STARTALK Proposals - Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question that is not addressed here, please email us at startalk@nflc.org.

Changes
1. 2010
  1. What happened to the Organization Form?
  2. Multiple insurance documents
Overview
1. Proposal Structure and Requirements
Using the Online Application
Other Common Questions

Changes

2010

What happened to the Organization Form?

The organization form has been removed. Some fields have been moved to the program form (organization name, institution type, and website), some to the budget form (DUNS number and CCR) and some have been removed entirely (the organization address, phone, and fax).

Multiple insurance documents

You are now able to upload more than 1 insurance document.

Overview

Proposal Structure and Requirements

How do I know if I am eligible to apply?

For a detailed explanation of the eligibility, criteria, and priorities for proposals, please see the program eligibility document.

What is the deadline for proposal submission?

You may submit a proposal up through 11:59pm (your local time) on November 5, 2009. No proposals will be accepted after that time.

What are the types of proposals?

Independent Proposal

A standalone student or teacher program with its own budget.

Combination Proposal

A combined student-teacher program with a single budget.

Collaborative Proposal

A student or teacher program with its own budget, but one where you plan on collaborating closely with one or more STARTALK programs.

If you select this type of proposal, you will be asked to write a cost sharing effects addendum to your budget explaining how your plans for collaboration will allow you to share costs with your collaborator(s) and reduce your individual budgets.

What goes into a proposal?

A STARTALK proposal is made up of several components called forms. These forms are:

Program Form

This form contains contact information about the personnel in your program, your target participants, and the site locations and dates for your program.

If you submit an independent or a collaborative proposal, you will only need to fill out one program form. However, if you submit a combination proposal, you will need to fill out two program forms: one for your student program and one for your teacher program.

Narrative Form

This form contains a series of narrative topics which allow you to describe in more detail certain aspects of your proposed program.

If you submit an independent or a collaborative proposal, you will only need to fill out one narrative form. However, if you submit a combination proposal, you will need to fill out two narrative forms: one for your student program and one for your teacher program.

Budget Form

This form is the proposed budget for your program.

Please note: In addition to filling out your budget online, you are required to submit a signed copy of the PDF generated from this form.

Insurance Form

This form is where you will upload 1 or more insurance documents. For a description of the sort of documents you will need to upload, see what documents we are asking you to provide.

Here is a graphic representation of the parts of a STARTALK proposal:

What is the overall proposal submission process?

Creating a new proposal

If you do not have an account, create a new account.
If you already have an account, log in.
Click the “Create a new proposal” link at the top of the Proposals Home screen.
Choose a proposal type.
If you chose an independent or collaborative proposal, indicate whether you will be offering a student program or a teacher program.
Fill in a descriptive nickname for your proposal, if you want. This nickname is never published, and is for your convenience only.
Click the “Create proposal” button at the bottom of the screen. The system will create a new proposal document and return you to the Proposals Home screen. Your new proposal should now be listed there.

Filling out your proposal

Once you have created a proposal, you must fill out all of the forms for that proposal. The forms are listed in the “Forms” column on the Proposals Home screen.

You may edit and save each form as many times as you need to before you submit your proposal.

For each Program, Narrative, and Budget Forms:
1. Fill out the form. Each of these forms has multiple pages. Use the tabs at the top of the form or the “Previous/Next Page” buttons to move through the pages.
2. Click the “Check for errors” button to see if what you have entered so far has any errors. If there are errors, will appear next to the “Check for errors” button, and the invalid or missing fields on the form will be highlighted. If there are no errors on the current form, will appear instead. Correct any errors.
3. Click the “Save” button to save the form that you are on. This will not move you away from your current location in the form.
4. You may return to the Proposals Home at any point while you are filling out the form.
For the Insurance Form:
1. Choose a PDF file to upload and click the “Upload” button.
2. After the file has been uploaded, it will appear in the “Current Insurance Documents” table at the top of the Insurance Form
3. To remove a file you have already upload, click the ”Delete” button next to the name of the file you wish to remove.
4. To overwrite a file you have already uploaded, simply upload a new file with the same filename as the file you wish to overwrite.

How do I know if my proposal is ready to be submitted?

On each form, you may click “Check proposal” to view a short error report on the entire proposal. You may also click the “Check proposal” button on the Proposals Home screen to check the status of the proposal. In that case, you can click on the or that appears next to the “Check Proposal” button to view the error report for that proposal.

