You're unsure whether the project fits a funding opportunity. You could spend weeks drafting and hope the answer is yes, or ask for clarification through the route the sponsor provides.
The handbook recommends informed, concise contact with program staff where permitted. Start by reading the call and its contact instructions. Some programs invite particular kinds of questions; others set limits or use another process.
Check whether the answer is already available
Read the solicitation, linked guidance, and relevant public information. Note the passage that leaves you uncertain. Ask your research office about institutional questions before sending them to the sponsor.
That preparation helps you distinguish a substantive ambiguity from a requirement you simply haven't located yet.
Summarize the project plainly
Explain the question or need, proposed approach, intended contribution, and relevant scope. Keep the summary proportionate to the sponsor's instructions. Don't attach a full proposal unless the process invites it.
A clear account helps staff understand the question without having to reconstruct your entire agenda.
Ask something the contact can appropriately address
You might need clarification about scope, a program requirement, or the appropriate opportunity. For a hypothetical project, a useful question could be: 'Does this call support developing and studying a new instructional approach, or is it limited to implementation of established approaches?'
Don't ask for a promise of funding or assume program staff can pre-review the work in the way the formal review process will.
Use the designated route and respect timing
Identify the opportunity accurately, state the question early, and provide the context needed to answer it. Follow contact windows and other instructions. If a meeting is offered, prepare a short agenda and stay within the agreed time.
A concise exchange can still be thoughtful and professional.
Record what the response clarifies
Keep the correspondence with the opportunity record and discuss its implications with the team. Distinguish guidance about fit from the decision that follows formal review. Continue to use the governing call and official clarifications.
Before reaching out, write the exact uncertainty in one sentence and identify what you've already checked. If you can't do that yet, spend a little more time with the call. Your eventual question will be easier to answer and more useful for your next decision.
Adapted from The New Faculty Handbook by Zafer Unal, pp. 141-143.
