Pre-proposals

Purpose of Pre-Proposal
The purpose of the pre-proposal is to allow RIWRC staff and Executive Committee to assess the scope of potential proposals for external reviewing purposes and to check that the proposal addresses problems related to Rhode Island’s Water Resources. PIs of suitable pre-proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal following the USGS 104B RFP guidelines. The RIWRC Advisory Board determines which proposals are ultimately funded.

The Rhode Island Water Resources Center encourages proposals from principal investigators from underrepresented or underserved groups and institutions (e.g., Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Minority Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and community colleges). Additionally, proposals with a strong component of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, which intersect with water research and those addressing issues in historically marginalized or underserved communities, are highly encouraged.

Submit pre-proposals electronically to riwrc@etal.uri.edu

  • Call for pre-proposals announced: December 13th, 2024
  • Pre-proposals due to RIWRC: 5:00 PM on Jan 31st, 2025
  • (https://web.uri.edu/riwrc/pre-proposals/)
  • Invitation to submit full proposals: March 1st, 2025
  • Full proposals due: April 11th, 2025 – 5pm
  • Final proposal package submitted to the USGS by RIWRC: May 1st, 2025

Available funding: 3-4 proposals up to $25,000 for 12 months (Pending support from USGS)

Period of performance: September 1st, 2025 to August 31st, 2026

PRE-PROPOSAL FORMAT (2 pages)

  • Pre-Proposal Title:
  • PI Contact Information
  • Project Duration: one year or two years (a two-year project will require submitting a new proposal for second-year funding. Second-year funding is not guaranteed).
  • Anticipated Funding Request: $
  • Abstract.
  • Section 1. Problem statement and rationale of how the project addresses Rhode Island’s Water Resources priority
  • Section 2. Objectives of the proposed work
  • Section 3. Overview of methods, procedures, and facilities
  • Section 4. Project timeline (If the second year of funding is anticipated, please provide a brief explanation of activities and justification of the need second-year funding at the end of this section)
  • Section 5. Training potential
  • Section 6: References (not included on the 2 pages count)

Details on Required 1:1 Match (1 Page)

Although we are not requesting a full budget for the pre-proposal, we ask you to explain how the funds awarded from this grant will be matched 1:1 with non-federal funds. For example, if you request $10K, you must document matching funds for this project for $10K. Some allowable matching sources:

  • The USGS does not allow universities to charge overhead on these projects; then you can claim any overhead that would have been charged on this project.
  • Use of a portion of PI and Co-PIs time (salary and fringe benefits) toward the match as long as the salary is not coming from federal funds.
  • Your university grants tuition waivers for students working on this project.
  • A third-party cash or in-kind match could be acceptable if support does not come from federal funds.

For the pre-proposal, you do not need to provide documentation of approval to match funds (although it is advised you verify with your institution that the matching funds will be allowed). If you are invited to submit a full proposal, documentation will be required either through memos from relevant department heads and/or through your university’s grants and contracts office.

Contact:
Vinka Oyanedel-Craver
Director of Rhode Island Water Resources Center
Craver@uri.edu