Submitting your proposal

On the Proposals Home screen, click “Submit”. If there are no errors, this will take you to a preview screen, where you will have a chance to view and confirm that all the information that you have provided is correct.
Once you are satisfied with your proposal, click “Submit this proposal” on the preview screen. This step is final; you will not be able to make changes to your proposal after this!
After you submit your proposal online, you must also submit a signed copy of your budget.

Please note that this process does not have to be completed all at once. At any stage of the process before submitting, you may save your changes, log out, log back in later, and return to your saved proposal.

After you submit your proposal, you will not be able to make any changes to it. Therefore, please carefully review your proposal before you submit it. However, you will still be able to view and download PDF copies of your proposal (containing the information from the Program and Narrative Forms) and your budget.

Here are some flowcharts of this process:

Can I save an unfinished proposal?

Yes, at any stage of the process before submitting, you may save your changes, log out, log back in later, and return to your saved proposal.

Can I delete a proposal?

You may delete a proposal that you have not yet submitted. Please note, though, that once you delete a proposal, there is no way to get it back.

Can I incorporate STARTALK programs with other summer language programs that are funded by another source?

This is possible, but the budget must clearly specify what portions of the program would be funded by STARTALK. In determining the cost per participant, only those students funded by STARTALK can be used in the calculation.

Where can I go for additional help?

For questions about using the Proposals Application website, please contact STARTALK Support via email at startalk-support@nflc.org. For general inquiries about STARTALK, please contact us via email at startalk@nflc.org.

Using the Online Application

User Accounts

I forgot my password. How do I get a new one?

Go to the Password Reset page and supply the email address you used to create your account. A new random password will be sent to that email address.

Why do I need to set my timezone?

This is so that we can display the last modified time of your proposal using your local time, and more importantly, so that the deadline for submitting a proposal is 11:59pm in your local time.

Text and Word Counts

How are the word counts calculated? Your application is telling me a different number than Microsoft Word is.

This application uses a very simple method for counting words: it just splits the text on spaces, and counts how many pieces that is.

Are word limits per field or per proposal?

On the program form, each bio field has an individual word limit of 200 words.

Each narrative form has a combined word limit of 3800 words. There is no word limit on each individual narrative question.

Will I be allowed to submit a proposal with responses over the stated word limits?

No. While there is no hard limit preventing you from typing more than the stated number of words into the narrative or bio text fields, you will not be permitted to submit your proposal if the word count for any of those fields exceeds the stated limit. At any time, you can click the “Check for errors” button to see which fields are over the stated word count.

I copied and pasted some text from Microsoft Word, and now there are a bunch of gibberish characters on the form. What happened?

This is a known issue with copying and pasting from some Microsoft Word documents. The gibberish characters are extraneous formatting information that has been accidentally copied along with the text. To stop these characters from appearing, you can try saving the document you are copying from as Plain text or RTF. Then close and reopen the document before copying and pasting from it.

Checking for Errors

For fields highlighted red when I click “Check for errors”, how do I know what is wrong with them?

Every invalid field highlighted in red has a tooltip that will tell you what needs to be fixed in that field. Just hover your mouse over the field and the tooltip will appear.

Program Form

What is the difference between the Published Organization Name and the Program Title?

Published Organization Name: This is the name of the primary organization or institution submitting the proposal for a STARTALK award; in most cases it will be the organization with fiscal responsibility.
Program Title: This is the descriptive title of the proposed program. Please include the word “STARTALK” in this title.

What counts as the “same program” across multiple years?

As long as your program has the same participant type (student or teacher), language(s), and is run by the same organization or institution, it will count as the same program across multiple years. Changes to target grade or proficiency levels to a student program do not make this year a different program. If, however, you add or remove a language, this year's program is NOT the same as last year's, and should not be counted as a prior STARTALK program.

What if I have more than one Instructional Lead?

You should only have one instructional lead per target language. If, however, you do offer more than one target language, and you do have more than one instructional lead, you should list one of them in the “Instructional Lead” section on the “Other Key Personnel” page of the Program Form, and list all additional leads under the “Other Personnel” section on that same page. You should select “instructional lead” from the Role dropdown for each of those additional leads.

What should I put in the bios?

