How to Request a Letter of Institutional Support for your Grant or Proposal
Funding announcements often call for some type of letter of support. Some request letters of institutional support in particular. Whether this letter needs to be signed off by the Vice President of Research, the Provost, or even the President, it requires following specific guidelines here at ASU to be approved and signed.
If you’re in need of a letter of institutional support for your grant or proposal, the following guidelines will need to be observed:
- Craft your letter (in .doc or .docx) by following your solicitation’s requirements (see here for a basic letter template), have your letter reviewed and approved by a department chair or dean, then send a request for signature to ResearchDevelopment@asu.edu (be sure to copy your assigned Research Administrator)
- Be sure to note a specific deadline (Research Development requires at least 10-14 days in advance of the sponsor deadline)
- Specify signature needs and make sure to include all justification for that signature
- Review for institutional commitment (such as specific cost share or budget needs) and add to your request
- Research Development will work with you to edit your letter and ensure it is ready to be sent to all necessary parties
- Once editing is complete, Research Development will then route this letter through the necessary channels to receive the requested signature and return prior to your deadline
- If additional communication is needed prior to any necessary parties providing a signature, Research Development can assist with the organization/facilitation of a meeting
If you have any questions regarding this process, or have a specific question relating to your grant or proposal’s solicitation, please reach out to ResearchDevelopment@asu.edu.
Please note that letters should be of the highest quality before you send them to our office for review. If you would like sample text or need help getting started, let us know. We also encourage you to consult someone in RD or an experienced colleague about your draft prior to requesting leadership signature.