In this section, you will find documents and resources helpful in preparing your proposal submission. This includes templates, budgetary information, and hints for strong proposal writing.
It will also be useful to review archived Calls under each grants program section, grantwriting webinars, reporting expectations and materials and the subaward process for current grantees.
Submission Process
Submitted proposals that fulfill the submission requirements will undergo the evaluation of a Technical Review Panel - researchers, educators, and agricultural producers- following the scoring review criteria included in the Call for Proposal. The Technical Review Panel ranks and provides recommendations of proposals. The Western SARE Administrative Council selects the proposals to be funded during its winter and summer meetings. You will be notified of the status of your submission shortly after the final selection.
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Animal Welfare Guidelines and Assurance Statement
Please review the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching.
Please download the Animal Care Plan Questionnaire for your proposal.
Budgetary Details
To help in the review of proposal budgets, as well as to expedite the award process, applicants must submit a detailed line-item project budget and budget justification that provides narrative details for each proposed line-item cost. Please review this section carefully to prepare an appropriate budget and budget justification.
Gantt Chart and Time Table
A Gantt chart is a method of showing tasks or events over a specific timespan. Please review this information to create a good Gantt chart.
Generating Program Income
Western SARE is federally-funded by USDA-NIFA through a Cooperative Agreement with Montana State University (MSU) which serves as the Host Institution for the Western Region. The information in this section includes a summary of the USDA-NIFA Policy Guide section on Program Income and Western SARE/MSU-specific requirements for grant applicants/recipients.
Indirect Cost Recovery Guidance
The information in this section should serve as a guide for understanding and calculating Indirect Cost (IDC) Recovery (also commonly referred to as F&A or Facilities & Administrative costs) as a part of the proposed budget. Please note: these guidelines apply to all Western SARE grant opportunities (Research & Education; Sabbatical Research & Education; Professional + Producer; Graduate Student Grants in Sustainable Agriculture; Professional Development Program Grants; Research to Grass Roots; and, State Implementation) with the exception of Farmer and Rancher Grants (all funds go directly to the producer; therefore, IDC recovery is not allowed).
Note to Applicants Under College of Micronesia
Due to special restrictions placed upon the island groups within the land grant administration of the College of Micronesia (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Marshall Islands, and Palau), all Farmer/Rancher grant proposals must be submitted under the direction of a Principal Investigator from the College of Micronesia. This requirement allows the land grant Dean and Director at the College of Micronesia to have adequate fiscal and audit controls on these funds. Read more here.
It is important to remind those from the Pacific insular area (specifically those on Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Marshall Islands, and Palau) that although this requirement applies to Farmer/Rancher grants, these same island groups are fully authorized to submit regular Professional + Producer, PDP Competitive, and Research and Education proposals.
Obtaining a Unique Entity Identifier
Should your proposal be funded, please be advised: any entity receiving Federal Funds in any amount is required by the Federal Government to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from the System for Award Management (SAM).
Signature Page
Please download this signature page for your proposal. This document is not required for Farmer/Rancher proposals.
Successful Objectives
An objective is a statement in specific and measurable terms that describes what you intend to achieve. Please review this description of SMART objectives.