FIPSE was unable to accommodate everyone who attempted to register for the Comprehensive Program's FY 2005 regional technical assistance workshops. The following resources, several of which were used at the workshops, are offered to assist applicants in the proposal development process.

FY 2006 Application Guidelines

MS Word (337K) | PDF (134K)

Thorough reading of this document provides the best guidance for proposal development. (Staff at the technical assistance workshops reinforced information presented here.) The guidelines discuss the Comprehensive Program's emphasis on innovation, evaluation, dissemination, and impact. Also presented are the criteria used to evaluate applications and a suggested proposal outline that mirrors the criteria.

Proposal Development Template

MS Word (24K) | PDF (12K)

Applicants who have carefully reviewed the Comprehensive Program Application Guidelines will find this template a helpful tool. It may be used by an individual or preferably by a proposal development team to identify and organize essential components of the proposal narrative.

FY 2004 Project Abstracts

MS Word (118K) | PDF (254K)

Listed are the 50 most recent projects funded by the Comprehensive Program. Copies of these short abstracts were distributed at FIPSE's technical assistance workshops to show the range of subjects on postsecondary education reform supported by the Comprehensive Program. Similar short abstracts are posted on the FIPSE Web site for the FY 2000 competition forward. For more detail see Comprehensive Program abstracts in the FIPSE Grant Database at www.fipse.aed.org.

FIPSE Project Database

The FIPSE Project Database at www.fipse.aed.org contains full-page abstracts for projects funded by FIPSE grant competitions held from 1994 to date, including the Comprehensive Program. It is searchable by grant program, year, subject area, state, institution, and key words.

How to Get a FIPSE Grant

"How to Get a FIPSE Grant" is an older document written by a former FIPSE program officer. It does not offer guidance on proposal writing, but for those unfamiliar with FIPSE, the information provided about how the FIPSE staff works with prospective applicants and grantees is still current.

Review of the FIPSE Comprehensive Program 2004

MS Word (291K) | PDF (415K)

The U. S. Department of Education's Policy and Program Studies Service (PPSS) completed this review of the Comprehensive Program in 2004. The document may be helpful to potential applicants. Emphasized are characteristics of effective Comprehensive Program projects. These characteristics are responsiveness to local concerns related to issues at the national level, institutionalization of project initiatives, evaluation and subsequent dissemination of reforms, and evidence of project impact in other settings.

Sample Proposals

Sample proposals were used at FIPSE's technical assistance workshop, but none is posted here. Applicants requesting sample proposals are generally seeking exemplars, i.e., "examples" that will offer guidance in preparing a proposal for submission. The samples critiqued at the workshops were presented to illustrate both weaknesses and strengths. Without such discussion, sample proposals rarely offer reliable guidance for proposal development. The best guidance for writing a competitive proposal will be found in the Comprehensive Program's Application Guidelines, other resources posted on this Web site, and consultation with the FIPSE staff.

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