Sample Proposal

The following is a sample of what a generic request for proposal looks like on SM Apply.
Please remember to view the RFA on our website.

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Full Proposals Due: August 2, 2017, 5:00PM Eastern Time

*denotes required fields

Project Title* (up to 30-word limit) Provide a short title that captures the essence and

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communicates the importance of the proposed project to a lay reader.

Which focus area(s) apply to this project? (select all that apply) *
☐ Reducing the incidence of bone fractures in aviary housing systems
☐ Developing alternatives to castration that provide for the piglet’s well-being and maintain
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pork quality

Project Duration (in calendar months)*

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Geographic Location of the proposed project (Congressional District, if US-based)

grantee organization*

Location

Geographic Location(s) where proposed research will be conducted

(Congressional District, if US-based)*

Location

List up to five stakeholders to be served by the proposed project * Examples,

farmers/producers, policy makers, animals, researchers, consumers, industry, etc.
Budget components*
A. Total funds requested from FFAR

B. Optional: Total matching funds

1. Total Cash Match (must be 50% or more)

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2. Total In-kind Match

Match provider/funder (if none, please enter N/A)

Name of match funder

Total Cash match from this funder

Total In-Kind match from this funder

Match status
☐ Acquired (match in hand)
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☐ Committed
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☐ Tentative

Budget Justification* (up to 1,500-word limit) The amounts requested for each budget
line item should be documented and justified in the budget justification. The budget must be
commensurate with the proposed work.
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Project Summary* (up to 500 words)

The project summary should be an overview of the proposed project written in the third
person, informative to others working in the same or related fields, and, insofar as possible,
understandable to a scientifically or technically literate lay reader. It should not be as
technical as a typical abstract. It should briefly describe the full application.

How is the proposed project relevant to the RFA?* (up to 500 words)
Project Description* (up to 5,000-word limit, or 10 pages). Organize your project
description by the organization below. Please make sure to label each section.
The project description should provide a clear statement of the work to be undertaken. It
must contain the following subheadings, address the stated prompts, and be limited to
9,000 words.

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Introduction
A. A description of how the project is relevant to the challenge of (A) addressing keel-
bone fractures in cage-free layer hens or (B) developing alternatives to castration of
swine.

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B. A summary of the knowledge that has laid the groundwork for this project, including
any relevant preliminary work or data that has informed the development of the
project. The summary should include references in the CBE citation style.
C. A description of the potential impact the project may have in advancing farm-animal
welfare.

Approach
A. A statement of goals and supporting objectives for the proposed project.
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B. A detailed account of the procedures or methodology you will use to achieve the
goals and supporting objectives. The account must have enough resolution for a
panel of experts to judge the merit of the project. All application information is
treated as confidential. The account should include:
1. Proposed project activities described sequentially.
2. Techniques to be used, including their feasibility and rationale.
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3. If applicable, stakeholder involvement in the development of the approach.

4. A description of anticipated risks and how you will mitigate them.
5. How data will be analyzed or interpreted.
6. Expected results and information, and how it can be used by the food and
agriculture community to spur further research or directly animal health and
welfare.
C. Plan to communicate results or amplify outcomes to stakeholder audiences. For
projects focusing on the Education and Outreach focus area, this should describe how
you will share lessons learned beyond your project.

Timeline
A project timetable in tabular form. Minimum resolution should be annual goals and
objectives, to be used to evaluate annual progress reports. If applicable, include periods
beyond the grant funding to demonstrate impact and longevity of the work.

Other than the Principal Investigator, how many key personnel will be involved in
the proposed project?*
The PI is the individual who is responsible for the scientific or technical direction of the

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project and have primary responsibility for the proposed work and reporting requirements.
Key personnel are individuals who share the responsibility of the scientific or technical
direction of the project or contribute to the intellectual design or execution of the project in
a substantive, measurable way.

Name
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Please list the name(s), affiliation(s), expertise, and role on the proposed work in order of
their importance to the project.* (add rows as needed)

Key Personnel Affiliation Expertise Role on Proposed

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References Cited (no page limit)*
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Reference information is required. If there are no references cited, a statement to that

effect should be included in this section of the proposal. Each reference must include the
names of all authors (in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication), the
article and journal title, book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication.
If the document is available electronically, the website address also should be identified.
Applicants must be especially careful to follow accepted scholarly practices in providing
citations for source materials relied upon when preparing any section of the proposal. While
there is no required page limit for the references, this section must include bibliographic
citations only and must not be used to provide parenthetical information outside of the
Project Description.

Data Management Plan* (up to 1,500 words)

To facilitate data and information products sharing, all full proposals submitted to the
Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research must include a data management plan. (Note:
Information products may include documents [i.e. reports, workshop summaries, etc.],
multi-media curricula for education and training [i.e. video and/or online tutorials, manuals
and handbooks, etc.]; and other media and communication platforms.) Even in the unlikely
case in which no data or any other information products will be produced, a plan must be
submitted that states “No information products are expected to be produced from this

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project.”

Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources* (up to 500 words)

This section of the proposal is used to assess the adequacy of the resources available to

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perform the proposed project. Include an aggregated description of the internal and
external resources (both physical and personnel) that the organization and its collaborators
will provide to the project, should it be funded. Such information must be provided in this
section, not in other parts of the proposal (e.g., budget justification, project description).
The description should be narrative in nature and must not include any quantifiable financial
information. Reviewers will evaluate the information during the proposal review process.
FFAR expects that the resources identified in the Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources
section will be provided, or made available, should the proposal be funded.
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Attachments
To include attachments to your full proposal, you must upload them in Section 11 of the
application dashboard.

