FAQ index

Open RFP – LETTER OF INTENT FAQ (click here)

Invitation RFP FAQ (click here)

Open RFP – LETTER OF INTENT FAQ

Is the April 15, 2005 deadline a "postmark" deadline or a "received by" deadline?

Answer Posted (01.31.2005): The hard copies of your entire letter of intent must be postmarked or shipped by April 15, 2005, but you must also submit all letter of intent materials electronically in Microsoft Word or PDF format no later than midnight on April 15, 2005.  

If I send in a letter of intent after the April 15, 2005 deadline, can I still be considered for the competition?

Answer Posted (01.31.2005): Any letters of intent and supporting documents that we receive after the April 15, 2005 deadline will not be considered in the competition. We encourage you not to wait to the last minute; give ample time before the deadline for mailing your letter of intent and all supporting documents. We will be selecting the 40 finalists by June 15, 2005.

If I submitted a letter of intent by the established deadline and I was not selected as a finalist, am I eligible to submit a full proposal for one of the 10 grants?

Answer Posted (01.31.2005): Only the 40 participants who are selected as finalists will be eligible to compete for the 10 awards.

If my academic field is not mentioned in the list of targeted departments, am I still able to submit a letter of intent to the program?

Answer Posted (01.31.2005): We encourage an applicant from any field to apply to our program, but you must be aware of the criteria of merit for competitive evaluation. If you feel that your academic expertise does not fully qualify you for the competition, we encourage you to submit a proposal with a co-investigator(s) who can complement and/or supplement the expertise necessary to round out your application.

If I am a prospective principal investigator from a country outside of the United States, am I still able to submit a letter of intent to the program?

Answer Posted (02.17.2005): We encourage an applicant from any country to apply to our program.

Can a prospective principal investigator who is not part of a college/university or nonprofit organization be eligible for an award from this program?

Answer Posted (01.31.2005): Yes, it is possible for a prospective principal investigator who is not part of a college/university or nonprofit organization to be eligible for an award from this program.  If such a prospective principal investigator is one of the 40 selected to become a finalist, the requirements for submission of the full proposal in September 2005 for that project will require a consulting and expenditure responsibility agreement.

Is each of the 10 awards going to be $150,000 payable over two years?

Answer Posted (01.31.2005): We have $1.5 million to disburse over 10 awards, which means that there is approximately $150,000 per award. Depending on the specific budgetary needs of the 10 projects that we will fund, we may raise or lower the award granted. Care should be taken when constructing the project budget submitted with the full proposal since it is one of the factors that we will take into account when selecting the finalists. In addition, the monies will be disbursed according to the approved budget on a six-month basis over two years. In the event that the work is not completed by the end of the second year we will consider requests for "no cost extensions" on a case-by-case basis.

Can an award from this program be used to support on-going research that is also supported by other funds? Or use this award as a basis for seeking other funds?

Answer Posted (01.31.2005): Yes. If you plan on doing this, be sure to list the other awards you are using and how this award would allow you to expand or improve your current research.  If you have received funding from other sources for a proposed research project, you must use this award to support something new within your existing research. Also, you can apply for other grants and assistance to go along with the Spiritual Capital award, should you receive it. However, we need to know about your plans at the time of submission of the project and outcomes of other funding decisions, if successful. Our intent is to encourage strongly co-funding and/or follow on funding of the research in this area provided that the funding is used for budget items not already funded by the Spiritual Capital program of support. In fact, we are committed to do whatever we can to help you with this process both scientifically and administratively.

Will an award from this program provide additional monies for indirect costs?

 Answer Posted (01.31.2005): No. Indirect costs have to be figured into the costs of the proposed project. The upper limit for indirect costs is set at 10% of the total direct costs for the project. The limit of 10% on indirect costs also applies to any subcontracting institutions on the proposed project.

Invitation RFP FAQ

Is the December 1, 2004 deadline a "postmark" deadline or a "received by" deadline?

Answer Posted (09.20.2004): The hard copies of your entire proposal must be postmarked by December 1, 2004, but you must also submit all proposal materials electronically by the December 1, 2004 deadline.  The cover sheet and the budget summary sheets should be submitted in Microsoft Excel and all other materials should be submitted in Microsoft Word.  With the exception of the original cover sheet, which requires signatures, we expect your entire proposal to be submitted electronically.

Am I allowed to include money for course buyout as well as summer salary in my proposed budget? Am I allowed to include travel expenses related to other conferences and meetings that are related to my research on spiritual capital? Is there a cap on the salary that a Principal Investigator may claim as part of the direct costs of a proposed research budget?

Answer Posted (09.20.2004): Summer salary and course buyout are allowable items to include in your proposed budget, as well as trips to other meetings and conferences directly related to your funded research for the Spiritual Capital Research Program. In addition, there is no cap on the salary that a Principal Investigator may claim as part of the direct costs of a proposed research budget. However, you should be very prudent with regard to the degree to which your proposed research program can be justified if a substantial portion of the requested grant funds goes toward the direct salary support of the Principal Investigator.

Can an award from this program be used to support on-going research that is also supported by other funds? Or use this award as a basis for seeking other funds?

Answer Posted (09.20.2004): Yes. If you plan on doing this, be sure to list the other awards you are using and how this award would allow you to expand or improve your current research.  If you have received funding from other sources for a proposed research project, you must use this award to support something new within your existing research. Also, you can apply for other grants and assistance to go along with the Spiritual Capital award, should you receive it. However, we need to know about your plans at the time of submission of the project and outcomes of other funding decisions, if successful. Our intent is to encourage strongly co-funding and/or follow on funding of the research in this area provided that the funding is used for budget items not already funded by the Spiritual Capital program of support. In fact, we are committed to do whatever we can to help you with this process both scientifically and administratively.

Will an award from this program provide additional monies for indirect costs?

Answer Revised (11.04.2004): No. Indirect costs have to be figured into the costs of the proposed project. The upper limit for indirect costs is set at 10% of the total direct costs for the project. The limit of 10% on indirect costs also applies to any subcontracting institutions on the proposed project.

If I was invited to submit a proposal by the December 1, 2004 deadline and was not awarded one of the three, $500,000 research grant awards, am I eligible to submit a letter of intent for one of the ten, $150,000 research grant awards by the April 15, 2005 deadline?

Answer Posted (09.20.2004): Yes. All applicants invited to submit a proposal for the $500,000 research invites who are not awarded one of these grants are eligible to submit a letter of intent and compete for one of the $150,000 research grant awards.

If I am awarded a 30-month, $500,000 research grant award, must the start date be March 1, 2005?

Answer Posted (09.20.2004) : Yes. We will consider requests for “no cost extensions” beyond the 30-month funding period on a case-by-case basis.