
Developing a concept paper for federal or other external funders grants
Fall 2026
The focus will be conceptualizing one’s research to fit a specific federal funding agency or major external sponsor (e.g., NSF, NIH, DOD, DOE, IES, or foundations such as Spencer, Simons, discipline focused foundations, etc.). Participants will develop a 1-3 page concept or whitepaper for discussing your idea with agency program officers.
The program is particularly relevant for:
- Research active CUNY faculty who have not yet previously written & successfully submitted a grant proposal to a federal funding agency.
- PIs with NIH funding who would like to learn how to reframe their research to fit NSF
- PIs who would like to apply for competitive foundation grants
- CUNY tenure track assistant professors who plan to apply for the ASRC’s NSF CAREER Bootcamp In 2027 and have not been the PI on a prior positively reviewed NSF proposal (not necessarily funded) and/or whose research idea isn’t yet sufficiently conceptualized (e.g., you are still exploring the focus).
Activities will include informational slides, reading & writing assignments, and group discussions with constructive feedback on ideas and work-in-progress. Groups of no more than 8 faculty will meet for about 2.5 hours a week. These are intensive bootcamps meant to help PIs conceptualize research questions and shape the foundations of a competitive proposal, for a highly competitive funding environment.
COMPLETING THE 101 BOOTCAMP MAY BE A PREREQUISITE FOR ACCEPTANCE INTO THE 2027 ASRC NSF CAREER BOOTCAMP
- Small groups will be formed. Meeting days/times TBD (generally between 11 a.m.-6:00 pm) based on consensus of availabilities.
- Groups are expected to be approximately 6 PIs per group. Weekly meetings are ~2 ½ hrs.
- Bootcamps will meet on Zoom.
- Zoom video plus proficiency with OneDrive are required.
How to Apply
Applications for ASRC’s Fall Grants Bootcamp are due September 3, 2026, 5:00 PM (NYC time)
Contact
Linda Vigdor, M.F.A., Ph.D.
Associate Director of Proposal Development
Advanced Science Research Center
For more information, please contact: lvigdor@gc.cuny.edu
