Program Planning and Budget

Amy WilsonSenior Program Officer

International Education Programs Service

Forward Looking

Most other criteria speak to the existing strengths of your center. This criterion speaks to what you are going to do with the funds and how they will help to strengthen your program over the next 4 years.

Tip

The purpose of this criterion is to outline what you plan to do with

NRC funds.

Question

Q. Are the activities for which the applicant seeks funding of high quality and directly related to the purpose of the NRC program?

Tip: Be sure to outline your goals and objectives clearly.

Question

Q. To what extent does the application provide a development plan or timeline which demonstrates how the proposed activities will contribute to a strengthened program by the end of the grant period?

Tip: The timeline is a separate section of the application. Please reference your timeline in this narrative section.

Question

Q. Does the applicant plan to use its resources and personnel effectively to achieve each objective?

Tip: You will have provided this information in other sections of the application.

Question

Q. Are the costs of the proposed activities reasonable in relation to the objectives of the program?

Tip: Include institutional commitment information.

Don’t

Request a grant amount that is more than $50,000 in excess of the published anticipated average rate.Request grant support for more than 50% of any individual’s salary.

Questions

For the comprehensive NRC applicants, what kind of long-term impact will the activities (for which funds are requested) have on the institution’s undergraduate, graduate and professional training programs? and…For undergraduate NRC applicants, what kind of long-term impact will the activities (for which funds are requested) have on the institution’ s undergraduate training program?

DO

Address all parts of the questions.Limit your response to those activities for which you are seeking funding.Summarize each proposed activity.

DO

Include references to relevant budget line items, the timeline, narrative section, and appendices.Organize your timeline in accordance with your objectives.

DO

Review the NRC and FLAS legislation and consider the program’s purpose.

DO

Seek institutional support for the proposed activities!Use the 4 year budget to illustrate institutional commitment.

Your budget should…..

Be clear and concise.Be mathematically correct (double check your addition!).Provide detailed information regarding each line item you are requesting (budget narrative).8% indirect cost rate.Not include information regarding funds other than those you are requesting.

PLEASE…. Attend the session on “NRC/FLAS Application: Putting it all Together” for information on how your budget should be formatted.

Impact and Evaluation

The Ultimate Goal….

Of an evaluation is to help you improve your own program.

Question

For all NRC applications, to what extent do the center’s activities and training programs have a significant impact on the university, community, region and the nation as shown through indices such as enrollments, graduate placement data, participation rates for events and the usage of center resources?

Question

For undergraduate NRC applicants, to what extent do students matriculate into advanced language and area or international studies programs or related professional programs?

Question

For FLAS applicants, to what extent have the applicant’s activities and training programs contributed to an improved supply of specialists on the program’s subject as shown through indices such as graduate enrollments and placement data?

Question

To what extent will provision be made for equal access and treatment for eligible students and other project participants who are members of groups that have been traditionally under-represented (such as members of racial or ethnic minority groups, women, persons with disabilities, and the elderly)?

Question

Does the applicant provide an evaluation plan that is comprehensive and objective and that will produce quantifiable, outcome-measure-oriented data?

Question

To what extent have recent evaluations been used by the applicant to improve its program?

DO

Support quantified data with anecdotal/qualitative examples.Consider program evaluation as “micro-” and “macro-” level activities.

DO

Develop a plan for on-going evaluation of all parts of your program.Describe internal and external evaluation procedures.Include your FLAS program in the evaluation plan.

DO

Address all parts of the questions.List the different elements that you need to address.Include the best/strongest information you have to support each question

Don’t

Eliminate an entire response to an element when editing your narrative.Repeat data/information that relates to multiple parts of the criteria.

Please be aware that…

The International Resource Information System (IRIS) is cleared by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) through February, 2010. After that date, we may be requesting new data from grantees. This may affect the data you may have to collect.