APPLICATION PROCEDURES

(The application process was closed March 1, 2005)

Step 1:
Letter of Intent (LOI): The John Templeton Foundation invites you to submit a formal Letter of Intent by December 15, 2004. LOIs must be submitted electronically.

Step 2:
Full Proposals: The following is a description of submission items that will be required for all full proposals:

Seven copies of the full proposal should be submitted by mail. Additionally, one copy of supplemental materials may be submitted. Judges are not required to consult supplementary materials and no supplementary materials will be returned.

Due Date: All materials for full proposals should arrive at the John Templeton Foundation by 5:00 pm (EST) March 1, 2005.

Final Judging: The panel of judges will review each full proposal and evaluate each one for merit based upon the criteria listed above. All applicants will be notified of their status by May 2, 2005. The decision of the judging panel is final and may not be appealed.

APPLICATION MATERIALS:

1. Cover Sheet
Please fill out the cover sheet and attach it as the first page of the proposal.

This appendix was created in a simple MS Excel format and will be emailed as an attachment after receiving your LOI. Please feel free to adjust this template by adding or deleting lines according to your organization’s needs when answering our request for information. You may also type into the provided fields if you prefer.

2. Executive Summary
The proposal must contain a one-page, single-spaced summary of the proposed activity suitable for publication. The summary should be written in the third person and include a statement of objectives and methods to be employed. It must clearly address in separate statements (within the one-page summary): (1) the intellectual merit of the proposed activity; and (2) the broader impacts resulting from the proposed activity. It should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and, insofar as possible, understandable to a technically literate lay reader.

3. Table of Contents

4. Project Description:
The central part of the proposal will be a narrative description of the project itself. This description should include: a demonstration of the connection between the proposed project and the topic matter of this RFP, the objectives for the period of the proposed work, the relationship of the project to the current state of knowledge in the field, a detailed explanation of the activity of the grant, and statements elaborating on the expected outcomes of this work.

5. Senior Personnel Biographies
A biographical sketch (limited to two pages) is required for each individual identified as senior project personnel. The following information must be provided in the order and format specified below:

• Full Name
• Title & Current Position
• Education
• Relevant Published Books and Articles
• Relevant Memberships

6. Budget
Please copy the budget summary sheet and create a budget summary for each 12-month period by indicating the dates of the proposed funding period (i.e. 6/1/06 - 5/31/07). Please refer to the instructions for completing the budget summary sheet found below. We ask that you also create a CUMULATIVE budget summary and that you justify only the cumulative costs in the budget justification narrative.

This budget summary sheet was also created in a simple MS Excel format and will be emailed as an attachment after receiving your LOI. Please feel free to adjust this template by adding or deleting lines according to your organization’s needs when answering our request for information. You may also type into the provided fields if you prefer.

Budget Guidelines:

(i). General
a. Each grant proposal must contain budget summary sheets in the attached format.

b. A separate form should be completed for each year (12 months) of support requested. An additional form showing the cumulative budget for the full term requested should be completed for proposals requesting more than 12 month’s support. Identify each year’s request (e.g., 6/1/06 - 5/31/07 or “Cumulative”, etc.) in the margin at the top right of the form.

(ii). Budget Line Items

Tight budgeting is encouraged in order to maximize the impact of the project as a whole. Modest (less than 20% of the total grant) expenses for computer equipment, travel, publication charges and supplies is allowable, provided that these items are clearly explained and justified in the proposal. The following is a brief outline of budget documentation requirements by line item. (NOTE: All documentation, justification/explanation required on the line items below should be provided on the Budget Justification/Explanation Page(s).)

A, B, C, and D. Salaries, Wages and Fringe Benefits. List individually, all senior personnel who were grouped under Part A and their percentage of effort dedicated to the project for each year’s budget. Grant funds may not be used in addition to a regular full-time organization salary covering the same general period of employment.

In most circumstances salaries of administrative or clerical staff are included as part of indirect costs. However, salaries of administrative or clerical staff may be requested as direct costs for a project requiring an extensive amount of administrative or clerical support where these costs can be readily and specifically identified with the project.

For fringe benefits please list the percentage of salary costs being applied to this grant as well as the normal institution fringe benefits percentage in the budget justification narrative.

E. Consultant / Subcontractor Services. Consultant services should be justified and information furnished on each individual/firm’s expertise, primary organizational affiliation, normal daily compensation rate and number of days of expected service. Consultants’ travel costs and per diem allowances should be listed. Payment for consultants’ services, exclusive of expenses may not exceed the consultant’s normal rate or the normal daily maximum rate established by the host organization, whichever is less. Indirect costs are not applied to consultant expenses or subcontracts.

F. Equipment. Items of needed equipment should be listed individually by description and estimated cost, including tax, and adequately justified. General-purpose equipment, such as a personal computer, is not eligible for support unless primarily or exclusively used in the actual conduct of this project. Indirect costs are not applied to equipment expenses.

G. Travel. Address the type and extent of travel and its relation to the project. Itemize by event and cost. Fare allowances are limited to round trip, jet-economy rates.

H. Other Direct Costs. Any costs charged to a grant must be reasonable and directly allocable to the supported activity. The budget should identify and itemize other anticipated direct costs not included under the headings above, including materials and supplies, publication costs, computer services, participant/subject costs, communications, and other direct expenses.

1. Materials and Supplies - Indicate types required and estimate costs.

2. Participant Costs - Indicate costs associated with survey or other testing involving subjects or participants.

3. Publication Costs - Costs associated with editing, reviewing, and printing.

4. Computer Services - Include justification based on estimated computer service rates at the proposing institution. Purchase of equipment should be included under F.

5. Communications - Possible communications costs include on-line services used for the direct work of this grant, shipping costs directly associated with the work of this grant, or separate telephone services needed to complete the work of this grant.

6. Other - Itemize and justify.

I. Total Direct Costs: Sum of line items A through H.

J. Indirect Costs. Indirect costs/overhead are not levied on equipment (F), consultants/ subcontractors (E), or any function that is outsourced such as computer services (H-4). If this function (H-4) is being performed by staff from the home institute, then indirect costs may be taken on it. Indirect costs are limited to 15% of applicable line items.

7. Budget Justification:
A narrative budget justification is required. Please explain the costs associated with each line item from the CUMULATIVE budget summary only (please do not justify each 12 month period separately). There is no page limit but you are encouraged to be succinct.

Supplemental Materials:
This section is created for all other relevant information that you may wish to submit for consideration including: books, research articles, press articles, collateral materials, web-based information, etc.

The John Templeton Foundation does not require any of its expert reviewers or competition judges to review any of the supplementary materials. Only in a limited number of cases have these materials influenced decision making. Nevertheless one copy may be sent along with the general application. The Foundation will not be responsible for returning any materials to the applicant.