Bridge Funding Program
What is the Bridge Funding Program?
Purpose
The Bridge Funding program provides bridge funding to support faculty to span a temporary funding gap in critical research programs.
Funding Available
Maximum of $50,000 may be applied for through the Provost. All funding requests must be matched 1:1 by the applicant’s college/school.
Goal
Bridge Funding awards are typically used to support on-going research programs that have lost funding, although these funds may also be used to support new research directions, at the discretion of the recipient.
Application Timeline
| Timeline | Fall |
|---|---|
| Application Announcements | September 1 |
| Applications Due | November 1 |
| Award Notifications | November 30 |
Who can Apply for Bridge Funding?
Eligibility Criteria
- Faculty with a track record of extramural funding who have lost all of their research support at the time of the Bridge application, or who will lose all of their research support within six months of the Bridge application deadline. Exceptions will be made for faculty who have lost or will lose 50% or more of their salary support. Such faculty are eligible for Bridge funding even though they have existing funding. In addition, faculty members who have a grant that is restricted to pay only their salary (such as some NIH K awards) are eligible if they have no other research funding.
- Junior faculty with a record of productivity who have exhausted their startup funds, but who have not yet obtained their first research funding (including an RRF award) either as a PI or as a co-investigator.
- A facility providing a key resource to multiple faculty that has lost extramural support. One faculty member should submit the proposal on behalf of the team.
- Faculty who hold an RRF award are eligible if the amount of the award remaining at the time of Bridge Funding application is less than $30,000. Please note that applicants who apply to both programs (Bridge and RRF) simultaneously will only be given one award. If an individual holds a Bridge Fund award and subsequently receives an RRF award of $30,000 or more, any remaining Bridge Fund monies must be returned.
In all cases, evidence must be provided to demonstrate efforts to establish or re-establish funding. Evidence such as grant reviews with priority scores will be used to evaluate these efforts. In addition, for faculty with joint, adjunct, or affiliate appointments involving the UW and a separate institution, eligibility requires that grants have been processed through the UW. If you process grants through the other institution, you are not eligible for UW bridge funds. See the Bridge Funding Eligibility FAQs for more information.
Budget Guidelines: What types of expenditures can bridge funding be used for?
Expenditures allowed on Provost funds
Supplies, equipment, lab personnel (technicians, students, fellows), travel and other research expenses. Other salary requests must include benefits. Provost funding cannot be used for the salaries of faculty.
Expenditures allowed on Matching funds
Matching funds can be in any category that supports the research, including faculty salary, providing it is not currently being supplied by the department, school, or college. Faculty with 11-month appointments cannot use departmental salary as matching. The match must occur in the same time period that the research is carried out. Matching funds must be a new commitment. It cannot be funding that was in place before the faculty member started to lose their funding. Provost and matching funds must be spent down equally.
Submission Process
Applications from faculty should be submitted to the applicant’s department chair, who should prioritize requests before forwarding them to the dean of the college/school. Since all applications must be ranked within the school or college, applicants should check for internal review deadlines. In non-departmentalized colleges/schools, applications should be submitted to the dean or his/her designee. Only complete electronic applications in a single PDF file are accepted. You will not submit an e-GC1 for bridge funding.
Required Documents
- Bridge Application Form cover sheet
- Application materials should include the five required sections in the order listed:
- Curriculum vitae, including record of funding for the past five years with dollar amounts and funding periods listed for each grant (maximum of four pages combined). You may list either direct costs only, or direct + indirect, but indicate which is listed.
- Demonstration of attempts to obtain funding (e.g. abstracts of submitted grants, panel summaries, priority scores or other evaluations and comments; do not send complete grant applications).
- Description of proposed research (maximum of five pages including the bibliography). The abstract of a submitted grant is sufficient, if it is appropriate.
- Statement of how this funding will increase chances of future funding.
- Budget and justification, including the match commitment (see above in types of expenditures covered in Budget Guidelines).
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- Documentation of the matching commitment and a budget for the match must be included with the request.
- The matching commitment should be confirmed by the chair or dean who provides the funds. An email confirmation is sufficient.
- Submit the budget for the matching amount from the department. Matching and Provost funds must be spent evenly. If all costs will be split 50:50, state so under the budget.
- The applicant’s Dean’s office will rank and submit the bridge applications to: Karen Luetjen.
Notification of Awards
Proposals will be reviewed by a committee in the Office of Research and recommendations will be made to the Provost. Once the notification of award has been made the awardee must submit a TRANSPASU form signed and routed through his/her department. Funds are typically available approximately 30 days from the date that the TRANSPASU form is signed and routed. Follow directions carefully to complete the TRANSPASU.
Post Award Processes
Final Bridge Funding Report
- A report will be requested at the end of the funding period with the following information: final accounting of the funds that were spent from the provost and matching fund sources respectively, a summary of the research that was carried out, any publications that resulted, and any grants that were awarded or are pending. Use this report template.
Return of Unused Funds
- When the award period is complete and/or outside funding is received, unspent funds will be returned to the Office of the Provost. The financial office of the Office or Research will assist with these transactions.
- The Office of Research financial staff will contact GCA and department administrators via email to implement return of funds. This may require department administrators to rebalance local expenditures so that the bridge funding sub-budget reflects 50% of the unused balance. Returned funds must be incorporated in the original bridge grant parent budget and OR fiscal staff will send an email to GCA to close out the budget.
No Cost Extensions
- A one year extension for spending bridge funds may be granted at the discretion of the Vice Provost. In those cases, the Annual Status Report deadline will also change accordingly (a one-year extension will add a one-year delay to the Annual Status Report). Any funds remaining at the end of this second year must be returned to the Provost. Contact Karen Luetjen to request an extension; include the reason for the extension request.
