Pre-Award and Contract Services assists College faculty and staff in proposal preparation including the initial grant award process. This begins with searching for funding opportunities, enrolling faculty in e-mail alert services (SMARTS), and interpretation of Requests for Proposals. Supportive proposal preparation services include liaison activities among groups of faculty and/or outside agencies and community representatives; editing narrative; budget preparation; and proper completion of governmental forms. Expertise and guidance in electronic proposal submission is also provided.

As part of outreach to the campus,  periodic presentations are offered to faculty, staff and students on a variety of grant writing topics. These include orientation for new faculty, hands-on training in electronic submission systems (i.e., National Science Foundation's FastLane), and "Introduction to Grant Writing" for specific groups ranging from undergraduate students to faculty and administrators.

If a sponsor is considering funding a proposal, the Pre-Award and Contract Services department participates in negotiating the award budget and terms, including preparation of contractual documents. It is this office's responsibility to accept award conditions, as well as obtain proper signatory approvals.

A 1977 agreement between the State University of New York and the Research Foundation defines the type of programs which must be administered by the Research Foundation. Specifically it states that all formal applications to donors and sponsors seeking support of research and research-related programs, training programs and technical assistance activities must be submitted through the Research Foundation. This specifically includes all federal and state applications.