Proposal Resources

Proposal Templates

Box.com site for Templates and Examples of many common proposal elements for several sponsors.

List of Helpful Links on the OCG Website

Essentials of Grant Proposal Development Training

The Essentials of Grant Proposal Development Training by CITI Program guides you through the step-by-step process of successful grant writing, covering essential policies and best practices. Whether you're a new academic learning about grantsmanship or an experienced researcher refreshing your skills, you'll develop the critical abilities needed to find grants, create compelling proposals, and build a successful research program.

Budget Guidelines

The proposal budget captures all of the expected project expenditures and should be aligned with both internal policy and the sponsor's budget requirements. A proposal budget is accompanied by a supporting budget justification outlining the details for each budgeted item. See the Budget Preparation and Cost Share page for more information.

Budget Templates

Document
Budget Calculator (v 01-29-2025)
Box.com site for Budget Templates and Examples
Budget Preparation Cheat Sheet (4/9/2020)

Internal Guidelines

UCOP Contract and Grant Manual, Chapter 7, Budget and Expenditures (systemwide policy)
UCOP Contract and Grant Manual, Chapter 8 - Indirect Cost
Guidelines for Recharge and Income Activities

Federal Cost Principles

2 CFR 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards

Application Guidelines

Sponsor application guidelines specify required proposal components, forms, and templates to be submitted for a funding opportunity. The guidelines also may specify formatting requirements such as page limits, character limits, spacing, margins, font type, and font size. Most importantly, guidelines often outline general grant review and evaluation criteria. Details regarding submission deadlines, eligibility criteria, program goals, project expectations, duration, and award size are given within the a separate document, the 'call for proposals/applications'.

Sponsor Guidelines

State Agencies

Federal Agencies

UC ANR research, extension, and education is supported by several federal sponsor. Review the guidelines for common sponsors given below.

United States Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA)
USDA NIFA - Application Development Guide (Proposal development grant writing tips for success)
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
United States Forest Service (FS)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Science Foundation (NSF)

Internal Guidelines

UCOP Contract and Grant Manual, Chapter 2 - PROPOSAL SUBMISSION AND AWARD ACCEPTANCE/ADMINISTRATION
Policy on the Requirement to Submit Proposals and to Receive Awards for Grants and Contracts through the University

UC ANR Institutional Capacity

Proposal development will often involve the crafting of specific language to describe UC ANR's institutional research and/or administrative capacity to successfully conduct the proposed research project. The following resources provide an overview of UC ANR's mission, structure, and programming.

Cultivating California

For standard language templates, please contact your assigned OCG analyst for assistance with a standard grant proposal, or the proposal development coordinator for eligible large grant proposals.

Current and Pending / Other Support

Information on Current and Pending and Other Support forms assist awarding agency staff in the identification of potential overlap of support. The goal is to ensure there is no duplication of funding for scientific aims, budgetary, or commitment overlap. An individual’s effort commitment may not exceed 100%. The PI is responsible for reviewing and ensuring accuracy of the information provided prior to submission.