Grants.gov

Grants.Gov: The Basics

Download the powerpoint presentation Grants.Gov: The Basics

Tools for Preparing Grants.gov Applications

• Completed-424 Example
• Guide to Completing the 424
  Created by the School of Medicine with collaboration from the Office of Research
• Person Months Conversion Chart
• Person Months Interactive Calculator

Common Grants.gov Submission Errors

• Missing attachments or attachments not in correct format
  For example:

  • Attachments not in PDF form (NIH Only)
  • Extraneous spaces, dashes, periods or special characters in filenames, email addresses or data fields.
• Invalid / inconsistent/ missing data
  For example:

  • Federal Identifier (Grant number) and/or EIN missing or entry has the wrong number of spaces
  • Resource or data sharing information missing
  • e-GC1 data does not match the SF-424 form
  • Incorrect use of Co-PI role on Key Personnel form (NIH Only)
  • Period dates do not match between SF-424 and budget pages
  • Wrong or missing DUNS number (DUNS: 605799469 / US Dept. of Ed use: 042803536)
  • Missing assurance numbers on the Research and Related Other Project Information form (Human Assurance #: 00006878 / Animal Assurance#: A3464-01)
• Application business requirements not met
  For example:

  • Maximum field length exceeded
  • Type size or font type requirements not met
  • Page limits exceeded (conversion to PDF can change formatting and exceed page limits)
  • Forms required by the program announcement are missing
• Budget miscalculations
  For example:

  • Inaccurate rates
  • Misapplied F&A exclusions
  • Non consecutive budget period dates
  • Mismatched budget totals (for NIH budget numbers do not match 424 form)
  • Miscalculation of effort (use person months instead of % effort for NIH)
  • Cognizant Agency information is missing on Modular Budgets (NIH only)
• e-RA Commons user profile errors (NIH only)
  For example:

  • Missing Commons profile ID for anyone with the role of PD/PI (“Credential/agency login” field)
  • Data inconsistencies between Commons profile and Key Personnel form
  • Data inconsistencies between Commons profile and the Biographical Sketch information
  • Commons profile ID in the application does not match actual profile name in Commons
  • Data mismatch on PI degrees between Commons profile and Biographical Sketch forms

NIH and Grants.gov

• NIH eSubmission home page
• UW Instructions for Requesting Sub-award or Consortium Proposals under NIH's Grants.gov Submissions
  1. Send the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form to the Consortium Entity. The Entity should complete the budget (for each period of the proposal) and return it to the UW PI or designee.
  2. In addition, the Entity should prepare the following components of its proposal to UW:
     • Cover Page Supplement Component
     • Work description or brief research plan of just its role
     • 398 Checklist Component
     • Letter of Transmittal signed by Entity's authorizing official

     Note: These components will remain internal to the UW, and will be used to prepare the Subcontract should the UW proposal be funded by NIH. They should be attached to the UW proposal that is routed through Chair and Dean using SAGE.

  3. The UW PI may want to include the Senior/Key Person Profile(s) Component of the Entity's personnel in the submission of the application through grants.gov.
• NIH Proposal Preparation Tips
  1. The yellow highlighted fields are required from government wide grant making agencies. Please read the Program Announcement (PA) carefully as it contains instructions that are extremely helpful to complete a particular grant application. Example: Credential field is required only by NIH. NIH proposal can’t be submitted if this field is not completed.
  2. Be sure to select the “Next” button for forms that are multiple pages. Otherwise, you will receive an error for incompletely filling out the forms.
  3. Be sure that if funds are being requested for more than one budget period, click the “Next Period” button at the top of the third budget screen (Sections F through K) to navigate to screens for the next budget period. For NIH proposal submitted via Grants.gov, you do not need to complete the Cumulative budget page because the NIH ERA Commons will populate this page as well as the Table of Contents.
  4. All attachment uploaded in Grants.gov application must be a .pdf file (not editable).
  5. If you use Adobe as your pdf converter, the most effective way to merge files together is in Adobe, not Word. Once you have each of your files, for example, letters, separately in PDF format, using Adobe, open the PDF of the letter you want to appear first. Then "save as" LetterUpload.pdf or something of that kind, since you will be collecting all the other letter pdf files together at that point and saving them in this aggregate file. Then, use Acrobat's Document-Insert Pages function to append each of the other PDF files. It is a pretty quick process once you get used to using that feature. Then save the file again, now containing the final, aggregate result. Attach *that* file - LetterUpload.pdf in my example - to the PureEdge form.
  6. Do not include any information in a header or footer of the attachments. A header will be system-generated that references the name of the PD/PI. Page numbers for the footer will be system-generated in the complete application, with all pages sequentially numbered.
  7. Tracking page limitations when you have to submit all of the various sections of the proposal.
  8. Do not be concerned that the application form has a pre-filled CFDA number that may not correspond to the Institute/Center of interest. The Center for Scientific Review will not use the CFDA number for assignment of the application. This field will be corrected by the CSR at a later time.
  9. Check the NIH Electronic Submission Frequently Asked Questions often, as it is updated frequently.

Finding Funding on Grants.gov

Grants.gov