Guidelines for Grant Applications

The International Security and the Foreign Policy Program and Domestic Public Policy Program make grants for research and writing on public policy topics that have been identified as priority areas for the Foundation.  Those priorities are described in greater detail on each program’s home page.

Process

The Smith Richardson Foundation has a rigorous proposal review process.  The first step in the process is the submission of a concept paper.  Concept papers should not exceed six pages (the one-page data sheet does not count toward the page limit).  Please consult our concept paper template before making a submission.

If the staff determines that a project warrants further consideration under the Foundation’s guidelines, an applicant will be asked to submit a full proposal that conforms to a proposal template provided by the Foundation.

Notification
Upon receipt of a grant application, the Foundation will either mail or e-mail a confirmation of receipt to the grant applicant.  The Foundation will respond to all grant requests in a timely manner.  However, given the large number of grant proposals that the Foundation receives, we cannot guarantee a response within a specific time frame.

Requests for grants greater than $50,000 and for multi-year grant support are made at one of our regular board meetings.  Requests for grants of $50,000 or less are reviewed on an ongoing basis and are handled as promptly as possible.

• Evaluations of direct service organizations conducted internally
• Educational or other support to individuals

Please send the proposal to the attention of the program to which you wish to apply at the address listed below:

Smith Richardson Foundation
60 Jesup Road
Westport, CT 06880

 

Concept Paper Template

Concept Papers must include a one-page data sheet listing all the essential information pertinent to a grant request, including the following:

Tentative Project Title

Estimated Grant Request Amount

Estimated Project Start Date and Grant Term

Principal Investigator’s Name
Title
Address
Phone and Fax Numbers
E-mail address

Co-investigator’s Name (if applicable)
Title
Address
Phone and Fax Numbers
E-mail address
The concept paper should not exceed five pages.  It should include the following:

Issue: Describe the issue that the project will address and how it is relevant to public policy.  Discuss how the project would advance knowledge beyond what is known from the existing research base.

Project Personnel: Provide a brief biography for the principal investigator(s).

Project Activities: Describe the research strategy or work plan of the project; include details such as how data would be collected and how analysis would be conducted.

Products: Describe the product(s) that will be produced during the project’s grant term.

Timeline: Describe the timeline of the project, including a tentative start and end date.

Budget: Provide an estimated budget, including detail on how the overall costs would be allocated among key categories such as salary support, honoraria for commissioned research, travel expenses, and data collection costs.

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