Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs

Supporting Research, Service, and Creative Activity at UNA

The Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs supports the development of grant proposals that help University of North Alabama faculty, staff, and students participate in research, public service, creative activity, and sponsored projects.

The office assists with locating funding sources, preparing proposals and budgets, filing applications, reviewing proposal content, and coordinating related pre-award efforts. The Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs also supports the post-award administration of grants and contracts and helps administer important compliance policies related to intellectual property, human subjects research, conflict of interest, and animal care and use.

How We Support Grant Development

The Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs helps faculty and staff pursue external funding opportunities that advance UNA’s mission as a teaching, research, and service institution.

Support may include:

Identifying funding opportunities
Reviewing grant announcements for alignment with UNA goals
Developing proposal budgets
Reviewing proposal content
Coordinating administrative, technical, and financial reviews
Supporting proposal submission processes
Assisting with Institutional Review Board or equivalent human subjects reviews
Serving as a liaison between the principal investigator and key stakeholders
Providing guidance on fiscal compliance, record keeping, reporting, and evaluation

Funding Opportunities

The Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs assists faculty and staff in researching funding opportunities from government and non-governmental sources. OGSP staff routinely review grant announcements to evaluate alignment with UNA’s research, service, and institutional objectives.

Faculty and staff can also request assistance identifying funding opportunities that support a specific research, service, creative, or programmatic proposal.

For help related to funding opportunities, contact John Gurley at jgurley3@una.edu.

[Explore Funding Opportunities]

Proposal Development

Developing a competitive grant or research proposal can be a complex process. The Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs helps principal investigators prepare proposals that are complete, compliant, and aligned with sponsor expectations.

Proposal development support may include:

UNA COMMENT: Add final links to proposal development resources, internal checklists, proposal templates, and any required routing or submission tools.

Reviewing sponsor requirements
Helping define proposal components and timelines
Supporting proposal narrative development
Reviewing proposal content and technical requirements
Coordinating internal reviews and approvals
Supporting required compliance reviews
Submitting proposals that require an organizational account

Budget Guidance

Budget guidance helps investigators develop accurate and compliant budgets for grants and sponsored programs. Budgets should reflect the project scope, sponsor requirements, institutional policies, and the resources needed to successfully complete the work.

Budget development may include guidance on:

UNA COMMENT: Confirm whether the full budget guidance documents should be linked as downloadable resources, recreated as web content, or organized into an accordion by budget topic.

Direct costs
Personnel and salaries
Fringe benefits
Student support
Travel
Supplies and materials
Equipment
Consultants or contracted services
Cost sharing, when required
Facilities and Administrative costs
Sponsor-specific budget forms and justifications

Policies and Compliance

The University of North Alabama, through the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs, supports the acquisition and administration of external grants and contracts while helping faculty and staff meet sponsor, institutional, state, and federal requirements.

Sponsored programs may involve policies and compliance areas such as:

Intellectual Property Policy
Institutional Review Board policies for research involving human subjects
Research Misconduct Policy
Conflict of Interest policies
Animal Care and Use Policy
Fiscal compliance
Record keeping
Reporting and evaluation
Federal, state, and sponsor-specific grant requirements

All sponsored program activities are subject to applicable UNA policies, including policies related to human resources, financial management, purchasing, grants and contracts accounting, and the terms and conditions of the external award.

[View Policies]

Institutional Information

Institutional information is often required for grant proposals, contracts, sponsor forms, and award documentation. UNA provides institutional data to help faculty and staff complete proposal and award materials accurately.

Institutional information may include:

UNA COMMENT: Confirm whether institutional data should be listed directly on this page, linked as a resource, or placed in a collapsible “quick reference” module for proposal use.

Tax Identification Number / EIN
DUNS Number
CAGE Code
Federal Wide Assurance Number
Animal Welfare Assurance information
Federal debt and debarment/suspension status
Drug-free workplace and lobbying information
Congressional and state district information
Financial statements and audit reports
Fringe benefit rates
Facilities and Administrative/indirect cost rates
Indirect cost base information
J-1 VISA designation
Tuition and fee information

[View Institutional Information]

Grants & Contracts Accounting

The Office of Grants & Contracts Accounting supports the post-award finance functions of sponsored program activities. Located within Business and Financial Affairs, Grants & Contracts Accounting helps ensure compliance with federal regulations, state laws, agency requirements, and University policies and procedures.

Post-award support may include:

Post-award financial management
Award finance closeout
Grant fund access
Budget revisions
Sponsored-program travel forms
Grant P-Card qualification and training
Time and effort reporting, when applicable
Financial compliance support
Forms and process guidance for active awards

Pre-award functions are managed through the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs. Post-award finance functions are managed through the Office of Grants & Contracts Accounting.

[Visit Grants & Contracts Accounting]

Roles and Responsibilities

Principal investigators, departments, the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs, and the Office of Grants & Contracts Accounting each play an important role in the sponsored programs lifecycle.

Before an award, OGSP assists with funding searches, proposal preparation, budget development, compliance review, and submission. After an award, Grants & Contracts Accounting supports financial management, budget revisions, expenditure guidance, reporting support, and closeout.

UNA COMMENT: Confirm whether this page should include a visual pre-award/post-award process flow or a responsibilities table for principal investigators, departments, OGSP, and OGCA.

Contact Information

UNA COMMENT: Confirm whether both OGSP and OGCA contact information should appear on this consolidated page, or if OGCA should be linked as a separate post-award resource.

Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs
Cramer Way 326
256-765-4838

Dr. John Gurley
Director, Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs
jgurley3@una.edu

Office of Grants & Contracts Accounting
601 Cramer Way, Room 119
256-765-4273
ogca@una.edu