Stanford King Center on Global Development Initiatives

You can review the full Request for Proposals here: https://kingcenter.stanford.edu/research/initiatives/request-proposals

Seed Funding Proposals:

Proposals for seed funding should describe the project in two pages and list the proposed faculty collaborators. Please also describe concrete deliverables for the proposed seed funding and how the seed funding will be used to develop a full initiative and provide a discussion of the evaluation criteria described below. In an additional two pages, please include a full budget with the key intended uses of funds and describe the extent to which, if any, the proposed seed funding builds on ongoing projects sponsored by other Stanford faculty grant programs or other sources of funding.

Please submit your seed funding proposal and complete the requested information at: https://kingcenter.stanford.edu/initiative-loi-seed-funding-submission-form.

Letter of Intent Submission for Full Proposals:

Faculty members who intend to submit a full proposal should first provide a brief letter of intent. The letter should describe the project in two pages and list the proposed faculty collaborators. Please also describe concrete deliverables for the proposed initiative; provide a discussion of the evaluation criteria described below; and describe the extent to which, if any, the proposed initiative builds on ongoing projects sponsored by other Stanford faculty grant programs or other sources of funding. In an additional page, please provide an approximate annual budget with the key intended uses of funds and describe the extent to which, if any, the proposed initiative builds on ongoing projects sponsored by other Stanford faculty grant programs or other sources of funding.

Please submit your letter of intent and complete the requested information at: https://kingcenter.stanford.edu/initiative-loi-seed-funding-submission-form.

Letters of intent will be screened for relevance and promise before faculty are invited to submit a full proposal. Faculty should expect to hear back from the Center about the status of their application by mid-November.

Full Proposal Submission:

Full proposals (format and submission instructions described below) should be submitted online at: https://kingcenter.stanford.edu/initiative-proposal-form.

Proposed budgets need not be routed through OSR for this internally-funded research initiative. Proposals must be self-contained with no links to additional information.

Proposal Format:

In the proposal, please include:

1. A statement of significance,
2. A brief explanation of the academic and policy context of the proposed initiative,
3. Concrete objectives (including concrete outputs and deliverables),
4. Activities to achieve these objectives,
5. Metrics for evaluating success, including policy impact,
6. How the proposed initiative addresses the evaluation criteria for proposals,
7. An annual budget for an initial three-year period, noting any other funding and whether the funding has been secured or applications are pending,
8. Any requests for center space for staff or other facilities needs,
9. A description of the role played by each faculty member and student (or type of students) involved, as well as current and pending commitments of faculty time,
10. A concrete description of faculty leadership for the initiative, and
11. Longer-term goals, including a path toward sustaining the initiative’s work.  

• The proposal should be approximately six pages with fonts no smaller than 11 point. This includes the text, figures, tables, and references.
• The budget and budget justification are limited to three additional pages. Proposals that contain faculty salary support will be looked upon unfavorably, unless an exceptional case can be made.
• Each Principal Investigator who will be associated with the proposed work should submit a CV.

Presentation:

After the proposal is submitted, the faculty leadership will be invited to make a brief presentation on the proposal to the selection committee and answer questions from the committee. Presentations will be scheduled in January 2020.

Proposal Review and Evaluation Criteria:

The objective of the review process is to identify high quality initiatives that are consistent with the goals of this solicitation. The proposals will be reviewed by the King Center’s Faculty Steering Committee. Faculty Steering Committee members who are involved in the proposed projects will recuse themselves from discussions of the relevant proposals. The committee may be supplemented by other faculty and experts with knowledge related to the areas of research but who are not involved in the proposed projects. The opinions of additional experts at Stanford or outside of it may be sought, with the requirement that the reviewer maintain the confidentiality of the proposed work.

After applying a general filter for alignment with the general themes of global poverty and development, the Faculty Steering Committee will use the following criteria to evaluate proposals:

1. Innovation,
2. Academic rigor,
3. Potential for broader social impact,
4. Creation/provision of “public goods” to the Stanford community,
5. Whether the proposed initiative would create a truly new effort that would not otherwise be possible.

The Faculty Steering Committee will vote on whether to recommend that a proposal be funded, returned with a recommendation to “revise and submit” (with accompanying committee comments), or rejected.

Awards:

It is anticipated that funding decisions based on this solicitation will be announced approximately two months after proposal submission.