Bridge Funding Program
What is the Bridge Funding Program?
Purpose
The Bridge Funding program provides bridge funding to support faculty to span a temporary funding gap in critical research programs.
Funding Available
Maximum of $50,000 may be applied for through the Provost. All funding requests must be matched 1:1 by the applicant’s college/school.
Goal
Bridge Funding awards are typically used to support on-going research programs that have lost funding, although these funds may also be used to support new research directions, at the discretion of the recipient.
Application Timeline
| Timeline | Fall |
|---|---|
| Application Announcements | September 1 |
| Applications Due | November 1 |
| Award Notifications | November 30 |
Who can Apply for Bridge Funding?
Eligibility Criteria
- Faculty with a track record of extramural funding who have lost all of their research support at the time of the Bridge application, or who will lose all of their research support within six months of the Bridge application deadline. Exceptions will be made for faculty who have lost or will lose 50% or more of their salary support. Such faculty are eligible for Bridge Funding even though they have existing funding. In addition, faculty members who have a grant that is restricted to pay only their salary (such as some NIH K awards) are eligible if they have no other research funding.
- Junior faculty with a record of productivity who have exhausted their startup funds, but who have not yet obtained their first research funding (including an RRF award) either as a PI or as a co-investigator.
- A facility providing a key resource to multiple faculty that has lost extramural support. One faculty member should submit the proposal on behalf of the team.
- Faculty who hold an RRF award are eligible if the amount of the award remaining at the time of Bridge Funding application is less than $30,000. Please note that applicants who apply to both programs (Bridge and RRF) simultaneously will only be given one award. If an individual holds a Bridge Funding award and subsequently receives an RRF award of $30,000 or more, any remaining Bridge monies must be returned.
In all cases, evidence must be provided to demonstrate efforts to establish or re-establish funding. Evidence such as grant reviews with priority scores will be used to evaluate these efforts. In addition, for faculty with joint, adjunct, or affiliate appointments involving the UW and a separate institution, eligibility requires that grants have been processed through the UW. If you process grants through the other institution, you are not eligible for UW Bridge Funding. See the Bridge Funding Eligibility FAQs for more information.
Budget Guidelines: What types of expenditures can Bridge Funding be used for?
Expenditures allowed on Provost funds
Supplies, equipment, lab personnel (technicians, students, fellows), travel and other research expenses. Other salary requests must include benefits. Provost funding cannot be used for the salaries of faculty.
Expenditures allowed on Matching funds
Matching funds can be in any category that supports the research, including faculty salary, providing it is not currently being supplied by the department, school, or college. Faculty with 11-month appointments cannot use departmental salary as matching. The match must occur in the same time period that the research is carried out. Matching funds must be a new commitment. It cannot be funding that was in place before the faculty member started to lose their funding. Provost and matching funds must be spent down equally.
Submission Process
Applications from faculty should be submitted to the applicant’s department chair, who should prioritize requests before forwarding them to the dean of the college/school. Since all applications must be ranked within the school or college, applicants should check for internal review deadlines. In non-departmentalized colleges/schools, applications should be submitted to the dean or his/her designee. Only complete electronic applications in a single PDF file are accepted. You will not submit an e-GC1 for bridge funding.
Required Documents
Please provide these application materials in the order listed:
- Bridge Application Form cover sheet
- Curriculum vitae, including record of funding for the past five years with dollar amounts and funding periods listed for each grant (maximum of four pages combined). You may list either direct costs only, or direct + indirect, but indicate which is listed.
- Demonstration of attempts to obtain funding (e.g. abstracts of submitted grants, panel summaries, priority scores or other evaluations and comments; do not send complete grant applications).
- Description of proposed research (maximum of five pages including the bibliography). The abstract of a submitted grant is sufficient, if it is appropriate.
- Statement of how this funding will increase chances of future funding.
- Budget and justification, including the match commitment (see above in types of expenditures covered in Budget Guidelines).
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- Documentation of the matching commitment and a budget for the match must be included with the request.
- The matching commitment should be confirmed by the chair or dean who provides the funds. An email confirmation is sufficient.
- Submit the budget for the matching amount from the department. Matching and Provost funds must be spent evenly. If all costs will be split 50:50, state so under the budget.
- A report will be requested at the end of the funding period with the following information: final accounting of the funds that were spent from the provost and matching fund sources respectively, a summary of the research that was carried out, any publications that resulted, and any grants that were awarded or are pending. Use this report template.
- Unspent funds must be returned before the start date of any new external grant, or at the end of the Bridge Funding grant period. Contact our office when notification of new funding is received.
- The PI’s department will prepare documentation of the 1:1 match for the Bridge Funding final report. If the match commitment has not been met, the department will need to make the needed adjustments, then OR fiscal staff will manage the grant close out.
- A one year extension for spending bridge funds may be granted at the discretion of the Vice Provost. Contact Karen Luetjen to request an extension; include the reason for the extension request.
7. Broader Impacts statement. How does the project and/or the team demonstrate engagement with broader impacts such as: activities that are aimed at increasing diversity and inclusion in the field; supporting and mentoring BIPOC students, post-docs, and/or early-career colleagues; or conducting research that benefits underrepresented or underserved communities?
The applicant’s Dean’s office will rank and submit the bridge applications to: Karen Luetjen.
Notification of Awards
Proposals will be reviewed by a committee in the Office of Research and recommendations will be made to the Provost. Once the notification of award has been made, the awardee’s department must set up or identify a stand-alone grant that can receive a funding transfer.