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• What activities or items do you need to fund?
• How much money will you need?
• When will you need funds to be available?

Phase II: Research funding opportunities.

• Which grant directories or databases target your research interests?
• Which grant directories target individuals with your personal attributes as a student/scholar?
• Which sponsors fund work in your field or on your research topic?
• Which sponsors fund students with your background?

Phase III: Evaluate opportunities.

• Are you eligible?
• Does your project meet the grant criteria?
• Does the timing of application due dates and funding disbursement dates meet your research schedule?
• Have you prioritized funding opportunities according to your needs?

Phase IV: Proposal development.

• What are the objectives of your research project?
• What methods will you use to meet these objectives?
• What are the stages of work involved in the project?
• What are the tasks and expenses involved in each stage of research?
• How much time is required for each research stage, and for the project as a whole?
• How does this project fit in with related work on this topic?

Phase V: Proposal preparation.

• Contact the funding sponsor to request application materials.
• Complete the application forms as specified.
• Draft project proposal and personal statement, if required.
• Draft budget and expense justification.
• Arrange for review of drafts.
• Prepare/revise curriculum vitae
• Arrange for letters of recommendation if necessary.
• Obtain official copies of academic transcripts.
• Arrange for GSGS assistance if the proposal must go through the Office of Grants and Contracts (OGCA).

Phase VI: Proposal submission.

• Verify the deadline date, does the deadline refer to a postmarked by or received by date?
• Compile application components, make requested number of copies of each component and collate in the order requested.
• Keep a copy of the application packet for your personal records and put a copy in your department file, if appropriate.
• Mail the application materials in advance of the deadline.

Phase VII: Waiting for response.

• Decisions may take 2-9 months.
• Use the work from the proposal submitted as a basis for additional grants, the more proposals submitted the greater the chance of getting funding.
• Work on parts of project that don't require funding. Preliminary research strengthens subsequent or resubmitted proposals and demonstrates commitment to the project.

Phase VIII: Completing the research project

• Upon notice of the competition results, send a thank-you note to the program sponsor, whether or not you receive funding.
• Send a thank-you note to your references and inform them of the competition results.
• Keep a record of expenditures and save receipts for tax purposes and to submit to the sponsor if requested.
• Prepare/submit interim progress reports if appropriate.
• Submit a final report upon completion of the project or phase of the project that received funding as required by the sponsor.