Overview

This assignment requires you to research into and compare two RFP’s (Requests for Proposals). You will then present your findings to the class. The purpose of this assignment is for you to get familiar with different RFP’s through your own project and your classmates’ presentations.

Tasks

Conduct Research
Find two RFP’s that are in the same area, e.g., business consulting projects, federal research grants, foundation grants, etc. (see the list below for possible areas). If possible, focus on an RFP area that you are considering responding to for your final project proposal. I’ve provided some sample sources, but feel free to use any other sources you can find.

Construct a Fact Sheet
Prepare a fact sheet that compares the two RFP’s from the perspective of someone looking for funding sources. This fact sheet should provide your classmates with succinct information about the two RFP’s so that they can use it as quick reference in the future. One recommended format is to present the RFP’s in a two-column table, where you can compare the RFP’s in each aspect side by side. Your fact sheet should provide the contact information for the funding agencies so that your classmates can locate them if they need to. Prepare a copy of your fact sheet for everybody in the class. You don’t, however, have to provide a copy of the original RFP’s, although you can show it in your presentation. The fact sheet should be around 1-2 pages.

Click here for a sample fact sheet.

RFP Areas

There’re many different areas that foundations respective focus on. Make sure you find two foundations that share similar interest. Below are only a few sample areas:

Federal Research Grants

• National Science Foundation (http://www.nsf.gov/home/grants.htm)
• NASA (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/grants/)
• Department of Education Funding Opportunities (http://ed.gov/funding.html)
• National Institute of Heath (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm) Business Investment Proposals
• Small Business Administration Office of Technology (http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/SBIR/)
• National SBIR Conference Center (http://www.zyn.com/sbir/) Foundation Grants
• Council on Foundations (http://www.cof.org/)
• Community Foundation for the Capital Region (http://www.cfcr.org/) Academic Fellowships
• ACLS list of OnLine Scholarly Resources (http://www.acls.org/res-list.htm)

• American Council of Learned Societies (http://www.acls.org)

Guidelines

For each RFP, look in particular at the following:

The Organization: Who are these people and what are they trying to accomplish with this RFP?

• History and mission of the organization
• History and mission of the particular funding program

The Purpose: what kinds of projects do they fund?

• Number and size ($) of proposals funded annually
• Kinds of projects funded/accepted
• Projects funded in the past

The Work: what work do I have to do to submit a proposal?

• Kind of guidance given
• Expected proposal content
• Type of deliverable expected

The Processing: what happens to my proposal after I submit it?

• Kinds of reviewers
• Timeline for decision making
• Stages of the review process

The Deliverables: If I receive a grant, what am I expected to do?

• Kind of resources available
• Expected reports
• Expected deliverables

Overall Comparison: How do the opportunities represented by these two RFPs compare?

• What kinds of projects go where?
• What stage of the project does each expect me to be at?
• What are my chances of getting funded at each one?

• How does the work I have to do compare?