Welcome to the Office of Academic Grants 

The Office of Academic Grants provides assistance to full-time faculty and academic administrators interested in securing grant awards for research, curriculum development, and other creative activities relevant to the College's academic mission. Office staff assist faculty members and academic staff in answering your questions about grants, locating funding sources, obtaining and interpreting application forms, developing proposal narratives and budgets, and securing institutional support and approvals.

Whether you have an idea for a grant or just want to learn about the grants process at Marist, you can contact us anytime.  As soon as you begin to think about a “grant,” give the office a call (845-575-3670) and ask for Dr. Donna Berger or Ms. Melissa Messina. Below is a brief overview of the grants process.

Grants Process

Step 1

Identify Grant Funding Source: The Academic Grants Office (AGO) is the first point of contact in locating grant funding and assisting with matching your project with potential funding agencies.

Step 2

Proposal and Budget Development: As soon as a funding source is identified, the AGO will assist you in developing the scope of the project and budget.

Step 3

Preliminary Review: Prior to the development of a full proposal, the proposal concept and Proposal Routing Form  are circulated for preliminary internal approvals of the project, any matching funds, or course release time, and other commitments from college. The AGO assists with this review.

Step 4

Completing the Proposal: The AGO assists faculty throughout the proposal development process, providing reviews and advice on drafts, assistance with proposal correspondence, collaborations, etc.

Step 5

Final Proposal: At least 7-10 days prior to the submission deadline the final proposal is circulated for final approvals.

Step 6

Submit and Get Funded: After the final approvals are obtained, the proposal is submitted 2-3 days in advance of the agency deadline in case of technical issues. Once awarded, contact the AGO Director to initiate award setup. 

Gift or a Grant?

If you already have an application in mind, but are unsure if it is a grant application, you may find the following checklist to be useful in determining if the application is for a grant award.

• Does the application include a defined scope of work and set of objectives to be performed?
• Is there a requirement to adhere to a line item budget?
• Is there a requirement to sign an agreement?
• Are there sponsor conditions, such as (but not limited to) prior approval requirement for changes in budget, work performed, personnel, etc.?
• Are there reporting requirements for the awards?
• Is there a defined performance period?
• Does it require a detailed narrative?
• Are there specific beginning and end dates for the project?
• Are there accountability checkpoints?
• Are reports required?
• Are there budgetary constraints, such as limits on categories?

If the application is a grant, contact the Office of Academic Grants for assistance.

Dr. Donna Berger
Director of Academic Grants

Ms. Melissa Messina
Grants Assistant