Provide information about the educational backgrounds and relevant experience for the key personnel. We are not requesting résumés or CVs; however, if you feel it necessary to provide one, include a URL here to a website with the relevant résumés and/or CVs.

Do I need to attach their résumés for the Program Director, Instructional Lead, or any other personnel?

No, the brief bio of the personnel will suffice. If you want to include résumés, list the link where they can be viewed on a website.

What if I don't know the projected enrollment numbers for my program?

This is simply a realistic estimate. We realize your actual enrollment numbers may be different from what you provide on this form.

What if I don't know the expected proficiency level of my students?

Just provide your best estimate at this time.

What counts as instructional time?

Student programs: For day programs, instructional time includes all of the hours that students are in attendance. This includes lunch and other planned breaks since it is assumed that those times are also used for language and culture activities. For residential programs, instructional time also includes the hours for supervised evening and weekend activities that relate to the instructional goals of the program. The expectation is that students in residential programs are normally engaged in organized instructional activities.
Teacher programs: Instructional time includes all required activities whether they occur during the day, in the evening or on weekends.

Does the total number of days mean teaching days only, or does this include non-teaching days (e.g., Saturdays and Sundays)

The total is for teaching days only. If your program is not in session on Saturday and Sunday, do not count those days.

We have not yet hired a STARTALK Program Director. Can we put the name of one of our academic directors? Will we be able to change this once the grant is awarded?

The qualifications of the Program Director are a critical factor in the proposal review process. Changes in key personnel are strongly discouraged.

Narrative Form

What goes in the Executive Summary?

This is essentially an argument to support reviewers' recommendations for funding your program and should include the main ideas from the narrative section of the proposal. After reading your executive summary, proposal reviewers should be able to accurately describe and explain features of your program. Written in clear, concise language, it should leave no doubts about the who, what, when, where, how and why of your program. You will probably want to return to this section after you have completed the narrative section of the proposal; though, writing a draft of the executive summary may help frame the narratives.

At a minimum, the executive summary should touch on the following:

Program Rationale
Targeted Population
Major Goals and Key Personnel
Implementation – Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
Professional Development
Proposed Schedule
Outreach Efforts
Budget Considerations

What do you mean by “Explain the process that will be used to develop the more detailed required curriculum template documents?”

STARTALK is looking for information on who will be involved in preparing these documents and what resources you will bring to the process. Please explain how your budget will address the time required for development of this document, whether one person will develop the template with input from others, and if the template will be developed as part of a training program.

Can I view any sample curricula from past years?

Yes. The STARTALK website has sample 2009 curricula available for you to view or download.

Budget Form

What is a DUNS number?

The Data Universal Numbering System is a nine-digit number issued by Dun & Bradstreet required by the Federal Government for all grant applicants for new or renewal awards. There is no charge to obtain a DUNS number. However the wait can be as long as 30 days when obtaining a DUNS number online.

Apply for a DUNS number online

What is a CCR CAGE Code?

The Central Contractor Registration is the primary supplier database for the U.S. Federal government. The CCR collects data from suppliers, validates and stores this data, and disseminates it to various government acquisition agencies. A centralized, electronic registration process known as CCR is the single point of entry for vendors that want to do business with the Department of Defense.

Central Contractor Registration website

For your STARTALK proposal, we are asking for your organization or institution's CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) Code. The CAGE Code is a 5-character alphanumeric unique identifier assigned by the Department of Defense. It is assigned to you once you are registered with the CCR.

If you have received a STARTALK award in a past year, your organization or institution already has a CAGE Code. Please check with your institution's sponsored research office if you do not know what your CAGE Code is.

Budget Worksheet

The budget form contains a worksheet for creating your budget. As you insert numbers the totals will be calculated automatically. If you find that the line items in the worksheet don’t match yours, you may delete those and add lines that you label to match your budget.

You must provide a number in the quantity column for each line item. For bulk items, like Office Expenses, enter the number 1 for the quantity and the total amount in the Amount column. You make corrections to items the same way you would in a word processing or spreadsheet document, using the Backspace or Delete key on your keyboard. The Remove button on the worksheet is for removing a whole line item, not the amounts you have entered. Make corrections in the quantity and amount columns. The Line Total amounts will be automatically adjusted when you make those changes.

