Application Instructions

Application Format
The application includes forms as well as narrative sections all of which must be completed according to instructions in order to be considered. Please refer to the Application Checklist and use all the applicable forms in completing your application. A full set of forms follow these instructions.

Applicants must submit one printed original of the entire application and associated materials and one electronic copy submitted on a CD. All files submitted on the CD must be downloadable to a PC using Adobe Reader software. All text must use typefaces in 11-12 point size, with no more than six lines of text within a vertical inch, and no less than one-inch margins all around. Please make sure your original and your electronic copy include all documents.

Your electronic submission should contain three folders only.

  1. The application should be labeled “PILastName_df_app CCH_submission year” e.g., Smith_DF app_CCH 2008 and may be in PDF or Microsoft Word format. Your document footer should also contain this file name.  Scanning of the application is not permitted.
  2. All publications should be housed together in one folder labeled PILast Name_df_publications and be in PDF format.  Scanning of the publications is  permitted.
  3. Finally, all letters of support should be housed in one folder labeled PILast Name_df_letters of support and letters should be in PDF format on letterhead and contain signatures. Scanning of the letters of support are permitted.

Do not attach a cover letter or enclose your printed application in a folder, notebook or binder.
The Foundation sends submissions electronically directly to the reviewers and does not check for completeness or correct deficiencies. If you have any questions about any of the submission requirements, contact the Foundation.

Complete the following steps only after receiving an invitation to submit an application.
Submissions that do not comply with all requirements may be returned to the applicant and no corrected submission may be accepted.

Applications must include all numbered sections in the order specified below:

Section 1: Application Face Sheet (form)
The hardcopy form provided must be signed by the principal investigator and responsible institutional officer. The electronic copy does not need to have signatures.

Section 2:
a.         Project Summary (narrative) This summary must not exceed 250 words and must include the following: 1) research goals; 2) study design & methodologies and 3) the intended use of the knowledge gained from the project.

  1. Collaborators (form) Provide the information requested and a brief description of the scientific responsibility of each individual you list as a collaborator. You may designate a collaborator as a co-principal investigator. Co-PIs must be associated with a Connecticut institution, collaborators need not be.  Include curricula vitae (abbreviated) for collaborators as appropriate in Section 5 (Principal Investigator’s curriculum vitae).

Section 3a:

  1. Project Description (narrative) The project outline should not be more than 12 pages, excluding references, and should outline the research objectives, hypotheses, methods and procedures related to the project. Include all figures and tables within these 12 pages. Supplemental material (including appendices) will not be accepted, except for copies of unpublished or less well-known instruments proposed for use. Use standard typeface, 11-12 point size type, no more than six lines per vertical inch, with one-inch margins. Provide the following in this order with each subheading
    1. Introduction and background (up to 1 page). Address the importance of the problem to be researched. Include a description of the current state of knowledge, noting if there have been meta-analyses or systematic reviews in the area and what their conclusions have been. Discuss the questions to be addressed and the long-term implications of the proposed work.
    2. Preliminary data (approximately 2 pages).
    3. Methods, research plan and analyses (approximately 5 to 8 pages). Describe validation of study instruments, the study population, plans to recruit that population and your analysis that determined the required sample size. If prepackaged software is to be used for statistical analysis, cite the name(s). Also describe anticipated analyses, including data screening, replacement of missing data, hypothesis testing, secondary or post hoc analyses and qualitative methods to be use. Discuss possible implications of the research.
    4. References & citations

Section 3b: Project Milestone Chart (form)
Please complete the chart for each year, using the form provided, of the grant including key activities/events and estimated start and end dates for each activity (see sample).

Section 4: Explicit Statement of Practical Benefit (narrative)
In addition to reviewing grant proposals from the scientific and research design perspective, the Foundation uses a set of Practical Benefit Parameters to facilitate a systematic assessment of the application within the context of Ethel Donaghue’s will. Miss Donaghue established the Foundation to provide financial assistance for research “to promote medical knowledge which will be of practical benefit to the preservation, maintenance and improvement of human life.” With this purpose in mind, the trustees use these parameters to assess all applications across the spectrum of research topics supported by the Foundation.

