Approval and Submission of the Proposal:
Ok, the proposal is written, formatted perfectly & ready to go…Now what?
A. CNM’s Approval Process:
• Executive Team Approval: Before any grant proposals can be submitted, they must be approved by the Executive Team. This team meets on Tuesday mornings and the agenda is set on Monday afternoon. Thus, all proposals must be submitted to the PBIR grant office by the Monday prior to the submission deadline. When the Executive Team approves the proposal (on Tuesday), it will be returned to the PBIR’s grant office.
• Approval Signature Process: (Click on the link for the 'Grant Approval' form. When prompted, either save the document or open it and select print.) Prior to going to the Executive Team, the proposal must go through the Application Signature Approval Process. The form developed for this purpose is located in the link above and is fairly simple to complete – Here’s what you’ll need to know about the form:
I. Proposal Information: The Primary Investigator (PI) Name, Divison/School, Phone, e-mail are required. The signature of both the PI and the PI's Dean/Director are also required. Usually, the person in charge of proposal development is the PI, but not always. Project information includes the Project Title and Proposal Due Date. Grant Proposal information: Check “CNM Grant” if it is federal or state funded; “CNM Foundation” for private foundations or corporate agencies; “Renewal” if the grant is continuing and up for renewal.
II. Budget Information: 
Must be approved by the Division or School’s Dean or Director’s signature. The Funding Agency (to which the proposal is being submitted) and approximate amount requested is required. Also, if “Matching Funds” are required this must be indicated. “Matching Funds” means that CNM must match the funds requested.
Some grants allow “Indirect Costs” that pay for such things as administering the grant. Usually an RFP will say 15% indirect cost rate, which means you can take 15% of your funding request & put it on the “indirect cost” line. Institutions (like CNM) really like this, because it pays for some of the services they provide. Many funding agencies will say “No Indirect Costs” allowed. On the signature approval page indirect costs must be indicated. The Presidential signature required can be obtained during the Executive Team meeting.
III. Approval Signatures: The signatures needed for Planning Budget and Institutional Research are grant office for Proposal Narrative and budget office for Budget Approval.
The Vice President for Planning and Budget will sign during the Executive Team meeting.
(Approval form: Page 2)
CNM Foundation Grant Signatures: These are only needed if this is a Foundation grant (not for state or federal government grants). If the Foundation must approve, the signatures needed are the Executive Director, or designee, and the Foundation Accountant – both in the Foundation Office.
Contracts & Grants Signatures: Contracts & Grants in the Business Office will be the final signature for financial considerations after Executive Team approval.
Executive Signatures: The Vice President appropriate to the proposal, the Vice President of Planning and Budget, and the President will consider, and signs, grant proposals at the Executive Team meeting.
Business Office Signatures: Contracts and Grants - Loretta Montoya (can sign before or after ET meeting); and Comptroller - Martin Serna (can sign before or after ET meeting.)
B. Submission of the Proposal: 
Hooray! The proposal is finished; Executive Team approved; all Signatures obtained..now what?
Proposal requirements for submission must be followed. Some proposals will require multiple copies, some require letters of support, others require appropriate appendices (list of board members, financial audit information, CV’s of key personnel, etc.) These should be gathered as the proposal is being developed. Many of these documents (i.e. drug-free workplace), we have on file at the PBIR office, so you might want to check.
When all the material is put together, submission requirements vary:
• 
Mailing: Watch the deadline, does it say “postmarked by” ... or “received by”... The PBIR office will mail proposals for you if they are received on time. (Even we can’t beat a deadline that’s already past!) If proposals are to be received in Albuquerque and time is short, we can hand deliver the proposals.
• Electronic Submission: Some foundations require electronic submission of proposals by a certain time and deadline. In this case, proposals can be attached and e-mailed to the appropriate address.
• Grants.Gov and Fastlane: PLEASE NOTE: The federal government has gone to an all electronic system called grants.gov. The National Science Foundation (NSF) version of this is called Fastlane. In this system, documents can be uploaded and all sent at once via the system. There are certain “AOR’s” (Authorized Organizational Representatives) who are the only ones that can access this system or submit proposals. It is possible to work “off-line” on a proposal. If use of this system is required, it is quite complex & takes some time to enter the documents. Plus, the government is not lenient about missed deadlines… or times. In fact, if you miss the deadline by two minutes, the government will not accept the proposal. Susan Meyerer in the PBIR office can help you with using this system, but she needs a reasonable amount of time to do it. It is also helpful to give her information or work with her prior to submission as these government forms can be filled out on an on-going basis. Our most recent NSF proposal was submitted via Fastlane. The proposal developer worked with Susan to enter the information and check it for accuracy. They also worked in partnership to prepare the proposal.
C. Well, that’s it…Your proposal is in, on time…and it’s time to celebrate & wait for news:
If funders indicate that they will acknowledge your submission (usually by an e-mail stating it’s been received), make sure you receive this acknowledgment …and share it with the appropriate individuals - including the Project Director(s) and the PBIR office.
Thank You’s:
First of all, thank YOU for submitting a grant proposal. We know it is not easy, but the rewards are …well – incredible! And so good for students and the community.
Secondly, be sure to thank the funder (if you get the award and even if you don’t you can “thank the funder” for the opportunity to submit) – unless it’s a government grant than this is not necessary. Also, if your proposal does not get funded (the first time – not to worry – you can resubmit!), you can ask the funder – especially the federal government – for feedback on what changes you could make. Federal government grants have panels of readers, who make decisions based on a rubric. You can get copies of their comments and scores.
