Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Project Grants

Step 1: Develop an initial proposal.

Step 2: Develop a project budget.

Step 3: Submit an initial proposal by September 30, 2023, via the online proposal system using your NetID and password. Once logged into the system, click on “Submit a Proposal” in the menu bar and then select “Baldwin Grant initial proposal, 2023-24.”

Proposals must include a brief project title, proposal abstract and required proposal information. All proposal components must be submitted online.

Step 4: Applicants must submit initial proposals to their department chair or unit director via the online proposal system for approval. If an applicant’s unit is not departmentalized (e.g., School of Nursing), the initial proposal must be submitted directly to the dean’s office. For initial proposals that require a department chair’s approval, the deadline by which department chairs must review initial proposals is October 9, 2023.

Step 5: Once approved by the department chair or unit director, initial proposals must be routed, via the online proposal system, to the designated dean for approval. The approval deadline at the dean level is October 16, 2023. Applicants should check the approval status of their proposals in the online system. Applicants are responsible for securing approval of their initial proposals by their department chairs/unit directors and deans.

Step 6: Receive notification of initial proposal status. Target notification date is mid December 2023.

Please direct questions regarding the submission process to reilly-baldwin@provost.wisc.edu).

General Guidelines

Applicants should:

• Show that they are building on expertise and past experiences developed at UW-Madison.
• Be very specific and fully articulate the goals, methods and objectives of the project.
• Write in clear and concise language.
• Demonstrate they have an external partner poised to collaborate and who has an active role in co-creating the project plan.
• Where available, describe preliminary evaluation results in order to demonstrate anticipated project outcomes.
• Marshal evidence that the proposed translational activities actually work.
• Describe the project’s likely impact, and how this impact will be measured and communicated.

Length

The combined content for the initial project proposal narrative sections cannot exceed 2 letter-sized PDF pages.

Formatting

Page size:  8.5 x 11

Margins: 1″ margins at top, bottom, and both sides. Page numbers and an identifier may be within the 1″ margin.

Font: 11 point or larger.

Initial Proposal Sections

The narrative portion of your proposal must be structured using the following headings:

1. Program Plan and Objectives
2. Intended Audience
3. Partner(s)
4. Anticipated Outcomes
5. Time Frame and Location
6. Personnel

Program plan and objectives

1. Describe the problem or opportunity to be addressed.
2. Describe the goals and objectives, and explain the methods, techniques and formats.
3. Explain how this project is transferring knowledge and expertise from your unit (and potentially vice versa).
4. Include a statement of how this project is a new initiative or is a new dimension to an existing activity.

Intended audience

Describe the audience that will be served and engaged with, and how the audience will benefit from the project.

Partner(s)

1. Identify partnering organizations and co-sponsors.
2. Include in-kind support and/or financial support.
3. Explain how partners will be involved in the project and how they are being included at various stages of project development and implementation. (Do not include letters of support from partnering organizations in initial proposals. Letters of support are only required for full final proposals.

Anticipated outcomes

Describe anticipated outcomes and how the impact will be documented.

Time frame and location

1. Describe the project time frame.
2. Indicate where the activity(s)/program(s) will take place.

Personnel

1. List the name, title, affiliation and a one-sentence description of the role of key personnel. (Do not include CVs in initial proposals. A one-page CV will be required for full final proposals.)
2. Include faculty, staff, RA/PA, or student hourly support, as needed.

Complete the Project Budget Sheet. You can access the budget sheet from this Box folder (NetID required). When you complete the form, save as PDF and upload to the online proposal system.

General tips and advice

• Proposals may include faculty, staff, RA or PA or student hourly support. Identify personnel by name, title, role in the proposal and percent effort for each year of support requested. (Do not include CVs in initial proposals.)
• Resources should support additional activities that put research into action with and for communities, not to supplant funds that support existing teaching or research.
• Project grants are intended to leverage existing faculty and staff salaries, and the committee looks favorably on contributions of time and effort as a part of a grant’s matching support. Proposals should keep project-funded faculty and staff salary support to a minimum. Student hourly or PA funding may be included. Each budget will be reviewed carefully to ensure that proposed support is both adequate and necessary.

Personnel

The appropriate fringe benefit amount is automatically calculated in the budget sheet, using guidance found on the RSP page.  No charge for tuition remission is needed for summer. Consult the Bursar’s Office for more details.

Supplies and Other

Identify and list major supplies and other expenses by item and amount requested for each.

Capital Equipment

Capital equipment includes items costing $5,000 or more. Because the Project Grant is intended to support people and projects, capital equipment requests will only be considered if the equipment proposed is essential to the completion of the project. If applicants are making a capital equipment request, they must justify how the equipment is essential for the success of the project. Consult the UW-Madison Policy Library for more details about Capital Equipment.

Matching Funds and Contributing Efforts

While matching funds are not required, reporting any in-kind or fiscal match or contributions can strengthen proposals. Please identify partner/contributed or matching funds or projected program revenue, if appropriate. Applicants should include information on pending grant applications submitted to other funding sources. An extramural transmittal support form is not required for the Project Grant proposal process.

For program revenue operations, please describe the nature of the program revenue structure.

A select number of initial proposals will be chosen to advance to the final proposal stage. Applicants should wait for notification before completing a final proposal.

Step 1: Receive invitation to submit final proposal. Target notification date is December 2023.

Step 2: Review and tweak online project abstract, and submit expanded version of proposal, addressing any questions the Baldwin Grant Review Committee may have raised. A letter of support from collaborators may be included with the proposal.

Step 3: Review and tweak project budget and address any questions the committee may have raised.

