Proposal Development Prompts


Answers to the following questions will help you know whether potential funders are a good fit for your project, and they will form the foundation of your proposal.

  • What is the central idea, purpose, or research question of your project? What problem or need are you addressing?
  • Do you have departmental or institutional approval, support, and/or funding?
  • Do you have access to additional funds (from Emory or other funders) to contribute to the effort?
  • What are your research methods? What activities will aid you in reaching this goal? Why did you choose these methods?
  • Who will direct it? Qualifications? What are other staffing needs? Who will make reports? Who will be served by this program?
  • What is the time frame for the program/project from start to finish?
  • Are there other potential collaborators for the program/project—that is, other scholars at Emory, community agencies, or other academic institutions?
  • Will the program continue after external funding ceases, or will it sunset once its goals have been realized? Or operate at a reduced level with internal funds?
  • How much money is needed to implement your program/project? How will the money be spent—what are the line items? Find out more about preparing a budget here.
  • What is the project’s potential for a broader impact? Is the project scalable? Is it replicable? Find out more about "broader impacts" here.
  • How will you assess and evaluate the project? How will you know if you are successful? How will you gather data and analyze it?