Underlying these parameters is the Foundation’s goal that the health research it funds has the potential to make a near term impact on improving clinical care and/or systems of care, and/or reducing the pain and suffering of individuals and communities.

Recognizing that research topics may vary widely, please respond to the questions for each parameter posed below as they relate to your grant proposal. Identify in specific, non-technical terms what is expected to be the practical benefit attained through the completion of the proposed research. Use no more than 1 or 2 pages in total to address all of the parameters.

  1. Specific Benefit: What is the expected practical benefit(s) of the proposed research? Please discuss the benefit(s) as it relates to finding cures for diseases, preventing disease or its consequences and/or enhancing quality of life. For example, will the proposal lead to a best practice? Expand the evidence base? Improve understanding of specific patient populations?
  2. Scope of Effect: Who will be affected by the outcome of the proposed research and why? Please try to quantify the potential scope of effect. The Foundation has a Connecticut focus and generally seeks to benefit the people of the State in identifiable ways. How does the proposal serve this purpose, even if only indirectly?
  3. Immediacy of Effect: How soon can benefits from the work be realized? What steps or other work following yours might be necessary in order to have your work put into practice?
  4. Knowledge Diffusion: What knowledge diffusion activities are anticipated as an outcome of your work on this study? What audiences (research and non-research) will you seek to reach?
  5. The “But For” Test: But for the availability of Donaghue Foundation support, what are the other potential sources of funding to conduct research on this topic?
  6. Incidental Effect: What incidental benefits may be obtained through the funding of the proposal? For example, will services be provided in the course of research that might otherwise be unavailable to the subjects? Or will education be accomplished in the course of the research that might otherwise not be undertaken? Will the proposal advance collaborative, multidisciplinary and/or Inter-institutional efforts and/or organizational improvements?

Section 5: Principal Investigator’s Curriculum Vitae (attach)
A curriculum vitae (abbreviated) for the principal investigator and for any collaborator(s) listed in the applicant must accompany the application using the NIH biosketch format.

Section 6:  Budget Forms and Justification
The Donaghue Foundation will fund only those costs specific to conducting the proposed research described in the application. The Foundation will not pay to support facilities, equipment or salaries that are already supported through other funding mechanisms.

Donaghue grant funds may not be intentionally applied for or used by any department or principal investigator when there are funds currently allocated or available for the proposed project (or which appear to be reasonably assured) from other sources. See Use of Grant Funds for additional information on funding policies.

The Foundation is willing to collaborate with other funding sources in support of a project, provided that the Foundation is given assurance that the aggregate of funding does not exceed the project’s costs. The Foundation also allows for grantees to use subcontractors to conduct aspects of the work. Any organization that is listed as a funding collaborator or a subcontractor must attest to their intent to participate in the project in letter form as part of this application. The letter must be signed by a responsible institutional officer and state the organization’s willingness to comply with the requirements of the research plan, Foundation grant conditions and their capacity to provide the resources and/or personnel specified. (See Section 11 “Letters of Institutional Support.”)

The request for Donaghue Foundation funding must be clearly accounted for in each budget category in the budget request forms that follow. A detailed description of the use of funds must be provided in the Budget Justification narrative. If the proposed project will be supported in part by other funders, use the Budget Justification to list these sources and amounts of funds.

Project costs associated with the use of subcontractors must be itemized in the category labeled Other Expenses on the budget form.

Annual Budget Form. Complete this form showing the funds requested from the Donaghue Foundation according to the breakouts described below for each 12 month period of funding. If consortium agreements or subcontract arrangements are included in the budget, mark the appropriate space on the Application Face Sheet and provide a separate detailed budget for each 12-month period.

