Grants FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
General Grants Questions:
What is GrantsXpress?
How do I update information in my RAPPORT profile?
Who can see or access my proposal?
How is my proposal submitted to Grants.gov?
Are the OSP deadlines the same?
Can I withdraw my submission?
What is the PI Certification?
Specific Grants Questions:
What is a Proposal Workspace?
What are Activities and States?
What is the difference between My Action Items and Funding Proposals Tabs?
What is the difference between the Funding Proposal and the SF424?
General Grants Questions:
What is GrantsXpress?
GrantsXpress is the first step in implementing the Grants Module of RAPPORT. This initial phase is focused specifically on submissions that use Grants.gov and the SF424. GrantsXpress allows the submission to be routed and submitted directly to Grants.gov. This is a true system to system submission system.
Full Grants represents a later phase of RAPPORT, where any type of grant submission (industry, private, foundation, etc.) can be entered and routed for approval. For NON Grants.gov, the submission might be by email or even regular mail, but the proposal needs to be prepared and routed in RAPPORT. Full Grants will also allow the management of the post-award process and institutional reporting.
How do I manage information in my RAPPORT profile?
Click <YourFirstName_YourLastName> in the top right of the page.
You can only edit three items: your zip code, degree types and year and agency credentials (required for Grants.gov submissions)
Fill in the form provided and click Apply to save your changes.
* To make additional changes, you will need to make your request through your Financial center. This may include your title, office phone, office location, or name changes. This information is fed to a central system which is NOT editable by anyone.
Who can see or access my proposal?
Only people you designate can access your proposal. You have the ability to give edit or read access. If you are creating the proposal on behalf of someone else, you should add yourself to the permissions so you don't lock yourself out of the proposal.
How is my proposal submitted to Grants.gov?
After the proposal has been routed and approved by OSP, OSP will send the proposal electronically to Grants.gov. Following the submission to Grants.gov, the PI will receive an email notification the submission has been received. RAPPORT will also receive a tracking number from Grants.gov. As PI, you can login to Grants.gov to track your submission.
Are the OSP deadlines the same?
Yes. The deadlines are the same with a 7 business day and 2 business day deadlines. Nothing has changed with the OSP submission deadlines. It is required to adhere to these dates in order for your proposal to be submitted on time.
Can I withdraw my submission?
Yes. You can withdraw your submission at any time by clicking on the activity "Withdraw". This will open a window where you can make comments. Once you have with drawn a proposal it will no longer be accessible but it has NOT been deleted.
What is a "PI Certification"?
The PI is required to certify the proposal at two specific times in the process. (See image below) The first certification is called PI Routing Certification and includes a number of important questions which are transferred to the 424 form. It is required that the PI complete this activity before routing this for approval.
Once the proposal has been routed and approved by OSP, the PI is then again asked to Certify the Submission, which in effect is similar to a digital signature indicating the PI approves the content of the proposal. This is the last activity before the OSP Grants Officer send the proposal to Grants.gov. You can download a PDF step by step PI Certification Instruction Guide.
Specific Grants Questions:
What is a Proposal Workspace?
The Proposal Workspace is the main "landing page" for your proposal. (see image below) From this workspace, the basics of the proposal can be reviewed including people involved, general budget information, abstract, and all changes to the proposal are tracked.
In the upper left corner, the Current State indicates the proposal is in "Draft". The proposal will move through a series of States as it is reviewed during the routing process (see image above on PI Certification).
To access the details of the proposal, you need to select the button "Edit Funding Proposal" which takes you into the proposal form where you can make changes.
On the left side are "My Activities", and these are actions which are taken to advance the proposal towards submission. The activities will change as the states change.
At the bottom is a "History" tab, which logs all the actions taken on this proposal.
Across the top, there are a series of tabs which also provide access to useful information about the proposal.
What is the difference between My Action Items and Funding Proposals Tabs?
When action is required by you, the Proposal is listed under the tab "My Action Items". For example, as the PI, you may need to complete the PI certification for routing. Once you have completed the certification, the proposal will drop off the "My Action Items" tab, and the proposal will be available under the
"Funding Proposal" tab. All proposals with which you are associated will be listed under the "Funding Proposal" tab.
What is the difference between the Funding Proposal and the SF424?
The Funding Proposal is the primary "container" which is managing all the details of your proposal including information required for the SF424, institutional information for Dartmouth, and budget information.
The SF424 is a federal form which is embedded in RAPPORT and only when you run the activity called "Create/Update SF424" will the information from the Funding Proposal will map to the required fields in the SF424 form.
The key point is to understand that any changes made directly to the SF424 on fields which are mapped, will be overwritten when "Create/Update SF424" is run.
For details on exactly which fields map from the Funding Proposal to the SF424, a detailed document can be found here.