Institutional Funding & Proposal Development Series™
Foundations Pathway (Modules 1-6)
6 Modules | 6 Contact Hours | Certificate Awarded | 90-Day Access
Strengthen Institutional Financial Stewardship and Award Management
The Institutional Funding & Proposal Development Series™ prepares professionals to develop, evaluate, and manage funding opportunities through proposal planning, financial analysis, award interpretation, risk assessment, and stewardship decision-making across the research funding lifecycle.
This pathway provides a structured introduction to the governance, oversight, documentation, and stewardship practices that support responsible management of sponsored funding. Learners examine award requirements, financial decision-making, subrecipient accountability, compliance controls, and closeout responsibilities that strengthen institutional effectiveness, reduce risk, and support long-term research success.
Designed for research administrators, sponsored programs professionals, research finance staff, compliance professionals, departmental administrators, and institutional leaders, this pathway emphasizes practical application, professional accountability, and real-world institutional relevance.
Grounded in the CODE™ Standard
The CODE™ Standard is the Purple Sheep Institute™s instructional framework for developing competent, accountable research professionals. This pathway applies the principles of Competence, Oversight, Documentation, and Execution through funding administration, stewardship, compliance, governance, and institutional accountability activities.
What You’ll Learn
Upon successful completion, learners will be able to:
- Interpret award terms, sponsor requirements, and institutional obligations associated with sponsored funding.
- Apply financial stewardship principles that support responsible management of sponsored projects across the award lifecycle.
- Evaluate allowability, allocability, reasonableness, and financial risk considerations.
- Strengthen subrecipient oversight, monitoring, and accountability practices.
- Improve documentation systems, internal controls, and audit readiness processes.
- Support compliant award management, closeout activities, and institutional risk mitigation efforts.
Included Modules
Module 1
Award Interpretation & Institutional Obligation Analysis
Examine award notices, sponsor requirements, terms and conditions, and institutional responsibilities associated with sponsored funding.
Module 2
Financial Stewardship Systems in Sponsored Programs
Explore accountability structures, financial monitoring practices, stewardship responsibilities, and institutional oversight mechanisms that support responsible award administration.
Module 3
Cost Allowability, Allocability & Financial Judgment
Develop disciplined approaches for evaluating costs, applying cost principles, and supporting defensible financial decision-making.
Module 4
Subrecipient Governance & Third-Party Accountability
Review monitoring expectations, oversight responsibilities, risk considerations, and documentation requirements for subrecipient relationships.
Module 5
Documentation Systems & Financial Compliance Controls
Strengthen documentation practices, internal controls, audit readiness processes, and financial compliance systems that support institutional accountability.
Module 6
Award Closeout Governance & Institutional Exposure
Analyze closeout responsibilities, reporting requirements, reconciliation activities, and institutional risk considerations associated with sponsored awards.
Who Should Enroll
- Research Administrators
- Sponsored Programs Professionals
- Pre-Award Professionals
- Post-Award Professionals
- Research Finance Staff
- Compliance Professionals
- Departmental Administrators
- Research Leaders
Credential Alignment & Professional Development
This pathway supports continuing education and professional development aligned with:
- Certified Research Administrator (CRA)
- Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA)
- Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA)
- SOCRA Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) Domains
- Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) Competencies
- Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Principles
Learners remain responsible for determining how earned contact hours apply toward certification renewal, licensure, recertification, or professional development requirements.
CODE™ Alignment
Competence
Financial judgment, award interpretation, and stewardship decision-making.
Oversight
Subrecipient monitoring, accountability structures, and governance responsibilities.
Documentation
Records management, compliance controls, and audit readiness.
Execution
Award administration, closeout activities, and institutional risk mitigation.
Completion Information
Contact Hours: 6
Certificate: Awarded Upon Successful Completion
Access Period: 90 Days
Course completion does not remove access during the enrollment period. Certificates remain available throughout the active access period.
Continue Your Learning Journey
Advance to Modules 7-12 and explore funding strategy, proposal infrastructure, institutional review systems, funding risk assessment, sponsor readiness, funding analytics, executive decision support, and sustainable funding governance practices that strengthen an institution’s ability to compete for, secure, and responsibly manage sponsored funding.
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The Institutional Funding & Proposal Development Series offers a refreshing and thoughtfully designed approach to continuing education in research administration. Unlike many traditional training programs that focus primarily on passive information delivery, this series integrates practical application with real institutional workflows and pre-award responsibilities.
As someone working in research administration, I appreciated how closely the content aligned with the realities of proposal development, compliance, documentation, and institutional coordination. The modules were well organized, easy to follow, and structured in a way that reinforced both foundational knowledge and real-world application.
The combination of video instruction, written materials, and applied learning activities created a more engaging and meaningful learning experience than standard compliance-style training formats. I especially found value in the emphasis on practical implementation rather than theory alone.
This series would serve as an excellent onboarding and professional development resource for research administration teams looking to strengthen institutional knowledge and support consistent pre-award practices.