After submitting your Full Proposal, the Program Staff Review and receipt of our Request for More Information, external expert reviewers may be invited to provide the Foundation with their professional opinion on the merits of the proposal. This step in the process generally takes four weeks to complete.

EXPERT REVIEW Steps 10 thru 13

  1. Proposal sent to expert reviewers.
    Expert reviewers are individuals suggested by the principal investigator or organization submitting the proposal (these names are required as part of submitting a complete proposal), as well as individuals the Foundation has identified as having expertise in the subject matter outlined in the proposal, in research methodology, or in strategy and evaluation. The John Templeton Foundation takes every precaution to ensure that these reviews are kept strictly confidential. The information, suggestions, ideas, questions, and concerns raised by expert reviewers enable the Foundation to understand more accurately the strengths and weaknesses of a proposed project.

  2. All expert reviews received by the Foundation.
    The program staff analyzes the comments submitted by the expert reviewers. The Foundation takes very seriously the comments and recommendations generated by the expert reviewers. It is rare that a proposal is funded when our expert reviewers suggest that the proposed project is not cost-effective or worthy of the Foundation's support.

  3. A Bounce Letter is sent to Applicant.
    When a proposal has been identified as having merit, but the reviewers note some concerns, a "bounce letter" is sent to the applicant that lists these concerns and requests that the applicant respond in detail to each highlighted item. Applicants who receive a "bounce letter” are encouraged to contact the program staff with any questions they might have.

  4. Applicant's response forwarded to the Foundation
    The Foundation must receive an applicant’s response to a “bounce letter” within a three-week period or no later than May 8, 2009. Failure to respond to the Foundation’s request may result in a proposal being declined or a significant delay in the Foundation’s funding decision. We encourage all applicants to respond to a request for more information as soon as possible
Submitting a Proposal