Lessons Learned

The following list includes specific, practical lessons learned from the first iteration of FOSSProF at Johns Hopkins University. Institutional contexts will differ, so playbook users are encouraged to adapt the lessons learned as needed and document new lessons as FOSSProF is executed.

Make sure to allow enough time for each phase of the program. Get finance (and/or other departments you will depend on) early on to fully understand how much time they’ll need for each element of the plan.
Provide instructions for grantees on how to spend their grant money - are there specific budget codes, how do reimbursements work, etc. Potentially hold an information session with finance or HR to answer any questions. Students and new faculty especially may not be familiar with all the processes.
The initial iteration of FOSSProF had a rolling deadline for proposals, this led to some folks reaching out early on and then not submitting a proposal once a final deadline was added. It’s better to set the schedule in advance and let everyone know.
Be sure to provide a budget template and require budget numbers with each proposal.
Clarify in the budget section of the proposal guidelines what types of line items are not allowed (e.g. tuition reimbursement).
Clarify with grantees how they should / should not account for overhead in their budgets. Make sure accounting systems and budget updates are accounting for overhead.
Send all proposal materials to reviewers at once instead of as they’re received.
Ask for project background information with proposals so reviewers don’t have to search for it, e.g. project website, GitHub repositories, articles.
Ensure proposal forms include questions about how grantees plan to sustain the project in the longer term.