Section 4.5 Internal Funding Requests

A. Extension Funding Requests (Over $5,000)

The Extension Leadership Team will consider one-time funding proposals from individuals or teams in support of your work related to UMaine Extension’s mission and/or the organization. Proposals should be made for unique, one-time efforts or needs and should not be developed as a new source of continuous funding or for institutionalizing a program. Funds can be used to test and validate an innovative idea, but you must develop a sustainability plan. Proposals are appropriate for educational programs and needs that cannot be funded from the county budget, Program Leader (PL) Discretionary Funds, or other sources.

All proposals, including those from a team, must be reviewed by a PL involved in the program area. Proposals must be submitted using the Extension Funding request form.

Examples of requests: funding for equipment, new programs costs, technology, and positions.

Proposals will be reviewed by the Extension Executive Team (Dean, Associate Dean, and Extension Director of Finance) on the first Monday of March, June, September, and November.

The following information is included in the form be provided on all proposals:

  1. Name of the PI(s)
  2. Names of staff involved
  3. Starting and ending dates
  4. Title of project
  5. A brief description of the request.
  6. What stakeholder/partner does this request serve?
  7. Description of the need/problem that this request addresses.
  8. How was the need/problem determined?
  9. What is the impact of this work related to this request? Ie. expected results in specific, measurable terms.
  10. How does this request further the UMaine Extension’s mission?
  11. Is this program or idea designed to be sustainable? If so, how will this program be sustained in the future?
  12. Do you have external collaborators, sponsors, or partners?
  13. Budget — document funding needs
    • Budget and budget justification
    • Do you have other sources or matching funding? If so, please list them.
  14. How will you report the success and impact of the request?
  15. POW reporting responsibility (if relevant)
  16. Evaluation plan for this effort (if relevant)
  17. Any other relevant information

Evaluation of proposals:

  1. The need/problem is clearly defined and backed by data (25%)
  2. Clearly defined the partners/stakeholders (10%)
  3. The expected outcome-impact of the work is clearly defined and aligns with the mission of Extension (30%)
  4. A mechanism for communicating the outcomes/impact of the work is addressed (20%)
  5. Clear budget and budget justification (20%)

Utilizing the above parameters, proposals will be assigned a rating found below:

Figure showing four quadrants evaluating cost and effort versus mission impact.

B. Program Leader Discretionary Program Funds (Under $5,000)

Each Program Leader will receive funding to support program requests under $5,000. Funds are determined based on the percentage of staff they supervise. The ELT will budget up to $25,000 per year for all programs.

Program Leaders/Areas:

  1. Food Safety/Nutrition/Aquaculture/Innovation – $2,500
  2. Commercial and Home Agriculture – $9,000
  3. DRL, and Aroostook – $1,000
  4. 4-H Youth Development/Camps – $10,000
  5. Healthy Communities – $1,000
  6. Marketing/comm. – $1,500

Each fiscal year ELT DPF accounts will be returned to starting balance. No accumulation will occur from year to year, and funding will be ‘reset’ every Federal Fiscal Year (10/1-9/30/20XX).

Proposal parameters that Program Leaders must use require when staff request funds (Proposal less than one page):

  1. What is the impact of this work related to this request?
  2. How does this request further the UMaine Extension’s mission?
  3. Is this program or idea designed to be sustainable? If so, how will this program be sustained in the future?
  4. Do you have external collaborators, sponsors, or partners?
  5. How will you report the success and impact of the request?

Examples: purchasing of equipment, support of interns, professional development opportunities, certifications, bridge funding to start new programs, volunteer/client scholarships, etc.

Exclusions: positions that are non-temp

PL will keep track of funding requests and allocations to provide a one-page summary in June of each year.

C. New Faculty Start-up Funding

New faculty members have the opportunity to apply for “start-up” funding that is intended to support applied research and scholarly activities. To access funding, faculty are required to submit a proposal that provides the information listed below. The proposal will need the approval of their PA and the Executive Director of Extension before the funding will be made available. Faculty are strongly encouraged to work with their PA in the development of a proposal. Assistance with developing a budget is available from the Financial Administrator. The maximum amount that can be requested is $10,000. If a proposal is approved, the faculty member will have access to the funding throughout their probationary period. New faculty have one calendar year from their start date with UMaine Extension to submit a proposal to their PA.

Proposal Components:

  1. List the educational goals and objectives to be addressed (based upon POW)
  2. List the applied research project(s) to be conducted and/or educational outreach activities to be performed
  3. Document the needs assessment or literature search you are using to justify the proposed activities
  4. Explain the timeframe for the research and outreach
  5. List the projected measurable outcomes resulting from proposed actions
  6. List any opportunities for “start-up” support to be leveraged to acquire additional resources
  7. Include the Budget Form (Excel) and provide a narrative explaining the proposed expenses

Proposal Format:

  1. The proposal should be five pages or less (not including the Excel budget)
  2. Use 12-point Times Roman font
  3. One-inch margins and page numbers are required
  4. If pictures are used, do not increase the number of pages of the proposal
  5. The proposal will be the basis for determining the awarding of funding. Supporting documents are not allowed.
  6. Electronic or hard copy submissions are acceptable

Faculty who are successful in acquiring start-up funding will be expected to report on their research and outreach through Extension’s online reporting system.