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How to Write a Winning How to Write a Winning Grant ProposalGrant Proposal
C. Dianne MartinAssociate Vice President
Graduate Studies and Academic Affairs
Seminar Series:Academic Success and Professional Development
Getting Started - ATTITUDE!Getting Started - ATTITUDE!Getting Started - ATTITUDE!Getting Started - ATTITUDE!
• A good proposal has “attitude”• Don’t assume the reader will grasp
the significance of your idea• Give context, explain fully,
convince the reader you know what you are doing.
• Marketing yourself and your idea
• A good proposal has “attitude”• Don’t assume the reader will grasp
the significance of your idea• Give context, explain fully,
convince the reader you know what you are doing.
• Marketing yourself and your idea
Type of ProposalType of Proposal
Target Organization
IndividualTeamGroup
Program Project
Research or Education
Next, What do You Want?Next, What do You Want?
Defining the ProjectDefining the Project
• Choose a problem/idea you wish to pursue• Survey the literature• Contact established investigators in the
area• Prepare a brief concept paper• Discuss your idea with others• Get started on the project
Your Proposal Should Answer Your Proposal Should Answer These QuestionsThese Questions
• What are you going to do?• Why is this important?• What is your unique contribution?• Is it feasible?• Why are you the best person to do it?• What are others doing in this area?• How will you do it?• How will you evaluate your results?• How will you disseminate your results?
Proposal Writing HintsProposal Writing Hints• Present your ideas clearly and succinctly• Present the main thrust of the project at the beginning - don’t
bury your lead!• Use a concise writing style• Show relevance with specific examples• Organize to permit skimming - use headings• Add a timeline with specific deliverables• Include a bibliography of related work• Have someone else read it before submitting
Remember that you are selling an idea to the REVIEWERS and the FUNDER
Attributes of a GOOD ProposalAttributes of a GOOD Proposal• Innovative• Comprehensive - understands all issues• Experience - has expertise to do it• Preparation - clear you know funding
requirements and related work• Cooperation - done “with” not “to” target
group• Beneficiaries - who will gain?• Commitment and Continuation• Evaluation and Dissemination of Impact
• Innovative• Comprehensive - understands all issues• Experience - has expertise to do it• Preparation - clear you know funding
requirements and related work• Cooperation - done “with” not “to” target
group• Beneficiaries - who will gain?• Commitment and Continuation• Evaluation and Dissemination of Impact
Know the RequirementsKnow the Requirements(read the program announcement!)(read the program announcement!)
•Format• Due date• Funding timeframe/ limits• Statement of problem• Research goals• Research methods• Team members/ expertise• Deliverables• Budget
Grant Opportunities and Support• Internal grants (College & University)
• Individual grants
• Federal and National grants
• Foundation awards
• Fellowships/ scholarships
• Industry contracts
• Societies
• Foundations
Types of ProposalsTypes of Proposals
Letter of proposal: usually expanded Statement of Work
Preliminary proposal: used by agency to decide if proposer should develop it further
Expanded proposal: contains all of the necessary information to be used in the review process
Revised proposal: modified subject to comments by reviewers
Guidelines for ProposalsGuidelines for Proposals
• Vary by institution and agency
• Outline proposal format
• Set conditions on requests
• Set conditions on use of funds
• Set conditions on review process and negotiations
• FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES TO THE LETTER ! (even font size)
Good PGood Proposals
• Capture the reviewer's attention
• Aim for clarity
• Establish the context
• Identify the payoff
• Use a fresh approach, but don't stray from accepted methodologies
• Give yourself plenty of time! Peer reviews before submission are important!
Proposal ComponentsProposal Components
• Executive Summary and/or Introduction
• Problem/Needs Statement and Objectives
• Research Methods
• Evaluation Procedures
• Other Funding Sources (Current/Future)
• Budget
IntroductionIntroduction
• Organization history
• Statement of purpose and goals
• Current activities
• Constituency
• Funding sources
• Evaluations
• Quotes or letters of support
• Relevant publications summary
Problem StatementProblem Statement
•State the problem simply & concisely
• Relate it to your purpose and goals
• Provide evidence of importance
• Provide justification that you can solve the problem
• Make certain that the scope of the problem is focused
• State it in the terms of your constituents
MethodologyMethodology
Methods need to support the objectives!
