Graduate Student Grant Application Packet

The following is a packet of documents meant to help you as you begin the dissertation grant application process. In it, you will find a basic guideline for the steps that need to be taken as you navigate the process, with some suggested deadlines. There are sample budgets for NSF and Wenner-Gren. The NSF template can be automatically uploaded into FastLane when you are ready to do so. When opening the excel files, make sure to go to the “Review” tab and select “show all” comments if the sticky note comments do not automatically appear. These are meant to help you know what exactly to put in each cell. You do not have to use these templates, but if you do, make sure to delete the comments before saving a final draft of your work. Additionally, you will find a form with questions to fill out when submitting to Sparta. Grants that are awarded to the institution, not the individual, such as NSF and NIH must be submitted to the internal tracking system called Sparta in addition to the actual application submission. Linda LaPinta will do this for you, but she requires specific information to do so. You can fill out this form and send it to her along with the required documents specified. Finally, there are check sheets to help ensure you have all components required for NSF and Wenner-Gren proposals.


If you have questions about any of the parts or specific questions about your proposal, you should first ask your advisor. If your advisor cannot answer your question, the NSF program officers are very approachable and you can direct your questions to them. As Wenner-Gren is a small, private foundation, it is less likely you will get a personal response from them. However, they have an extensive website that will likely be able to provide answers to your questions.