Preliminary Inquiry

It is recommended that preliminary contact be made with potential extramural funding sources in order to determine whether they are willing to consider a formal grant application. A well-written two or three page preliminary proposal submitted to an agency can inform you of the agency's potential interest in the proposal and will save time for both you and the agency personnel--especially if the proposal is clearly not suitable for formal submission. In addition, the preparation of the formal document is much simpler if a preliminary proposal has been prepared carefully. This process may result in agency assistance for designing the proposal to meet their priorities without distorting your original intentions. Finally, the agency staff may be able to suggest other agencies or private foundations which may have an interest in your proposed research.

The preliminary inquiry should, if possible, demonstrate that the investigator is acquainted with the work and purpose of the particular organization being approached. An effective prospectus will point out the significance of the project and will discuss the objectives of your particular research, how you plan to reach these objectives, and how long it will take you to do so. Although a detailed budget is not necessary, there should be an overall cost estimate including appropriate UW-L fringe benefits and indirect costs.

Other information which should be included is: Who will benefit? Who cares about the outcomes? What difference will it make if the project is not funded?

A preliminary proposal should give enough indication of step-by-step planning to show that the project has been thought through and that pitfalls have been anticipated. It will demonstrate the writer's grasp of the subject and his/her capabilities to undertake the project. It should be emphasized that this is a preliminary inquiry, not a formal proposal, and that the investigator will send further details if the agency wishes.

Since the preliminary inquiry is an informal, direct communication between the PI/PD and the extramural agency, it is not routed through University channels with a Transmittal Form and does not require any University endorsement. However, an informational copy of the preliminary proposal and agency correspondence should be sent to the Office of Sponsored Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities so that they can aid you in locating appropriate funding sources. It is important that PI/PDs do not commit university resources without the explicit consent of their cognizant Dean/Director.

In general, private foundations are interested in innovative projects that are:

  • relevant to pressing national or regional problems;
  • relevant to new methods in education;
  • capable of being continued after a specified funding period without further assistance from the foundation; and
  • incapable of being initially funded by governmental agencies or the investigator's own institution.

The initial letter of inquiry and brief preliminary proposal should highlight whichever of these characteristics best fit the project at hand.

Further suggestions on both the appropriateness and the preparation of a preliminary proposal may be obtained from the Office of Sponsored Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities.