commonly used terms in grant seeking
Administrative Regulations: Regulations that implement (1) guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) contained in circulars that apply to the administration of all federal grants and cooperative agreements; (2) Presidential Executive Orders (where regulation is necessary); and (3) legislation that affects all applicants for or recipients of federal grants and cooperative agreements.
Application: The formal document submitted by a potential grantee seeking funds. The application is the most complete presentation of the project and is often the basis for the Grant Agreement. See also: Proposal
Application Notice: A notice published in the Federal Register that invites applications for one or more discretionary grant or cooperative agreement competitions, gives basic program and fiscal information on each competition, informs potential applicants when and where they can obtain applications, and cites the deadline date for a particular competition. See also: Request for Applications; Request for Proposals
Application Package: A package that contains the application notice for one or more programs and all the information and forms needed to apply for a discretionary grant or cooperative agreement.
Applied Research: Research that studies the relationship or applicability for theories or principles of a particular field to a particular problem; research undertaken to solve human problems, rather than simply to add to the sum of human knowledge.
Appropriations Legislation: A law passed by the Congress to provide a certain level of funding for a grant program in a given year.
Assurances: A listing of a variety of requirements, found in different federal laws, regulations, and executive orders that applicants agree in writing to observe as a condition of receiving federal assistance (grants).
Audit (Financial): An examination of an agency’s accounting documents by an outside expert. Upon review, the expert prepares an opinion as to consistency and conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principals. Audits generally are conducted after the end of the fiscal year. Some grant programs require an audit of grant funds at the end of the project.
Audit (Program): A review of the accomplishments of a grant-funded program by the staff of the funding agency. A program audit may be mandatory or random. Also know as Monitoring.
Audit Finding: A conclusion about a monetary or non-monetary matter related to an auditor's examination of an organization, program, activity, or function, which frequently identifies problems and provides recommendations for correction action in order to prevent their future recurrence.
Authorization: Authorization is the legal authority upon which a program is based. It sometimes is known as Enabling Legislation.
Authorizing Legislation: A law passed by the Congress that establishes or continues a grant program.
Basic Research: Research which adds something new to the body of knowledge of a particular field.
Boiler Plate: Those parts of a proposal that are standard and often copied from another document, i.e., affirmative action statement, institutional profile, negotiated indirect costs.
Bricks and Mortar: An informal term for capital funds generally used for building renovation or construction.
Budget: The organization's blueprint for the coming year, expressed in monetary terms.
Budget Period: An interval of time into which a project period is divided for budgetary purposes, usually 12 months.
Capital Grant: A grant usually made to established organizations to meet future service demands. It can include funding for land acquisition, building construction, and/or equipment purchases.
Case Statement: A centralized documentation of information describing an agency: its needs, goals, objectives, strategies, and tasks. Writing this statement is a major undertaking, but is crucial for many large corporation grants.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: The publication and database produced by the General Services Administration that lists the domestic assistance programs for all federal agencies and gives information about a program's authorization, fiscal details, accomplishments, regulations, guidelines, eligibility requirements, information contacts, and application and award process; also called the CFDA.
Certification: A statement, signed by an applicant or recipient as a prerequisite for receiving federal funds, that it (1) meets or will adhere to certain conditions and/or (2) will undertake or not undertake certain actions.
CFDA Number: Identifying number for a federal assistance program composed of a unique two letter prefix to identify the federal agency followed by a period and a unique three-digit code for each authorized program.
Challenge Grant: A grant that must be matched with money raised by the recipient.
Closeout: The process during which the grantor and/or the grantee’s administrative unit (1) determines that the recipient has performed all required work of a discretionary grant or cooperative agreement and (2) undertakes all necessary administrative actions to make any final fiscal adjustments to a recipient's account.
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR): Compilation of all final regulations issued by federal agencies. It is published annually by the National Archives and Records Administration and divided into numbered "Titles."
Competitive Review Process: The process used by grantors to select applications for funding in which applications are scored by subject-area experts and the most highly scored applications are recommended for funding. See also: Peer Review
Concept Paper: A brief document that contains key elements of your proposal, such as a description, target population, explanation of the need, description of goals and outcomes, key components and identification of partnerships and collaborations. See also: Preliminary Proposal
Conditional Grant: A grant in which the grantee must satisfy some condition other than matching funds.
Continuation Grant: Additional funding awarded for budget periods following the initial budget period of a multi-year discretionary grant or cooperative agreement.
Contract: A binding agreement between two or more parties (or persons); a procurement agreement.
Cooperative Agreement: A type of federal assistance, essentially, a variation on a discretionary grant, awarded when the agency anticipates having substantial involvement with the recipient during the performance of a funded project.
Cost-sharing: Financial contribution by an institution to a project supported primarily by a grant or contract. See also: Matching; In-Kind Contributions
Deadline: The due date of a proposal. Can be one of two types: a receipt deadline or a postmark deadline.
