Blue Endorsement Form

The Grant Proposal Endorsement Form (known as the “blue sheet” because it is printed on blue paper) is used to collect information about proposals for external funding and to document compliance with college and sponsor policies and federal regulations. The Principal Investigator or Project Director (PI/PD) is responsible for filling out the form and securing required signatures. The Sponsored Research Office  may facilitate this process.

When is a blue sheet required?

Attachments

Signatures


PROCEDURES

• New Proposals
• Revised Budgets
• Renewals
• Supplements

Download the form:
PDF Version | Word Version

Print on blue paper, double-sided.

To request a hard copy, contact Franci Farnsworth at x5889.

• application process requires a signature from an “authorized organizational representative”
• grant will be paid to and administered by the College
• proposal commits college employee time (other than faculty time that is within the terms of their contract)
• proposal commits use of college equipment or space (other than faculty offices)
• proposal commits, explicitly or implicitly, college funds (other than faculty leave salary)
• proposal commits the college to a future action (such as offering a new course)

Attachments

The Grant Proposal Endorsement Form must be accompanied by:

• all application forms that require signatures
• a copy of the official cover page (if any)
• the final budget and budget justification
• a late draft of the project description (or a memo explaining the project and the PI/PD’s role)

Signatures

The Grant Proposal Endorsement Form must be signed by:

• the faculty member’s department head
• the appropriate senior academic administrator (usually the Dean of Faculty Development and Research)
• the Sponsored Research Office (SRO)
• the Controller (or designee)

Additional signatures are required for course release time, matching funds, use of certain equipment and facilities, and research with human subjects (including questionnaires), vertebrate animals, genetic or biohazardous materials, and radioactive materials.

Some signatures may be waived by the SRO with appropriate justification. All signatures can be provided by email if necessary, but the Controller has the right to mandate original signatures. Signatures routinely handled by email include Human Resources, equipment and cost share, and LIS issues.

The Controller’s signature is always required to authorize proposal submission, unless the only commitment relates to academic affairs issues, and the grant will not be administered by the college. In such cases, a senior academic administrator can sign.

If a Grant Proposal Endorsement Form is not completed at the time the proposal is submitted (or if there was no official submission, and a check arrives to fund a project), the PI/PD must complete a Grant Proposal Endorsement Form before a grant fund (Banner FOAP) can be established. In these cases, some signature requirements may be waived by the Controller’s office, appropriate senior academic administrator, or SRO.

PROCEDURES: Role of PIs and PDs

New Proposals

Follow this procedure for:

• first-time submissions
• proposals to renew grants that have been or will be terminated by the time of the
  new award
• resubmissions of proposals that were not funded in a previous competition

Allow two weeks for the endorsement procedure. Start the blue sheet process as soon as your budget is final.

1. Fill out the endorsement form completely.
2. Print and attach your budget, budget justification, and draft proposal (for a resubmission, you can attach a copy of the previous proposal instead).
3. Obtain all signatures (attach a supplemental signature page if needed).
4. Deliver the blue sheet to SRO. Do not use campus mail if your deadline is less than two weeks away.

Revised Budgets

Follow this procedure whenever the budget is revised for a grant that has been approved but not yet awarded.

Allow one week for the endorsement procedure. If the revision is straightforward, you may be able to get College authorization more quickly than is usual with a new proposal. SRO will notify any administrators who are new since the original endorsement form was signed.

1. Fill out a new blue sheet or make the changes on a photocopy of the original, ensuring that it reflects the revised budget figures and any changes in cost-share, equipment, or other endorsement form items.
2. Print and attach your revised budget, revised budget justification, and revised proposal (if necessary) to the new blue sheet.
3. Obtain signatures  (or initials, if you are using a photocopy) for additional or changed equipment, revised cost-share, major changes in scope, or changes in other compliance requirements.
4. 4. Deliver the blue sheet to SRO. Do not use campus mail (doing so can delay endorsement).

Renewals

Follow this procedure for second- and later-year budgets of approved multiple-year grants when an authorized signature is required on the budget or submission form.

Allow one week for the endorsement procedure.

1. Fill out a new blue sheet or make a photocopy of the original, ensuring that it reflects the budget figures for the appropriate year.
2. Print and attach your budget and budget justification to the blue sheet.
3. Obtain signatures  (or initials, if you are using a photocopy) for additional or changed equipment, revised cost-share, or changes in other compliance requirements.
4. Deliver the blue sheet to SRO. Do not use campus mail if your deadline is less than one week

Supplements

Follow these steps to request a supplement to an existing grant.

Allow two weeks for the endorsement procedure. Start the blue sheet process as soon as your budget is final.

1. Fill out the endorsement form completely.
2. Print and attach your budget, budget justification, and draft proposal to the blue sheet.
3. Obtain all required original signatures  (attach a supplemental signature page if needed).
4. Deliver the blue sheet to SRO. Do not use campus mail if your deadline is less than two weeks away.

If the supplement is coterminous with the existing grant, and the budget request is consistent with original budget (e.g., a supplement to support one additional student), some signature requirements may be waived.