foundation frequently uses the term, "Target Date".
Eligible Activities: Legislation that authorizes a grant program discusses activities for which available funds may be used. Proposals may address any of these activities. However, it is not uncommon for the funding agency to establish priority areas within the list of authorized activities during any fiscal year. (See Absolute Priority and Invitational Priority.)
Federal Agencies: The U.S. Department of Education, National Science Foundation, National Granting Endowment for the Arts, and the Environmental Protection Agency, commonly award grants to school and education-related organizations.
Grant: An actual award of funds given to an agency. (One does not write a grant, one receives a grant.) When a competitive grant program is announced, the funding agency will almost always outline the general purpose and direction it has in mind, leaving the specifics to the imagination or expertise of the applicant. Sometimes, the agency will establish Absolute Priorities or Invitational Priorities. A grant is far more "open" than a Contract in that the funding agency is saying, in effect, "We have budgeted $XXX to support projects that will address YYY conditions and needs and accomplish ZZZ outcomes. How would you use $XXX to impact on YYY and reach ZZZ?"
Grantee: The agency (rarely an individual) to whom the grant is formally made -- school district, university, non-profit organization, etc.
Guidelines: Directions specifying, minimally, what an agency is interested in funding, what applications must contain, how they should be prepared, and how they will be evaluated.
Invitational Priority: One or more special focus areas that the funding agency would "like" to see as part of a funded project -- emphasis on alternative assessment strategies, involvement of community partners, special attention to needs of traditionally under-represented populations of students, etc. However, addressing an invitational priority does NOT give the applicant any additional points in the proposal rating process. (Compare to Absolute Priority.)
Preliminary Proposal: A short version of your proposal sent to a funding agency for internal review. Staff members will advise you whether or not your proposed project is likely to be competitive in a full-scale proposal competition. (Sometimes called a Concept Statement.)
Prime Contractor: The agency within a consortium which serves as the grant award recipient and is technically responsible for over seeing the performance and financial aspects of the project. (Also see Sub-Contractor.)
Program Officer: The member of the funding agency staff assigned to monitor the programmatic (not fiscal) aspects of your project. (Compare to Contract Officer.)
Project Director: The member of its staff to whom the grant recipient agency gives responsibility project management and operation.
Proposal: A written document describing a projected program or activity and requesting funding for its support.
Regulations: Known also as "regs," these are the documents containing the actual funding authorization and programmatic parameters established by Congress and, often, further specifications of the funding agency.
Review Criteria: Perhaps the single most important factor to consider in writing a successful funding proposal is always to "write to the criteria." Review Panel members will ALWAYS consider your application in terms of how well it addresses the various points specified in the guidelines. NEVER, NEVER write a proposal until you know everything possible about the manner in which it will be rated! (Duh... we have all been to school and know how important it is to know what the teacher "really" wants!)
Review Panel: A group of experts who read grant applications and make funding (or non-funding) recommendations to the funding agency. Commonly, Federal Review Panels do NOT have members from the funding agency offering the grant which is being considered. Instead, readers are selected from the "field." This is often called the Peer Review process. Review Panels typically have three members, each of whom reads as many as six to ten different proposals during the review process.
Sub-Contractor: An agency performing a specific task or function under contract or service agreement with the Prime Contractor responsible for the overall performance and fiscal conduct of a grant or contract. (Also see Prime Contractor.)
Target Date: See Deadline.

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