Demonstration Project: Small scale program or project that can be used as a model for others to follow. If the project has merit, other grantors may provide funding for continuation.
Direct Costs: The specific, identifiable costs of operating a grant-supported project, such as personnel, travel, equipment purchase and lease, consumable supplies, computer time, and rent.
Discretionary Funds: Grants that are allocated according to a funder’s judgment rather than according to a pre-established guideline or set of criteria.
Discretionary Grant: An award of financial assistance in the form of money, or property in lieu of money, by the federal government to an eligible recipient, usually made on the basis of a competitive review process.
Drawdown: The method by which a successful grantee requests payment from a Federal funding agency. Frequency of drawdowns (also known as draws) range from weekly electronic wire-transfers to a single lump sum payment at the end of the project. Quarterly drawdowns are very common.
DUNS Number (Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number): A unique, site specific, nine-digit identification number provided by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). As of October 1, 2003, a DUNS number for the organization submitting the proposal must be provided on all federal grant and cooperative agreement applications. The DUNS number will provide a way for the federal government to better match information across all agencies.
Employer Identification Number (EIN): A unique number the Internal Revenue Service assigns to each employer.
Enabling Legislation: See: Authorization
Endowment: Money that is made available to a foundation by a donor, and then is invested so as to provide funds out of which grants are made, taxes paid, operating expenses met, etc.
Facilities and Administrative Costs (F & A): Those costs not readily identifiable as costs generated by a specific project, but which occur in the general operation of the project. These costs include the expense of operating and maintain buildings and equipment, depreciation, administrative salaries, etc. F & A costs usually are calculated as a flat percentage of either the budget or the personnel category alone; formerly known as Indirect Costs.
Facilities and Administrative Cost (F & A) Rate: A predetermined rate for F & A costs that can be charged by an institution. These rates are negotiated with individual agencies; formerly known as Indirect Cost Rate.
Federal Register: Daily compilation of federal regulations and legal notices, presidential proclamations and executive orders, federal agency documents having general applicability and legal effect, documents required to be published by act of Congress, and other federal agency documents of public interest that is prepared by the National Archives and Records Administration for public distribution by the Government Printing Office.
Financial Report: A document the recipient sends to the funding agency showing the amounts and/or types of expenditures made under a grant or cooperative agreement.
Fiscal Year (FY): A 12-month accounting period during which money is spent on an organization’s program. Different funding sources use different fiscal years - October 1 to September 30 for the Federal Government; July 1 to June 30 for many others.
501(c)(3): The section of the tax code that defines nonprofit, charitable (as broadly defined), tax-exempt organizations. Institutions of higher learning can be 501(c)(3) organizations, as can public charities, private operating foundations, and private non-operating foundations.
Formula Grant: A grant that a Federal agency is directed by Congress to make to recipients.
Formula/Block Grants: Grants awarded by the federal government to the 50 similar state agencies for which the amount is established by a formula based on certain criteria (e.g., population) that are written into the legislation and program regulations. These funds are often regranted by the state on a competitive basis.
Foundation: A nonprofit organization created for the purpose of establishing or maintaining charitable, educational, religious, social, and other activities for the common good. There are two general categories of foundation: private foundations (general purpose, special purpose, family and operating) and public foundations (synonymous with community foundations).
Funder: See: Grantor
Funding Agency: See: Grantor
Funding Cycle: The time during which a funding source accepts new proposals and makes new awards. A typical cycle includes the announcement of the availability of funds, followed by a deadline for submission of applications, review of applications, award of grants, issuance of contract documents and release of funds. If funds are reappropriated or remain on hand after the first funding round, the cycle starts again.
Funding Priorities: Activities, identified by the funding agency in advance of a discretionary grant or cooperative agreement competition, which the grantor seeks to fund, or to which the grantor will give preferential consideration when making funding decisions.
General Support: Funds that may be used for a broad range of organizational needs, including general operating expenses, usually at the discretion of the recipient. Also known as an Unrestricted Grant.
Grant: An award of funds to an organization to perform a specified set of functions for an agreed upon dollar amount during a specified period of time.
Grant Agreement: A contract entered into by a grantee and a grantor. Typically based on the application submitted by the grantee, the Grant Agreement commits the grantee to carry out certain activities, within a stipulated time frame, for a specific amount of money. The Grant Agreement often refers to, or incorporates, regulations that govern the use of grant funds. It is important to note that the Grant Agreement may include more restrictive conditions than were proposed by the grantee or are required by law. The Grant Agreement also may be for less money than originally sought.
Grant Application Reviewer: An individual with expertise in the field of interest who serves the funding agency by reviewing grant and cooperative agreement applications; also referred to as "field reader" or "peer reviewer."