In the Explanation column, provide information about how you derived the amounts listed. The Program Director's salary, for example, might state “Standard university faculty rate, 100 hrs @ $xx”.

Submitting a signed budget

In addition to submitting your budget online, you will need to submit a signed copy of the entire budget (please do not submit just the last page). On the Proposals Home page, click on the Budget PDF under View & Download. Print out the PDF document, sign it, and either scan and email the signed copy to startalk@nflc.org, fax it to STARTALK at (301) 405-9829, or mail it to the following address:

STARTALK
The National Foreign Language Center
University of Maryland
Mail Services Building #343
P.O. Box 93
College Park, MD 20742

You must provide the signed copy of the entire budget by the proposal submission deadline (November 5, 2009). (For those of you who are mailing the signed budget, it must be postmarked by then.)

Insurance Form

What sort of insurance documentation do I need to provide?

We require a certificate of liability insurance that reflects coverage of the facilities where the course sessions will be held and, for residential programs, where participants will reside.

How do I get my insurance documentation into a PDF document?

You may be able to get the necessary documentation in PDF format directly from your institution or insurance company's website. If, however, you only have a paper copy of the documentation, there are a couple of options:

If you have access to a scanner, you can scan the document and save it as a PDF. Many scanners also come with a “Scan to PDF” button on them that can simplify this process.
If you do not have access to a scanner, you can take the paper documents to a copy center and scan them there.

Other Common Questions

Eligibility

Are non-profit organizations eligible to apply for STARTALK funding?

Yes.

Are state departments of education eligible to apply?

Yes.

Are for-profit organizations eligible to apply?

Yes.

Level of Funding

What is the level of funding from a STARTALK award?

Award amounts will vary, but will not exceed $100,000. In all cases, a reasonable cost per participant will be the determining factor.

Our institution plans to offer both Chinese and Arabic student programs. Should we submit one or two proposals?

That is entirely up to your institution. Again, remember the criteria:reasonable cost per participant.

What is the cap of funding for a single institution, i.e. for all proposals?

Although there is a cap of $100,000 on each proposal, there is no official cap on the number of proposals per institution. Given the level of competition anticipated this year, additional factors will be considered when making awards: language, number of participants served, program type, number of STARTALK programs in one geographical area, etc.

Does that $100,000 limit apply if an applicant is submitting a combined proposal and therefore is proposing to establish two programs (one for students, and one for teachers)?

Yes, the $100,000 limit includes both programs on a combination proposal.

What is a reasonable cost per participant?

There are several variables that determine reasonableness of cost: for example, residential versus day program; duration of program; hours of instruction; credit versus non-credit bearing program.

What is the indirect cost (IDC) or facilities and administrative (F&A) cost rate for STARTALK?

STARTALK does not have a prescribed rate. Most past programs submitted IDC rates around 10%. Given the nature of the program, most awardees were able to negotiate these rates with their home institutions.

Program Planning

Criteria and Priorities

What is meant by expansion or enhancement of an existing program?

One example is the use of STARTALK funds to support tuition and travel costs for students who would not otherwise be able to participate in the program. Enhancing a teacher training program by adding a second teacher trainer and a videographer to improve micro-teaching experiences is an example for teacher programs. Other examples include extending the duration of an existing program, increasing the number of participants, or providing better quality instructional materials.

What do you mean by the three modes of communication?

The three modes as defined by the national standards are interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational.

This year Startalk encouraged us to include ongoing support during the academic school year for our summer participants. Should that component be eliminated from our proposal for 2010 based on the following statement in your email below, “funding for programs that occur primarily in the summer”?

No, as stated in the Eligibility, Criteria, and Priorities document, priority will be given to programs that provide “the opportunity for students to continue to develop language proficiency after the summer by enrolling in programs during the academic year, whether via face-to-face instruction or distance learning; (The applicant is not required to be the responsible party for offering the follow-up experiences.)”

STARTALK Central Support

What kind of consultation and training will be provided for institutions selected to run 2010 programs?

STARTALK Central will provide web-based modules on developing a STARTALK curriculum using the prescribed template and offer a 2-day workshop devoted to the criteria that will be used to monitor program effectiveness. In addition, STARTALK staff will work closely with each program to ensure that curricula, materials, and instructional strategies are in place before the program begins. Site visits will be made to each program, and a mentoring plan will be developed, if necessary. There is also the possibility of a second site visit. Based on the objectives and expected outcomes of the program, STARTALK staff will work with you to determine appropriate assessment strategies.