• Who: team selection and sampling
• How: what will occur over the life of the project
• When: task order and timing
• Why: defend your chosen methods and provide assurance that these methods will lead to anticipated outcomes
EvaluationEvaluationTypes:• Product - has the research achieved its
objectives?• Process - was the research consistent with
the plan?
Questions: • who will do the evaluation?• method of data collection• method of data analysis• method of reporting evaluative information
Know the Evaluation Criteria !!!Know the Evaluation Criteria !!!
ZU RIF
Budget: What Do You Need?Budget: What Do You Need? (know what is allowed) (know what is allowed)
• Equipment
• Salary
• Facilities
• Services
• Travel
• Expenses
• Other
BudgetBudget• Be specific - do NOT use ball-park
figures!
• Be precise - make sure your accounting is in order
• Be complete - make sure there are no hidden costs
• Be honest - don't make up matching costs
• Be convincing - argue why a line item is needed
Advice on BudgetsAdvice on Budgets• Request realistic items / amounts• Justify anything that is unusual• Include only necessary items • Remain within grant guidelines• Indicate time and cost sharing if
required
Excessive budgets irritate reviewers!
Advice on TimelinesAdvice on TimelinesAdvice on TimelinesAdvice on Timelines
• Provide one!
• Be realistic
• Within time frame of the funding
• Include research methods used
• Show progress along the way
• Show rollout of deliverables
• Provide one!
• Be realistic
• Within time frame of the funding
• Include research methods used
• Show progress along the way
• Show rollout of deliverables
Supporting DocumentationSupporting Documentation
• Letters of support
• Compliance documentation
• Vitas of principle researchers
• Related publications
• Equipment quotations
General TipsGeneral Tips• Network with people in your field
• Call the program officer or funding representative
• Propose results
• Don't assume the justification is obvious
• Don't assume all reviewers will agree with your position
• Read and reference all relevant literature
• Get letters of support from collaborators
• Identify how the funding will be spent
• Identify why you have the expertise to do this research
• Identify what exactly is your plan
• Identify what methodologies you will use
Common Problems of Common Problems of Non-Winning ProposalsNon-Winning Proposals
•Key points are buried, no highlights, no impact
•No innovative topic or approach
•Difficult to read, full of jargon, too long, too technical
•Misspellings, grammatical errors, wrong client name, and inconsistent formats
•Failure to differentiate your work from others. e.g., no reference to relevant literature
If Your Proposal is DeclinedIf Your Proposal is Declined REMEMBERREMEMBER• You are in good company• Awards are often highly competitive• Budgetary limitations exert influence• Funding agency priorities exert influence
Read the reviews and TRY AGAIN!
Volunteer to be a ReviewerVolunteer to be a Reviewer
You will: • Read good and bad proposals• See the review process in action• Write better proposals next time• Get a good view of what is being funded• Give back to the community
Sources of InformationSources of Information• US National Science Foundation
http://www.nsf.gov
• Grantsandfunding.comhttp://www.grantsandfunding.com/libraries/grantseeking/wings/GFindex.html
• Online Proposal Writing Handbookhttp://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/~writing/handbook-proposals.html
• Writing a Good Grant Proposal (Simon Peyton Jones and Alan Bundy, Microsoft Research)http://research.microsoft.com/~simonpj/papers/Proposal.html
• Grantwriting 101 Workshop by Wayne Carlson, The Ohio State University http://design.osu.edu/carlson/grantwriting.html
• US National Science Foundationhttp://www.nsf.gov
• Grantsandfunding.comhttp://www.grantsandfunding.com/libraries/grantseeking/wings/GFindex.html
• Online Proposal Writing Handbookhttp://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/~writing/handbook-proposals.html
• Writing a Good Grant Proposal (Simon Peyton Jones and Alan Bundy, Microsoft Research)http://research.microsoft.com/~simonpj/papers/Proposal.html
• Grantwriting 101 Workshop by Wayne Carlson, The Ohio State University http://design.osu.edu/carlson/grantwriting.html
Grant Writing as a CourtshipGrant Writing as a Courtship Grant Writing as a CourtshipGrant Writing as a Courtship
• Get to know the funding organizations• Find the “best match”• Talk to the funding officer if possible to
establish a personal relationship• If you visit in person, be nice to the
receptionist or secretary!• Reduces the chance of a bitter
rejection or a bad divorce!
• Get to know the funding organizations• Find the “best match”• Talk to the funding officer if possible to
establish a personal relationship• If you visit in person, be nice to the
receptionist or secretary!• Reduces the chance of a bitter
rejection or a bad divorce!