Propel Grants

The Stanford Research Development Office (RDO), a unit within VPDoR, supports Principal Investigators (PIs) throughout the proposal development process. To improve the competitiveness of large and complex external funding proposals, RDO invites applications for Propel Grants, which fund the final stages of proposal preparation.

Download the Request for Applications

• Purpose: Support final-stage proposal development for large, complex external funding opportunities.
• Eligibility: Stanford faculty with PI status. School of Medicine applicants must include co-PIs from other Stanford schools.

Propel Grants are designed to help teams take their projects to the next level by providing strategic support for large-scale, complex proposals. These grants fund additional activities in the final stages of proposal development, enhancing strategic positioning, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and addressing key gaps to strengthen the proposal’s competitiveness. Rather than covering baseline preparation, Propel Grants support the extra steps—such as strategic planning, advanced preparation, and targeted refinements—that position teams to succeed in securing external funding.

These grants are intended for projects that exceed typical scope, budget, or team size expectations, often involving interdisciplinary partnerships to tackle major societal or research challenges. Propel Grants are aimed at large-scale projects in both STEM and the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In STEM, suitable opportunities may include center-type grants such as NSF Science and Technology Centers, DOE Energy Frontier Research Centers, and NIH P50 or U54 awards. In the arts, humanities, and social sciences, projects may target NEH Collaborative Research Grants, NEA Grants for Arts Projects, and select Mellon grants. This list is not exhaustive but illustrates the kinds of complex funding opportunities the Propel Grants aim to support.

Please see the Propel Grant FAQs for more information on what kinds of projects are appropriate for Propel Grants.

• Open to Stanford faculty with PI status (Academic Council members or UML faculty).
• School of Medicine applicants must include co-PIs from other Stanford schools.
• Teams must have already conducted preliminary work and be prepared to submit an external funding proposal in 12 months or less.
• Projects must target funding opportunities that are “beyond the usual” in scale for their disciplines in terms of research scope, award budget, or team size.

Priority is given to Stanford-led teams and for projects that:

• Involve faculty partnerships across two or more Stanford schools.
• Engage disciplines with limited internal grant support.
• Strengthen collaboration between Stanford and SLAC.

RDO will award a portfolio of Propel Grants representing Stanford's breadth of scholarly areas.

Propel Grants do not fund routine proposal preparation tasks, such as drafting standard sections, collecting baseline data, or completing essential but routine submission requirements. Instead, they support activities that elevate the proposal to push it over the edge toward a successful external submission. This might include accessing specialized archives, conducting supplementary experiments, engaging stakeholders for further expertise, or organizing strategic workshops to strengthen the collaborative foundation for a competitive proposal.

All proposed expenditures must follow Stanford Purchasing Policies and Guidelines. Funds are to be used for reasonable expenses incurred to strengthen the research idea described in your proposed project and help the team submit a competitive proposal for extramural funding. Please see the Propel Grant FAQs for more information.

Large Propel Grants Spring Cycle

• April 2, 2025 – Application deadline
• May 19, 2025 – Award start date
• June 17, 2026 – End-of-grant report due

Large Propel Grants are announced twice a year, with the autumn cycle typically announced in September. Exceptions to the deadlines may be requested under certain circumstances.

Please see the Propel Grant FAQs for more information.

Small Propel Grants

• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
• Funding decisions are announced within three weeks of submission.

• Small Propel Grant applicants may request flexible funds up to $5,000 in direct costs for up to 6 months.
• Large Propel Grant applicants may request a University Research Award of up to $50,000 in direct costs for up to 12 months.

The external funding request must be substantially higher than the requested Propel Grant amount. A good guide would be 20x; for example, to request a $50,000 Propel Grant, the external proposal budget should be at least $1,000,000.

All applications will be assessed for the reasonableness and necessity of the requested funds to achieve the proposed activities. Awards may not cover the full requested amount if activities are misaligned with the program's purpose. Smaller budget requests are welcome and appreciated. In exceptional cases, larger requests may be considered if a compelling and well-documented need is demonstrated.

Please see the Propel Grant FAQs for more information.

Reviewers will evaluate whether the proposed activities will advance an already promising project, contributing to its readiness and increasing its chances of success in securing large, complex external funding. The proposal should outline how the requested funds will directly contribute to activities that extend beyond what has already been done, enhancing the overall quality and competitiveness of the project.

All applications receive a programmatic review by RDO staff for compliance and programmatic fit.

In addition, Large Propel Grant applications may undergo peer review to assess the application, focusing on the significance, feasibility, and overall potential for funding success of the proposed research.

All applications will be screened based on the following criteria:

• Significance
• Readiness
• Proposed Activities
• Budget Justification
• Feasibility
• Funding Potential

Please see the FAQs for expanded details on the criteria.

See the VPDoR Internal Awards Portal for detailed instructions on the application format.

Propel Grant reviewers will be from different academic fields or subfields than your own. It is highly recommended that you write your application so a wide academic audience can easily understand it and provide sufficient detail to demonstrate feasibility.

Font size must be 11 pt or larger with 1-inch margins on all sides.

Please include the following sections:

1. Research idea for the external proposal - Outline the core idea and describe how it fits the Propel Grants aim to support high-impact research that stretches conventional boundaries in scope, scale, or team structure. Briefly clarify the problem or need and proposed solution, concentrating on how the idea advances the field in a way that aligns with the emphasis on complex, large-scale challenges.
2. Propel Grant activities - This section is the most important. Describe exactly how you will use Propel funds to strengthen your external proposal, detailing specific activities that will enhance competitiveness. Include a timeline, milestones, and anticipated outcomes for each activity, with an emphasis on how the funds will contribute to distinctive strengths for the targeted grant.
3. Team composition - List team members, their roles, and departments. Include both confirmed and proposed members, highlighting prior collaborations. Emphasize how the team’s expertise supports a competitive proposal.
4. External funding plan - Applicants must demonstrate that the team is on track to submit a competitive proposal. Identify the primary external funding target and, if possible, alternative options. List the sponsor, program name, submission deadline, and anticipated budget request.
5. Budget and justification (Large Propel Grants only) - Provide a detailed breakdown of expenditures the Propel funds will support. Explain how this funding complements any existing support and addresses gaps essential for the final proposal stage. For budgets over $50,000, include a narrative explaining why the project’s scope and complexity merit additional resources.
6. Appendices (optional)

Applicants should focus primarily on demonstrating how their project aligns with the Propel Grant’s purpose and explaining how the proposed activities will strengthen the competitiveness of their proposal for external funding. These aspects will carry the most weight during the review.

1. Survey/report
   1. Small Propel Grant recipients will be expected to complete a brief survey one month after the award period describing the impact of the Propel Grant activities.
   2. Large Propel Grant recipients will be expected to (a) submit an initial report at the end of the grant period describing what was accomplished or lessons learned and (b) complete a survey one year after the award period describing the impact and outcomes of the Propel Grant activities.
2. Notification
   1. Teams should notify RDO if the Propel Grants contributed to a noteworthy outcome, or if any external funds were received, for up to two years after receiving the award.

We welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants. Please get in touch with the Program Manager, Jessica Boydston, at rdo-funding-programs@stanford.edu.

Answers to frequently asked questions will be posted on propelgrants.stanford.edu.