Personnel: Requested salaries should be for full- or part-time professionals or technical assistants who are normally paid from the research projects to which they are assigned. Note: percent effort on a project may exceed the percent of total remuneration requested, but percent of total remuneration may not exceed percent effort. Equipment: Requests for items of equipment will be evaluated on their merit in relation to their importance to the project. Supplies: Supplies included in the budget must be required for the conduct of the research project. Travel: Funds to cover the cost of travel required for the research project may be included, as well as up to $1,500 for travel to scientific meetings related to the project. Subject Costs: Include expenses related to subject reimbursement and other clinical and/or project costs related to subject participation in the research. Other Expenses: Use this category to list all other project expenses including those assigned to subcontractors. Itemize all subcontractor costs by category. Indirect: Indirect costs may be requested by the applicant institution, not to exceed 20% of direct costs exclusive of equipment purchases. Collaborators and subcontractor may also include overhead costs, not to exceed 20% of the consortium or subcontractor’s direct costs exclusive of equipment purchases. However, indirect costs may not be claimed by the applicant institution for direct costs which are used in a consortium budget

Total Cost for Proposed Project. Roll up annual costs for each project year.

Budget Justification: Provide a brief and clear explanation of all significant expenses in the budget.

Section 7: Facilities and Physical Environment (form)
List all space, equipment and other institutional facilities available for the completion of the project. If access to facilities or equipment outside the principal investigator’s control is necessary, provide a letter of cooperation following this page in the Application.

Section 8a: Current and Pending Support (form)
List sources of support for the principal investigator and co-investigators. For each listing, include: title of project, status (active, pending, planned, related or unrelated), source of funds, name of proposal’s principal investigator, role of this Application’s principal investigator and percent effort, entire period of support, and direct costs for current year.

Section 8b: Current and Pending Support (narrative)
Provide a summary statement of the specific aims for each project listed as having current or pending support. In cases where there is scientific and/or budgetary overlap, describe what adjustments will be made.

Section 9: Research Ethics Preparation (narrative)
In a brief statement, please provide evidence of the Principal Investigator’s specific education or training in research ethics, with specific attention to:

  1. Protection of human research subjects.
  2. Avoidance of scientific misconduct.
  3. Avoidance of conflicts of interest.

Section 10: Informed Consent of Human Subjects (attach form)
Safeguarding the rights and welfare of human subjects in projects supported under awards from the Donaghue Foundation is of foremost importance and is the sole responsibility of the grantee institution or organization accountable for the funds awarded and administratively responsible for the conduct of the project. For the Application, a draft or approved copy of the form(s) which will be used to obtain informed consent of human subjects must accompany the proposal. A copy of any clinical treatment protocols which will be used in the study must be available on request for review by the Scientific Review Committee.

Section 11: Letters of Institutional Support
These letters must come from the principal investigator’s department or section head that can attest to and monitor the PIs’ work, time commitments and activities. The letter must indicate the principal investigator’s qualifications to independently conduct the proposed research at the sponsoring institution and the level of commitment by the institution to support the researcher. The nature of appointment or other relationship, salary commitment if any, research time and space available, and amount of the researcher’s time to be spent on the project must be explicitly stated.

The researcher’s total time spent and available must not exceed 100%. This letter must make clear the nature of the close and continuous collaborative relationship that exists between the principal investigator and the institution such that the continuity and depth of involvement are clear.

In addition, include letters from funding collaborators and/or subcontractors which describe their support and relationship with the project.

Section 12: Publications (attach)
You may include up to three publications which will assist the Scientific Review Committee in evaluating the principal investigator’s ability to perform the work described. If these are in an electronic format, you must include those on the CD. If the publications are in print, please include one hard copy of each publication submitted.

All material not in compliance with the requirement listed above are ineligible for review.

To be considered, applications must be received in the Donaghue Foundation office by 12:00 Noon on application due dates. For further information on application procedures and forms, please contact Stacy Cloud, Grants Administrator at cloud@donaghue.org

The Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation is an independent charitable foundation governed by the Bank of America and Lynne Garner, Trustees.