Frequently Asked Questions - Grant Application Process
FAQ Categories
PHLR receives 200 Brief Proposals, and invites approximately 25% to the Full Proposal phase. From there, we recommend 20-25% of that pool for funding.
Yes. In purchase services in your budget, each contract should not budget more than 12% indirect costs.
No, you cannot. You can contact the PHLR program office for technical guidance, but we cannot provide individualized support.
Each grantee should plan to send two senior team member--preferably, the principal investigator and co-principal investigator. Travel to this meeting should not be included in the budget, as the NPO will cover travel costs for two members. Since 2012, the PHLR Annual Meeting is open to the public, and additional members of the team may attend at their own expense.
As mentioned above, grantees will be invited to participate in an annual meeting hosted by the NPO. Travel and accommodations for two senior personnel to attend this event will be paid for by the NPO, and should not be included as a separate line item in the applicant's budget.
Any additional travel or planned meetings should be included in the applicant's budget. You can find more information about grantee budgeting at www.rwjf.org/publications/grantreporting.html.
Measurement instruments that are integral to the project should be identified by name, wherever possible, but they need not be included as part of the proposal. If measurement instruments are included, they should be placed in the proposal narrative.
There is a two-stage application process. First, applicants submit a brief proposal. Then, if selected, applicants submit a full proposal. Information about submitting a brief proposal can be found in these FAQs, in the CFP and at www.My.RWJF.org. In addition, brief proposal phase applicants may participate in a applicant Web call with RWJF staff and the program director to learn about the program and ask questions.
Register online for the PHLR Web Applicant Calls directly through RWJF.
The target start date for these grants is November 15, 2011. The budget should not include any costs incurred before that date.
To be fair to all applicants, RWJF strictly enforces submission deadlines; late proposals will not be accepted.
Is the submission of a biosketch sufficient proof that someone has agreed to be a collaborator or consultant?
In the brief proposal phase, a biosketch is sufficient.
In the full proposal phase we would like to see a letter of support from key participants outside of the applicant organization to demonstrate that s/he will participate in this specific project. While the biosketch provides sufficient background on the investigator, it is not necessarily a commitment to the project.
There is only space in the A&R application system for one PI and one Co-PI. Please list other collaborators as senior personnel.
Yes, we encourage resubmissions when the investigators have spent time on improving the application.
Yes, but it is not likely that two applications from the same institution would be funded. It also would depend a bit on institution size (e.g., State University of New York System with multiple campuses vs. two applications from a small institution).
RWJF has a New Connections program. Is it better for junior investigators to apply through New Connections or through the PHLR CFP?
The purpose of New Connections is to train junior scholars. There is a difference in funding level. New Connection scholars are awarded $75,000 grants and our CFP program grants are up to $150,000 and $450,000. If you are at the junior stage, New Connections is a great way to go. If you plan to apply to PHLR, think broadly about the members of your overall study team. Nothing stops junior investigators from applying to both.
Yes, all personnel related expenses are eligible for inclusion.
How should applicants interact with Methods Core staff as they develop their proposals? Are there resources on data and methods that I can use?
Applicant interaction with the Methods Core will be limited. If you have specific questions, direct them to the helpdesk at phlr@temple.edu, and they will be addressed on an individual basis. The responses to questions of general interest will be posted as FAQs on the Web site.
Yes, changes in methods or design are permitted. Reviewers will be evaluating whether your changes reflect a new or innovative way to approach you research question and the methodological rigor of the proposal overall.
Yes, modifications to your budget are permitted so long as they do not exceed the maximum allowable limit for short or complex projects.
When I cut and paste my proposal from Microsoft Word into my.rwjf.org, it says I’ve exceeded 4000 characters, but, according to my word count, the document has fewer. Is this a system error?
The word count program in my.rwjf.org counts some embedded HTML code that causes extra spaces --this is common with Microsoft Word. You can either cut and paste to a word processing program such as Notepad or TextEdit which strips all embedded HTML, or shorten the number of words in your proposal until you meet the character requirements. You should need to delete just a few more characters.
All questions should be directed to the PHLR helpdesk. We prefer to receive questions by e-mail in order to facilitate accurate forwarding of the question to the appropriate staff member.
Inquiries can be e-mailed to phlr@temple.edu. Please be sure to include the name of the institution, the principal investigator and contact information in every communication.
If you wish to contact us by phone, please call (215) 204-2134. Helpdesk personnel are available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. ET.
No faxes or e-mails will be accepted. Proposals must be submitted online through the MyRWJF portal which can be found at www.MyRWJF.org.
This grant competition will not accept any materials in hard copy.
How should we address support by public health agencies or other partners that we have not identified yet?
If support by public health agencies or other partners is critical to the success of the project, a letter from those agencies or partners committing their support should be included with the proposal. If the project requires recruiting additional support, the full proposal should explain your plan to identify groups and engage their support.
Proposals should be submitted electronically via RWJF’s online system. Go to www.MyRWJF.org to create a login.
What information do you require and how should we submit it about subcontracts/relationships between institutions?
A fact sheet for subcontracts is a component of the application at Myrwjf.org and requests the following information: name of contractor, start and end date of agreement, cost of subcontract, workplan/deliverables. A budget and budget narrative for each subcontract should also be prepared and submitted with the proposal.
At the brief proposal phase, please include a biosketch for The Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator (if applicable). At the full proposal phase, please include biosketches for all key personnel. As the applicant, you will determine who the key members of your team are. Each biosketch is limited to two pages.
Does the study design section need to include a complete list of all survey questions that will be asked, or will example questions be adequate?
It is sufficient to provide a few examples of questions as well as provide references if it is an existing instrument. The full survey instrument does not need to be included in the proposal.
The purpose of an IRB review is to ensure human participant research is ethical and does not pose unacceptable risks to human subjects. Applicants should assess the proposed research for ethical issues and be prepared to initiate the IRB review process at your institution upon notification of funding. Requirements are established by the IRB review process at your individual institution;
Unfunded, or pending support, refers to research proposals that have been submitted but not yet awarded; it does not include proposals that have been turned down by other agencies. For unfunded and funded research, please be sure to include the title of the project, the individual's role on the project, the agency/institution to which it was submitted, the time frame for the study and the total dollar amount requested.
For each project, there should be one lead applicant organization that applies for an award. If the lead applicant organization's project is chosen by reviewers, meets all RWJF approvals, and receives an award, it can subcontract with other organizations on the project. Organizations which subcontract with the lead organization are allowed to budget 12% indirect in their budget. If, in the lead organization budget, Purchased Services (i.e., subcontracts, consultant costs) equals more than 33% of the total of Personnel + Other Direct Costs + Purchased Services, 12% indirect is allowed on Personnel and Other Direct Costs, and 4% indirect on Purchased Services. If the two organizations are proposing two different projects, they can each apply for an award. If there is only one project, one organization should apply.
Can a subgrantee submit the actual application on behalf of the principal investigator or must the grantee organization itself submit the proposal online?
The applicant organization who will receive the grant is the organization that needs to submit the proposal. A co-director from a different organization cannot apply on behalf of the applicant organization.
Contact us
For more information, e-mail us at phlr@temple.edu.
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Public Health Law Research is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It is housed at the Temple University Beasley School of Law.