Required Attachments*
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A. Budget Form - Please complete the budget form and upload it to the online
application system. Budget requests should be developed commensurate with the
support needed to achieve the project goals.
B. Biosketches of the Principal Investigator, and other key personnel if applicable. A
biosketch is required for everyone identified as Principal Investigator and key
personnel. Please use the template provided and combine all biosketches into a
single PDF document before uploading it as an attachment.
C. Current and Pending Support

Optional Attachments to Support Project Description

A. Equations, Figures and Tables. The textbox for Project Description does not support
equations. Applicants may upload a PDF document with a list of equations to support
 the project description. In addition to the list of equations, applicants may include up
to 5 illustrations (for example, figures and tables) in the PDF to support the project
description. If the total number of optional illustrations in the PDF exceeds 5, only
the first 5 that appear in the document will be considered in peer review.
B. Letters of Support. Applicants may upload a PDF document with letters of support
from collaborators or anticipated organizations/participants. Please combine all
letters of support into a single PDF document before uploading it as an attachment.

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C. Matching Funder Form (If applicable)
D. Certification of Matching Funds (If applicable)

Organization Assurances*

data?*
☐ Yes ☐ No
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Does the proposed project involve research on human subjects, or the use of human subject

All projects involving human subjects must have approval from an institutional review board
(IRB), unless they qualify for an exemption from IRB review, before an award can be made.
Where IRB approval is required, applicants should file their proposal with their local IRB at
the same time the proposal is submitted to the Foundation for Food and Agriculture
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Research, so that the approval procedure will not delay the award process. A proposal may
be submitted to the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research without IRB approval; but
if the proposal is selected for funding, award will be made conditional upon IRB approval
within 60 days of the notice of conditional award. If a proposed project involving human
subjects is exempt from human subjects regulations [see 45 CFR 46.101(b)], the applicant
must provide documentation that an IRB (or some authority other than the project director
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or key personnel) has declared the project exempt from the human subjects regulations.
Documentation should include the specific category justifying the exemption.

If “Yes,” Status of IRB Approval

• Approved
• Approved or Pending Date
• Pending
• Exempt
• Not Applicable

Does the proposed project involve Vertebrate Animals?*

☐ Yes ☐ No
All projects involving animal use must have approval from an institutional animal care and
use committee (IACUC), unless they qualify for an exemption from IACUC review, before an
award can be made. Where IACUC approval is required, applicants should file their proposal
with their local IACUC at the same time the proposal is submitted to the Foundation for
Food and Agriculture Research, so that the approval procedure will not delay the award
process. A proposal may be submitted to the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research

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without IACUC approval; but if the proposal is selected for funding, award will be made
conditional upon IACUC approval within 60 days of the notice of conditional award. If a
proposed project involving animal use is exempt from animal use regulations [see The
Animal Welfare Act (AWA) (7 U.S.C. § 2131)], the applicant must provide documentation

If “Yes,” Status of IACUC Approval

• Approved
• Approved or Pending Date
• Pending
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that an IACUC (or some authority other than the project director or key personnel) has
declared the project exempt from the animal use regulations. Documentation should include
the specific category justifying the exemption.
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• Exempt
• Not Applicable

Does the proposed project involve Recombinant DNA?*

☐ Yes ☐ No
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When applicable, Research on recombinant DNA should also be conducted in accordance

with CDC/NIH Biosafety Guidelines (Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical
Laboratories) and NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA.

If “Yes,” Status of Approval

• Approved
• Approved or Pending Date
• Pending
• Exempt
• Not Applicable
Does the proposed project require review for activities that have possible national security
implications?
☐ Yes ☐ No

If “Yes,” please provide detailed explanation.

Are hazardous materials used or produced in the proposed project?

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☐ Yes ☐ No

If “Yes,” please provide detailed explanation.

☐ Yes ☐ No

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Is human fetal tissue used in the proposed project?

If “Yes,” please provide detailed explanation

Does the proposed work require a NEPA review?

☐ Yes ☐ No
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If “Yes,” explain the status of the review process.

Demographic Information*
A. Please select the Principal Investigator’s gender
1. Male
2. Female
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3. Other
4. Choose not to disclose
B. Please select the Principal Investigator’s ethnicity
1. American Indian and Alaskan Native
2. Asian
3. Black or African American
4. Hispanic or Latino
5. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
6. White
7. Two or more races
8. Other
9. Choose not to disclose
How did you hear about this funding opportunity?*
A. Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research website or e-update
B. Social Media (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.)
C. Colleague
D. Flyer posted at affiliated institution
E. Professional societies or Meetings. Please specify __________________

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F. Other. Please specify __________________

Applicant Survey

Principal Investigator

Google Scholar ID
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ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID)).* Click here to learn more about ORCID. If
you do not have an ORCID, please click here to register for one.

Click here to learn more about Google Scholar. If you do not have a Google Scholar ID, you
need to have a Gmail account. Please click here to register for a Gmail account. After
signing up for a Gmail account, go to scholar.google.com, click on “My Citations” to
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complete your profile and add your publications.
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