What is a Proposal?
Learn about various types of submissions to sponsors, including full grant proposals, and which ones require internal University review.
A Call for Proposals could have many names, including Request for Applications (RFA), Request for Proposals (RFP), Call for Applications (CFA), Program Announcement, Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), or Program Solicitation.
A Call for Proposals includes deadlines, eligibility requirements, and budget caps associated with the funding opportunity. Review this document to ensure that the proposal deadline is realistic, that you didn’t miss a required letter of intent deadline, that you and Harvard are eligible to apply, and that the budget cap can cover your project plans.
Sponsored funding opportunities may come in other forms, such as conversations between researchers and program officers or invited proposal submissions from foundations.
If you are interested in a funding opportunity, send the Call for Proposals and/or relevant information to your Portfolio Manager and arrange a meeting as soon as possible.
There are several types of submissions you may encounter:
- Letter of Intent or Concept Paper
A brief letter or statement indicating interest and/or intention to submit a proposal. It may indicate an overall cost estimate but does not include a line-item budget, and it may also include a general description of the proposed work. - Pre-Proposal
A brief description of research plans and an estimated, line-item budget that is submitted to a sponsor prior to submission of a formal proposal. Pre-Proposals sometimes require a university signature. - Full Proposal
An application for funding that contains all information necessary to describe project plans, staff capabilities, facilities, and other resources.
Depending upon the nature of the submission, the approval process may vary. If a detailed budget and/or approval of an authorized University signatory is required, the submission must be routed through Harvard University Office for Sponsored Programs for internal review. Typically, Letters of Intent and Concept Papers do not require internal review, but you should still notify your Portfolio Manager if you are submitting one.