Grant Award Notification: Official document signed by the grants officer stating the amount and the terms and conditions of an award for a discretionary grant or cooperative agreement.
Grantee: The recipient of grant funds. Also known as Recipient. See also: Sub-Grantee
Grantor: The agency, foundation, or governmental unit that awards grants; also known as Funder or Funding Agency.
Guidelines: The procedures set forth by the funding source for approaching a grant maker, preparation of the proposal, and, sometimes, the administration of the grant.
Hard Money: A dependable, long-term source of funding.
Indirect Costs: See: Facilities and Administrative Costs (F & A)
Indirect Cost Rate: See: Facilities and Administrative Cost (F & A) Rate
In-Kind Contributions: Project support, usually services, facilities, equipment, supplies, or other tangible resources, as opposed to monetary grants. See also: Matching
In-Kind Funds: A type of matching fund contributed by an institution. These are not actual cash amounts, but cash equivalents in wages, rents, and supplies.
Lead Agency: The agency with the primary responsibility for approving or funding a project that is supported by funds from more than one agency. The lead agency conducts the review, notifies other involved agencies, and issues the grant award.
Letter of Inquiry: A brief letter outlining an organization's activities and its request for funding that is sent to a potential grant maker (particularly foundations) to determine whether it would be appropriate to submit a full grant proposal. Many grant makers prefer to be contacted in this way before receiving a full proposal. See also: Letter of Intent; Preliminary Proposal
Letter of Intent: The initial submission sent to a grantor to indicate that a proposal will be forthcoming. It may range from a simple statement that a proposal will be submitted to a brief description of the intended project. Some grantors use the Letter of Intent as a screening tool to reduce the number of full proposals submitted, requesting proposals for only those projects that matach the grantors mission and program goals most closely. See also: Preliminary Proposal
Letter of Support: Endorsements about a project’s efforts from organizations and individuals who are considered credible in the eyes of the funder.
Leveraging Ratio: The proportion of grant funds to funds or non-cash donations from other sources. For example, a leveraging ratio of 1:1 means that for every grant dollar awarded to a project, the grantee will secure one dollar from another source. The term implies that grant dollars are used to "leverage" other dollars. See also: Matching Funds
Logic Model: A tool, often utilized by charitable foundations, for developing a project plan that ensures that the rationale, suitability, sustainability and evaluation of a project are considered during the planning stages and included in the project proposal.
Matching Funds: A portion of the total cost of a project that must be supplied by the grantee to “match” the funds provided by the grantor. Usually anywhere from 10 to 50 percent of the total request, matching funds include money and/or non-cash donations from other sources.
Monitoring: Activities undertaken by funding agency staff members to review and evaluate specific aspects of a recipient's activities under a discretionary grant or cooperative agreement. They may include (1) measuring a recipient's performance; (2) assessing a recipient's adherence to applicable laws, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the award; (3) providing technical assistance to recipients; and (4) assessing whether a recipient has made substantial progress. See also: Audit (Program)
Negotiation: Pre-award discussions between the funding agency and the grantee to establish the conditions and amount of a discretionary grant or cooperative agreement, usually based on recommendations from the cognizant Program Officer, a cost analysis of the applicant's budget, and a review of proposed activities.
New Start: A project that is funded for the first time.
Non-responsiveness: Failure to comply with all the rules, regulations, and requests of grant guidelines. It is a major reason for proposal rejection.
Not For Profit: An incorporated organization in which stockholders and trustees do not share in profits. Nonprofits usually are established to accomplish some charitable, humanitarian, or educational purpose. See also: 501(c)(3)
Notice of Funds Availability: A public announcement that a sponsor has funds available to support the type of project outlined in the announcement; a request for proposals.
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: An announcement published in the Federal Register of proposed new regulations or modifications to existing regulations; the first stage in the process of creating or modifying regulations.
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars: Administrative policy documents that give instruction to federal agencies on a variety of topics, including the administration of federal grants and cooperative agreements.
On spec: An informal abbreviation for "on the speculation." Consultants, including grant writers, architects, lawyers, and others, may do preliminary work "on the speculation" that if the project is funded more work will be forthcoming. The on spec portion may be done for free or at a reduced rate in the hopes of securing the additional work. This arrangement may raise ethical concerns with funding agencies.
Pass Through: The act of a grantee receiving grant funds and dispersing those same funds to a sub-grantee. It is common for the Grantee to perform the Program Audit of the Sub-Grantee. A portion of the grant funds are often retained by the Grantee to cover the cost of administration. See also: Audit (Program); Grantee; Sub-Grantee
Payment Identification Number (PIN): A number associated with a recipient's entity number which enables the recipient to draw down cash payments authorized by a discretionary grant or cooperative agreement award.
Peer Review: Critical reading of a proposal or contract by reputable practitioners and others conversant with the field it addresses, who are in a position to judge the competence of the applicant.
