The Application Process
How do I submit a proposal? The application process begins with an Online Funding Request (OFI) on the John Templeton Foundation application portal. Please click here for the link to our online application portal. In the cycleIn determining your request amount, we ask that you consider the following: (a) the potential size of the project’s target audience and the scope of its outcomes; and (b) the cost of your activities and personnel. In general, a project aimed at reaching a larger audience requires more complex activities and more funds. Your application amount should accurately reflect the reasonable market cost of your proposed activities and also take into account any restrictions or rules imposed by your organization. Applicants often find that there is flexibility in the number of activities, with more activities requiring more funds and fewer activities requiring less funds. There is no “right amount” to ask, but we will consider the expected “return on investment” as an important decision criterion. Can we submit an OFI for a project longer than 3 years? Project duration must not exceed 3 years (or 33 months for organizations that do not have US public charity status) . When should proposed projects start? All proposed projects should have an estimated start date no earlier than August 1, 2023 and no later than January 1, 2024. Does the Foundation pay overhead/indirect costs? The Foundation allows for an overhead/indirect cost component within the budget, capped at fifteen percent (15%) of direct costs. We welcome proposals calling for a lower percentage. The overhead/indirect costs must be included in your total request amount. Do you cover travel and subsistence expenses? Travel and subsistence expenses for the staff employed by the legal organization can be fully covered by the Foundation for all project activities. However, the foundation has much stricter limits on the travel and accommodation expenses of people not employed by the legal organization, such as B. a co-project leader at another institution or consultants or project staff from other institutions. In general, JTF does not fund projects with a budget exceeding 10% of travel and accommodation costs for people not employed by the legal organization. Also, please note that JTF does not pay for first class or business travel. May our project team or organization submit more than one OFI? In general, we ask that there be no more than one OFI submission per legal organization. We also ask that no single person be a project leader on more than one OFI submission. However, a single person can be a project collaborator for multiple OFI submissions, and an organization can be involved in multiple OFI submissions, albeit not as the lead organization. Should citations or references be included in our OFI? The Foundation expects applicants to exercise their discretion as to how many citations to include as part of the description of their project idea. While inline citations can be helpful for important references, particularly if the proposed project builds on or challenges a specific field of work, we do not expect a complete list of references at the OFI stage. Is feedback available for a rejected OFI? Unfortunately, given the large number of OFI submissions, the Foundation is unable to provide specific feedback for each applicant. What types of outputs and results should we include in the application? In general, outputs are activities/products carried out/delivered during the lifetime of the grant; More importantly, they are generally within the project team’s power to meet. Outcomes, on the other hand, are expected changes that result in part from the outputs of the project. In most cases, it is not in the power of the project team to deliver; other factors beyond the control of the project team must also be present. When writing results for a proposal, we advise proposers to make plausible assumptions about such factors.
For inspiration in creating outputs and deliverables, we encourage applicants to consider the four points outlined in the Parameters section of the RFP.
Special Requirements
- Projects should have a start date between August 1, 2023 and January 1, 2024 and an end date after February 2026.
- Successful grantees must draft their proposal so that a project representative commits to attending two required research workshops, expected to be scheduled for January 2024 and January 2026 (provided the Foundation convenes these workshops).
- The first is designed to give grantees the opportunity to present their proposed projects, receive feedback from other grantees, and stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration.
- The second is for grantees to present theirs results and to inspire future collaborative efforts.
The amount requested should include funds (up to $4,000 for North American grantees; up to $8,000 for all others) for Coverage includes travel and accommodation expenses for attending these two workshops.Please note that these funds may count towards the 10% cap on travel and accommodation expenses.
