Internal Processes

Grant Application Processes

For assistance with government grants and contracts, please contact Ann Serra, Director of OSPRA at serraam@udmercy.edu or 313-993-1469.

For assistance with corporation and foundation grants, please contact Yvonne Lindstrom, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) at lindstym@udmercy.edu or 313-578-0328.

OSPRA/CFR can assist with the following:

  • Funding searches.
  • Communication with government agencies/foundations.
  • Application preparation and submission.
  • Budget review/approval (in coordination with the budget office).
  • Grant reporting/stewardship.

Please contact the OSPRA or CFR when you find a funding opportunity for which you would like to apply.  

If you are seeking funding for a project, but are unsure where to begin, the Project Concept Form is an intake and program planning form developed by CFR. The Project Concept Form asks questions about your project, framing the information to prepare your written proposal content and to identify potential funders.

Please note that the internal proposal approval process is no longer required for grants totaling $5,000 or less. To submit a small grant, review the requirements in the Notice of Intent to submit a small grant, complete the form and checklist, and submit it to your dean and the OSPRA.    

For grants over $5000, or which do not meet the criteria in the above document, an Internal Summary Form for Proposal Review and Approval along with the accompanying Internal Summary Form Budget must be signed by your dean and submitted to the OSPRA at least five business days in advance of the agency deadline. Please submit materials via e-mail to serraam@udmercy.edu, via fax to 313-993-1534, or hand delivered to 5th floor Fisher. If you submit materials electronically, please send a scanned PDF of the signature page (on the totals sheet of the Internal Summary Form Budget). The OSPRA will complete the routing process (described below).

Each proposal requires signatures from the following: 

  • Your department chairperson, who signifies his or her agreement to the proposed allocation of faculty time to the project if it is funded.
  • The dean of your college or school, who guarantees the academic cogency of the proposal and the availability of adequate space and other resources for completing the project.
  • The restricted fund accountant in the budget office, who signifies that the proposal budget is consistent with University policy from a budgetary standpoint.
  • The director for Sponsored Programs and Research Activities who reviews the entire proposal and all required certifications to ensure that the proposal meets all University and funding agency requirements.
  • The provost and vice president for Academic Affairs who acts formally on the behalf of the University to authorize submission of the proposal.

Routing a proposal in this way can take up to five business days.