Performance Report: A report of the specific activities the recipient of a discretionary grant or cooperative agreement has performed during the budget period or the project period.
Pilot Program: See: Demonstration Project
Planning Grant: A grant intended to support activities necessary to the design and plan of a particular program of project. A planning grant often underwrites the production of a subsequent grant request.
Postmark Deadline: The date by which a mail application must be postmarked.
Preliminary Proposal: A brief, early draft of the proposal used to elicit feedback from the prospective grantor so that the proposal may be more closely tailored to meet the grantor’s needs. It often is used by grantors to determine which applicants will be invited to submit a full application. Also known as a concept paper, discussion paper, pre-application, pre-proposal, or white paper
Principal Investigator: The individual responsible for carrying out the terms of an award. This person also may be called the project director.
Pro forma: Latin for "as a matter of form." A pro forma is a projected, proposed, or hypothetical set of numbers for a project, typically the budget.
Program Income: Gross income or revenue generated by a project. This may include sale of real estate or equipment, rental income, fees, interest on loans, proceeds from the sale of loans, interest earned, and funds collected through special assessments. Program income may be subject to all of the conditions of the original grant award.
Program Officer: Funding agency staff person responsible for any or all of the following: (1) developing program regulations, application notices, and application packages;(2) overseeing the review and ranking of applications submitted under their programs; (3) providing detailed funding recommendations; (4) participating in negotiations, as necessary; (5) providing technical assistance to applicants and recipients; (6) monitoring funded projects; and (7) making recommendations about recipients' requests for revisions to project activities and budgets.
Program Regulations: Regulations that implement legislation passed by Congress to authorize a specific grant program. They include applicant and participant eligibility criteria, nature of activities funded, allowability of certain costs, selection criteria under which applications will be selected for funding, and other relevant information.
Project Director: See: Principal Investigator
Project Period: The total amount of time (sometimes several years) during which a grant recipient is authorized to complete the approved work of the project described in the application and expend grant funds. Project periods of more than one year are divided into budget periods.
Proposal: A description of what you want to do, why you want to do it, how you plan to do it, how much it will cost, and how you will know it works that is presented in a format outlined by the grantor. See also: Application
Receipt Deadline: The date by which a mailed application must be received.
Recipient: See: Grantee
Regulations: Federal rules of general applicability that are authorized by federal laws or other federal authority and contained in the Code of Federal Regulations.
Request for Applications (RFA): A solicitation by a grantor for proposals from individuals or institutions to perform specific tasks.
Request for Proposals (RFP): See: Request for Applications
Reviewer: See: Grant Application Reviewer
Query Letter: See: Letter of Inquiry
Seed Money: Funds awarded to start up a project with the purpose of developing the project enough to be able to find larger, longer-term funding from other sources.
Soft Match: Service, facilities, equipment - in short, anything but money. See also: In-Kind; Matching Funds
Solicited Proposal: A proposal submitted in response to a request from the granting organization.
Sub-Grantee: A recipient of pass-through grant funds from a grantee and not directly from the Grantor. A sub-grantee is held to all of the regulations of the original grant plus any conditions added by the Grantee; also known as Sub-Recipient. See also: Pass Through; Grantee; Grantor
Sub-Recipient: See: Sub-Grantee
Target Population: The intended beneficiaries of a grant-supported service project; also known as client population.
Tax Exempt: A legal status, bestowed by the IRS, which states that organizations have adequately demonstrated their charitable, education, religious, scientific or literary nature. Tax-exempt organizations include non-profit corporations, trusts and benevolent associations, foundations, institutions of higher learning, etc.
Unrestricted Grant: See General Support
Unsolicited Proposal: A proposal submitted to a funding agency that is not in response to a specific request for applications/proposals. It usually must be more persuasive than a solicited proposal.
Wired: Slang for the idea that the selection of an organization to receive a grant has been decided prior to the submission of competitive proposals.
References:
granthelp. “Glossary.” 1 Dec. 2003 <http://granthelp.clarityconnect.com/glossary.htm>.
Montana State University - Bozeman. “Research, Creativity, &Technology Transfer - Grants Glossary & Acronyms.” 1 Dec. 2003
<http://www.montana.edu/wwwvr/glossary.html>.
Penn State - Community and Economic Development. “Finding the Funds You Need: A Guide for Grant Seekers.”
1 Dec. 2003 <http://cedev.aers.psu.edu/grantwriting/glossary.htm>.
Sheri Denk. “Grant Writing Glossary.” 1 Dec. 2003 <http://www.uml.edu/centers/CFWC/gwglo.html>.
University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “Glossary of Proposal Terms.” 1 Dec. 2003
< http://www.ualr.edu/~orsp/glossary.htm>.
Last Updated: 6/21/05 lwh