Step 4: Submit a final proposal by January 31, 2024, via the online proposal system, using your NetID and password. Once logged into the system, click on “Submit Proposal” in the menu bar and then select “Baldwin Grant Final Proposal, 2023-24.” All materials must be submitted via the online proposal system.

Step 5: Applicants should submit final proposals to their department chair or unit director for approval. If an applicant’s unit is not departmentalized (e.g., School of Nursing, Pharmacy, Law, Arts Institute), the proposal should be submitted directly to the dean’s office.  Department chair approval deadline: February 7, 2024.

Step 6: Once approved by the department chair or unit director, proposals should be routed to the designated dean’s office for approval. Dean approval deadline: February 14, 2024.

Applicants should check the approval status of their proposals in the online system. Applicants are responsible for securing approval of their final proposals by their department chair/unit director and dean.

Step 7: Receive notification of final proposal status.  Target date: mid-May 2024.

General advice

Applicants should:

• Provide concrete examples throughout the narrative.
• Show that they are building on expertise and past experiences developed at UW-Madison.
• Be very specific and fully articulate the goals, methods and objectives.
• Write in clear and concise language.
• Include evidence that an external partner is poised to collaborate, has an active role in helping to identify and co-create the project plan, and is willing to commit to collaborating on the project. This must include a letter attesting to their role and level of collaboration on the project.
• Where available, describe preliminary evaluation results in order to demonstrate anticipated project outcomes.
• Marshal evidence that the proposed translational activities actually work.
• Describe the project’s likely impact and how this impact will be measured and communicated.
• Where possible, reference evidence-based research that links the activities to the expected outcomes.
• Stipulate how the impact will be documented—perhaps a combination of quantitative measures along with a narrative that conveys the essence of the program.

Length

Final proposals should not exceed 5 pages in PDF format (not including abstract, budget sheets, one-page vita, or letters of support from constituents/partners).

Formatting

Page size: 8.5 x 11

Margins: 1″ margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Page numbers and an identifier may be within the 1″ margin.

Font: 11 point or larger.

Final Proposal Sections

The narrative portion of your proposal must be structured using the following headings:

1. Program plan and objectives
2. Intended audience
3. Partner(s)
4. Anticipated outcomes
5. Time frame and location
6. Personnel

Program Plan and Objectives

1. Describe the problem or opportunity to be addressed, and include specific goals and objectives.
2. Describe what methods and formats will be used to accomplish the goals and objectives. Where possible, use quantifiable terms since evaluation and transfer of funds for years two and three will be based on adequate progress towards meeting stated objectives.
3. Describe the relationship between the proposal and your unit.
4. Explain how this project is transferring knowledge and expertise from your unit (and potentially vice versa).
5. Include a statement of how this project is a new initiative or is a new dimension to an existing activity.

Intended audience

Describe the audience, including:

1. • How the audience will be engaged and served
   • How specific needs are identified
   • How the audience will use the knowledge and expertise from UW-Madison

Partner(s)

1. Identify formal and informal partners. A letter of support from key external partnering organizations or constituent groups is required.
2. List any on-campus department/unit/partnership involvement.

Anticipated outcomes

1. Describe anticipated outcomes.
2. Describe how the impact will be documented.

Time frame and location

1. Describe the project time frame. Be specific for each year of your proposed project.
2. Indicate where the activity(s)/program(s) will take place.

Personnel

1. List the name, title, affiliation and specific roles of key personnel in the proposal. Include faculty, staff, RA/PA, or student hourly support, as needed.
2. Include a one-page CV for the key project director(s) and other key project personnel.
3. Proposals should clearly state who will be performing the activities for which project grants funds are requested.

Evaluation and Future Plans

1. Describe how the specific objectives and project outcomes will be measured and evaluated.
2. If appropriate, describe how this project will continue after completion of the grant.

Complete the Project Budget Sheet. You can access the budget sheet from this Box folder (NetID required). When you complete the form, save as PDF and upload to the online proposal system. If there is an increase in the requested budget from the initial proposal, please provide a detailed explanation.

Note: Annual progress and budget reports are required for multiple-year projects before second- or third-year funds are transferred.

General tips and advice

• Baldwin proposals may include faculty, staff, RA or PA or student hourly support. Identify personnel by name, title, role in the proposal and percent effort for each year of support requested.
• Resources should support additional activities that put research into action with and for communities, not to supplant funds that support existing teaching or research.
• Project grants are intended to leverage existing faculty and staff salaries. The committee looks favorably on contributions of time and effort as a part of a grant’s matching support. Proposals should keep project-funded faculty and staff salary support to a minimum. Student hourly or RA/PA funding may be included. Each budget will be reviewed carefully to ensure that proposed support is both adequate and necessary.

Personnel

The appropriate fringe benefit amount is automatically calculated in the budget sheet, using guidance found on the RSP page. No charge for tuition remission is needed for summer. Consult the Bursar’s Office for more details.

Supplies and Other

Identify and list major supplies and other expenses by item and amount requested for each.

Capital Equipment

Capital equipment is items costing $5,000 or more. Because the Project Grant is intended to support people and projects, capital equipment requests will only be considered if the equipment proposed is essential to the completion of the project. If applicants are making a capital equipment request, they must justify how the equipment is essential for the success of the project. Consult the UW-Madison Policy Library for more details about Capital Equipment.

Matching Funds and Contributing Efforts

While matching funds are not required, reporting any in-kind time or fiscal match or contributions can strengthen proposals. Please identify partner/contributed or matching funds or projected program revenue, if appropriate. Applicants should provide information on pending or planned grant proposals for other funding sources. No extramural transmittal support form is required for the Project Grant proposal process.

For program revenue operations, please describe the nature of the program revenue structure. The budget request detail should include only dollars requested as part of the application submission.