Will STARTALK Central market the summer language programs and recruit students, or is this the responsibility of the host institution?

Marketing and recruiting are the responsibility of the host institution. In the case of residential programs, STARTALK Central will act as an enrollment clearinghouse, directing interested participants to programs that are not fully enrolled.

Other

Will STARTALK support study abroad programs?

No. STARTALK funds are for summer language programs for students (grades K–16) and professional development opportunities for teachers within the US.

Can we submit plans for more than one year?

No. Awards will be made for only one year.

What is the minimum number of students that are required to be served through this program?

There is no minimum number, but implementing a program for fewer than 10 students is not cost-effective. Typically, past programs have projected at least 20 participants.

Is there a minimum number of weeks for a program?

It depends on the nature of the program you are proposing: the objectives and the expected outcomes. Some programs may provide an orientation to language and culture; others, an overview; others may offer credit. Using past programs as a guide, all programs were two weeks or longer.

Is a Program Director allowed to be both a director and an instructor with the condition that strong administrative support is available?

STARTALK does not specify who should serve in what role, but experience has shown that it is challenging for a single person to serve as both the Program Director and the Instructional Lead or an instructor, due to the intensive nature of STARTALK programs.

When will award notifications be made?

STARTALK expects to notify applicants in early January 2010.

Program Activities

What kind of extracurricular activities should we plan for?

Give careful thought to planning field trips and try to get student input. Survey results from past years have often shown a disconnect between activities planned for the students and what students actually found interesting and motivating. For example, trips to ethnic restaurants or shopping areas were not perceived to be particularly valuable by students.

We are planning to offer a day program but have had requests to provide housing for students who need it. Is reimbursement of this expense allowed?

If you submit a proposal for a day program, lodging for students should not be a part of your budget. Aside from the fact that it would increase the cost per participant as compared to other day programs, there are safety and liability issues involved. Students willing to travel to a language program should consider applying to one of the residential programs.

Can I plan for follow-up activities after summer instruction has ended?

Yes, as long as it is a follow-up activity for your 2010 program, and involves the same instructors and/or participants from that program.

Budget

Should we budget for travel to pre- and post-program awardee meetings?

Yes, all travel is the responsibility of each individual program. In 2010, the awardee meetings will both be held in Atlanta, GA.

What staffing levels should we plan for?

Overall, program directors from past years felt that they had not planned adequately for administrative support: recruitment, making copies, arranging for field trips, maintaining student lists, etc. One should carefully consider these tasks, the support that currently exists, if any, and budget accordingly.

Who is the authorized financial officer who must sign the budget?

The person who has authority to sign on behalf of your institution. In some schools, the person resides in the department, while in others it is at the vice president level. We are looking for institutional commitment to carry out the tasks proposed for the amount requested.

How much should we budget for the pre- and post-program awardee meetings?

We will conduct two meetings, one in the spring and one in the fall, each lasting two days. In 2010, these meetings will both be held in Atlanta, GA. When budgeting for these meetings, you should consider travel (air, train, etc.), hotel, per diem and ground transportation.

More information is available on our website for the pre-program and post-program awardee meetings. Please check those links regularly for up-to-date information about meeting dates, locations, schedules, etc.

Can I budget for activies or supplies that I will need during the school year?

No. Your budget is for planned STARTALK activities only.

Can I budget for my teacher participants to attend conferences or other professional development?

Yes. This includes conferences or professional development that occurs after summer instruction, as long as it is a follow-up activity to that summer instruction, and not for anticipated future programs.

If money allocated under a specific line item is not spent on that item, can I reallocate those funds?

Yes, as long as those funds are allocated within the same grant, and therefore the same budget. Even if your institution recevies more than one award, funds may not be transferred between awards.

Does STARTALK award cover the salary or partial salary of the program director as well as involved instructors in addition to support tuition and instructional costs for students?

Yes, staff salaries may be included in your program budget. In fact, these are included as sample line items in the budget worksheet in the online proposal.

Are budgets for STARTALK grants typically 6 months or a year long?

The period of performance will begin once a contract is signed and most likely extend through February 28, 2010.

If you have a question that is not addressed here, please email us at startalk@nflc.org.

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