Important Reminders

• Grants.gov proposals must be submitted ONE WEEK prior to the agency's posted deadline. This advance submission will allow time to correct any errors that may be detected by the agency.
  
  
• Read each set of program guidelines carefully to determine what items will be needed.  Guidelines vary and it is important to communicate with your Proposal Administrator (PA) to determine what items will be needed.
  
  
• Most application packages are due to Grants.gov by 4:00 pm eastern time.  Read the guidelines carefully to determine the final submission date and time.
  
  
• The actual submission of an electronic application must be made by an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) of the submitting institution who is registered with Grants.gov (most individual investigators will not be eligible to submit the application).  The submission will be handled by TAMRF’s AOR

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PDF Files

EPA requires all text attachments to be submitted as PDF format.  The PI should prepare text attachments using MS Word and then convert those files to PDF format before sending to the PA.

Format Specifications for All Files

Font

• Use a 12 point typeface, single spaced.
  
  
• Type density can be no more than 15 characters per inch (CPI).
  
  
• Type may be no more than six lines per inch.

Page Margins

• Use standard paper size (8 1/2" x 11).
  
  
• Use at least one inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right) for all pages.

Page Limits

Most project description sections must not exceed fifteen (15) consecutively numbered (bottom center) pages.  Be sure to read the program guidelines carefully to determine the correct number of pages allowed.

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Required Section

Below is a list of the files that need to be sent to the PA to complete the Grants.gov submission:

EPA Key Contact Form

The PA will complete this form for any TAMU PIs and attach it to the application file. However, a Key Contacts form will also be needed from any subcontractor and needs to be forwarded to the PA to attach to the proposal file.  Forms may be found at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/AppKit/application.htm

Project Summary/Abstract

Limited to One Page and saved as Abstract.pdf

Read program-specific guidelines for detail on exactly what should be contained in the abstract.  In general, it should include:

• Research Category and Funding Opportunity
• Number
• Full Project Title
• List of Principal Investigator and Co-Investigators with affiliations and email addresses
• List institution for each PI and Co-I with the lead clearly identified
• Project Period
• Project Cost
• Project Summary
• Supplemental Keywords

Table of Contents

Grants.gov will generate this page.

Research Plan and Quality Assurance Statement

These 2 items should be combined into one document and saved as ResearchPlanQA.pdf

Send the file to the PA to attach to the Grants.gov application.

Research Plan

Limited to 15 pages, consecutively numbered (bottom center).

• Objectives (one to two pages recommended)
• Approach/Activities (five to ten pages recommended)
• Expected Results, Benefits, Outputs and Outcomes (one to two pages recommended)
• General Project Information (one to two pages recommended)
• Important Attachments:  References cited are in addition to the 15 page limitation.
• Appendices may be included but must remain within the 15 page limit.

Quality Assurance Statement (if applicable)

2 pages in addition to the 15 page research plan

For any project involving data collection or processing, conducting surveys, environmental measurements, modeling, or the development of environmental technology (whether hardware-based or via new techniques), provide a statement on processes that will be used to assure that results of the research satisfy the intended project objectives.  See guidelines for specific instructions on how to prepare this statement.

References Cited

References cited are in addition to the 15 page limitation.

Resumés

• Prepare one PDF document containing all Resumés followed by Current and Pending Support (see format example located at http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/forms/).  Each resumé is limited to 2 pages (with the same general formatting of 12 point font, 1 inch margins, numbered at the bottom center).
  
  
• Label it, "Resumes.pdf
  
  
• Send the file to the PA to attach to the Grants.gov application.

Appendix

Must be included as part of the 15 page project plan unless otherwise specified by the program guidelines.

Letters of Intent/Letters of Support

Letters of intent to provide resources are limited to one brief paragraph committing the availability of a resource as described in the Research Plan.  These should be in addition to the budget justification documents.

Letters of support are any letters that do not commit a resource vital to the success of the proposal and are considered part of the 15 page Research Plan limit.

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• An email will be sent to the Principal Investigator and the Administrative Contact to acknowledge receipt of the application and transmit other important information. The email will be sent from receipt.application@epa.gov; email to this address will not be accepted.
  

• If you do not receive an email acknowledgment within 30 days of the submission closing date, immediately contact the Technical Contact listed under "Agency Contacts" in the solicitation. Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed. 

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Sponsor Links

Research Foundation Proposal Administrators
http://rf-web.tamu.edu/preaward/proposaladm.html

Research Foundation Contact for EPA Questions
Bridget West: bwest@rf-mail.tamu.edu

Please review our web-site for information on submitting RF proposals through Grants.gov

1. http://rf-web.tamu.edu
2. Click on Items of Interest - "How to submit Grants.gov proposals through the Texas A&M Research Foundation"