What is ARRA?

ARRA stands for the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009," otherwise known as the "Stimulus Package." The ARRA provides more than $787 Billion for a variety of programs designed to facilitate recovery from the current economic situation. ARRA will provide approximately $21 Billion for federal research and development activities.  $1.42 billion will go to North Carolina via the State Stabilization Fund.

How will the ARRA work?

Now that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is signed into law, the next step is for federal agencies like the Department of Energy, Department of Education and others to decide how the money will be spent. The State of North Carolina will also receive money from the State Stabilization Fund and is currently developing a plan for allocating the funds.

Is this “free money”?

No, in order to receive ARRA funding for research and development, PIs must submit grant applications just like they do now for all federal grants. Reporting requirements, both fiscal and programmatic, will be at an unprecedented level. Agencies have not yet flowed reporting requirements down to recipients, but both PIs and universities will have additional reporting requirements, and mandatory quarterly reports for progress, job creation, and spending is a given.

What kind of proposals should be competitive?

Proposals need to address either job creation or economic development. Proposals must reach beyond the University alone and have a larger local, regional or statewide impact. Please refrain from asking for buildings and focus more on applied research.

Is ASU selecting proposals to go forward?

Since we do not know what kind of funds will be available yet, ASU is not limiting proposals to go forward for ARRA funds. We are asking for brief, one-page summaries that will be used to determine if they could qualify for funding as the announcements are released. All funding opportunities are being organized by Dr. Pollyanne Frantz from the Office of Research and Sponsored programs. If funding is available for which you want to apply, the proposal must be submitted via Susan McCracken, Director if Sponsored Programs.

I saw a call for “federal agenda” items, is this the same as the call for ARRA proposals?

No. Once a year, ASU puts out a call for proposals for projects that are looking for funding through the federal appropriations process. Projects for ARRA funds are completely separate, though projects for ARRA can later be developed for the federal agenda, competitive grants, or corporate and foundation relations.  As ARRA funding opportunities become available they will be posted at Grants.gov .

Where can I get more information?

There are a number of sites devoted to the ARRA, including www.recovery.gov and UNC's Recovery and Reinvestment Summary Documents.

If you have other questions, they can be directed to:

Dr. Pollyanne Frantz
Director of Proposal Development
262-7789
frantzps@appstate.edu

Susan McCracken
Director of Sponsored Programs
262-3066
mccrackensd@appstate.edu

Meredith Curcio
Special Asst. for Federal Relations
262-7636
mc18778@appstate.edu