Grant Writing Ethics 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following scenarios represents an appropriate use of indirect costs in a federally funded grant?
- Charging indirect costs at a rate higher than the organization's negotiated rate
- Applying the federally negotiated indirect cost rate as specified in the award (Correct answer)
- Using indirect funds to cover direct program staff salaries
- Waiving indirect costs to appear more cost-effective without funder knowledge
Correct answer: Applying the federally negotiated indirect cost rate as specified in the award
The federally negotiated indirect cost rate must be applied as specified; exceeding it or misapplying it is a compliance and ethics violation.
Question 2: A grant writer learns that her organization did not complete required community needs assessment before submitting an application that claimed it had been done. This is an example of:
- Adaptive grant management
- Material misrepresentation in a grant application (Correct answer)
- Allowable pre-award activity
- Program evaluation error
Correct answer: Material misrepresentation in a grant application
Claiming a required assessment was completed when it was not is material misrepresentation, which can constitute fraud.
Question 3: When a private foundation requires grantees to use its logo on all program materials, what ethical consideration should the grant writer raise with organizational leadership?
- Whether the logo violates trademark law
- Whether prominent funder branding may compromise the organization's independence or client relationships (Correct answer)
- Whether the logo design matches the organization's branding standards
- Whether the foundation will charge a licensing fee
Correct answer: Whether prominent funder branding may compromise the organization's independence or client relationships
Mandatory funder branding can signal undue influence over organizational activities and may affect client trust or independence.
Question 4: A nonprofit's grant writer is also a voting board member. When the board votes to approve a grant application she wrote, what ethical practice should occur?
- She should vote yes to demonstrate confidence in her own work
- She should recuse herself from the vote to avoid a conflict of interest (Correct answer)
- She should present the application and then vote
- No special action is needed since board members write many documents
Correct answer: She should recuse herself from the vote to avoid a conflict of interest
A board member who authored the grant application has a conflict of interest and should recuse herself from the approval vote.
Question 5: What is the ethical responsibility of a grant writer when she disagrees with her organization's decision to apply for a grant she believes misrepresents their capacity?
- Write the proposal as directed without raising concerns
- Raise her concerns in writing to leadership before proceeding (Correct answer)
- Secretly contact the funder to share her concerns
- Resign immediately without discussing the issue
Correct answer: Raise her concerns in writing to leadership before proceeding
Ethical grant writers must document and formally raise concerns about misrepresentation before proceeding, giving leadership the opportunity to address the issue.
Question 6: A grant writer finds a competitor's successful proposal posted online and wants to use sections of it verbatim in a new application. This practice is:
- Acceptable if the funder is different
- Plagiarism that violates professional ethics regardless of funder (Correct answer)
- Allowable for boilerplate sections only
- Permitted with minor word changes to avoid detection
Correct answer: Plagiarism that violates professional ethics regardless of funder
Copying another organization's proposal without permission or attribution is plagiarism and violates professional ethics regardless of the funder.
Question 7: Which of the following grant writer behaviors exemplifies the ethical principle of 'accuracy in representation'?
- Rounding up all statistics to make the need appear greater
- Using pilot program data carefully qualified with appropriate limitations (Correct answer)
- Omitting data points that weaken the case for funding
- Citing unpublished internal surveys as peer-reviewed research
Correct answer: Using pilot program data carefully qualified with appropriate limitations
Presenting pilot data with appropriate caveats about its limitations is an example of accurate, transparent representation of evidence.
Grant Writing Ethics 5
Which of the following scenarios represents an appropriate use of indirect costs in a federally funded grant?