EDDC 804: Grant Writing

Saturday October 22, 2011

Important to well-rounded graduate education/professional development◦ An activity you’ll be engaging in wherever you

work after graduation Important to obtain grant support for

innovative, cutting-edge research and/or programs

Important to build record of funding Increases your competitiveness as job

candidate ~ even across career tracks

Why

As Graduate Students Stipend/Summer Salary Tuition Materials (including equipment) Project-related travel

◦ Dissemination Payments to Participants Undergraduate Resident Assistants

Uses for Grant Money

Research grant Dissertation grant Innovative program grant or current

development grant Travel grant Conference grant

Types of Grant Funding

State and Federal Government Corporations Foundations Organizations

◦ Sometimes our professional associations

Sources of Grant Funding

Professional society memberships Refreshments/food Travel from home to work Furniture for lab Personal computers

Government Grant Funds Will Not Pay For:

Determine why you need grant money Generate a fundable idea Determine how much money you need Find grant/funding opportunities that fit your project

idea/topic Apply for grant/funding

◦ Develop a unique, innovative, fundable project idea◦ Get as much advice & assistance as you can when

applying for a grant◦ Realize extremely competitive process

Get the grant, conduct the research & decide how to proceed next grant development path

Obtaining Grant Funding

About 70,000 foundations

Identify foundations most relevant to your work

Review annual reports when available and their websites

Searching for Grants

Less uniform that federal agencies in grant submission procedures and processes

Typical first step is letter of inquiry Some foundations do not accept proposals/letters of

intent- they come to you Local knowledge of a foundation and its priorities and

procedures is critical- but sometimes difficult to set Word of mouth- talk to related key people others who

had funds from that foundation National (larger) foundations generally more open to

search/contact processes than local/smaller foundations

Foundations

Federal agencies-easiest to search opportunities◦ More uniform in:

Grant submission process Web information available Regularity of procedures

Examples:National Institutes of HealthNational Science FoundationU.S. Department of Education

Federal Funding

Scope of agency/opportunity◦ Map to your working idea◦ $ limit◦ Deadline, date, duration of research project

(usually number of years)◦ Proposal format rules/procedures◦ Criteria/probability for funding

What Info You Need

It is crucial to keep up to date about funding priorities of funders which can change from year to year, funders’ budgets can change, criteria changes and forms as well as process to submit grants may change

Important Note

PI = Principal Investigator Co-PI= Co-Investigator Postdoctoral Fellow Research Associate Research Assistant Consultant External Evaluator Internal Evaluator Subcontractor Prime or lead institution Percent effort

Grant Terms

Budget◦ Direct costs

Salary (AY[sabbatical and course release] & summer) Fringe benefits Other direct costs

Indirect costs (facilities) rates vary by institute and type

Total cost= direct costs + indirect costs Cost sharing= “In-kind contributions” asking

institution to split costs with the funding agency (matching funds)

Grant Terms

Grant writing is a process Adopt long-term perspective

◦ Do not prepare at the last minute Revisions and resubmissions part of long-

term journey- build them into your agenda Develop network of colleagues and others

who will read and review work critically and carefully

TIPS

Grants are rarely awarded the first time Rarely awarded to new, first-time

investigators- often looking for individuals with a track record

Federal government beginning to encourage first-time researchers

National Levels

Problem statement shows scope of the issue Avoids jargon and unsupported assumptions Captures interest of reader Should be neat and easy to read Focuses on constituents’ needs When possible, provides evidence—

◦ Statistical evidence◦ Statements (including references) from relevant

and appropriate experts

Developing Problem Statement

How central is the problem you have identified to your school’s or institution’s vitality or the effectiveness of educational services

How does the same problem affect other schools or institutions nationally?

Why are you proposing to take action now? Have attempts to remedy the problem been made by

you or others in the past, and with what types of results?

If your response/solution to the problem is successful, are there other schools likely to benefit or learn from your experiences in ways that would enable them to improve upon their own programs or services?

Questions about Problem Statement

How does your solution or remedy differ from and improve upon previous efforts?

Questions about Problem Statement

Program Improvement—Formative Evaluation◦Identify strengths and weaknesses◦Becoming a learning organization◦Seeing to enhance quality ◦Managing more effectively

Purposes of Evaluation

Judging the Merit or Worth◦Accountability purposes to the granting organization

◦Deciding programs or services in the future

◦Accreditation◦Information for Cost-Benefit Decisions

Purposes of Evaluation

Generating Knowledge◦Extrapolating principles about what works

◦Building theories◦Looking for patterns across services or programs

◦Implications for policies

Purposes of Evaluation

Product Evaluation◦The extent to which the program has achieved its stated objectives

◦The extent to which the accomplishment of objectives can be attributed to the program

Two Important Types of Evaluation for Projects

Process Evaluation◦Determining if the program has been

conducted in a manner that is consistent with the original plan

◦The relationship of different program activities to the effectiveness of the program

Two Important Types of Evaluation for Projects

1. Have data to provide empirical support for conclusions

2. Limit generalizations and causal explanations to what data can support

3. Be systematic4. Identify key evaluation questions to be

addressed --Who will conduct the evaluation?

--How will evaluators be selected?

Sample of Good Evaluative Practices

1. Who will be the audience for the evaluation?

2. How will evaluation data be collected and when?

3. How will evaluation data be analyzed?

Sample of Good Evaluative Practices: Additional Questions

1. Will your project be useful beyond the time of the actual grant period?

2. Are there features of your project which will be applicable elsewhere?

3. Will other institutions be able to benefit from your project without their own grants?

4. Who will you disseminate your progress and results

5. Who will you share information with about your project?

Dissemination

1. How adequate are the resources (money, personnel, facilities, equipment, and supplies?

2. How qualified are the key personnel?3. What is the applicant’s relevant

experience and prior work in this particular area?

4. What is the commitment of the organization to the project?

Management Plan

Clearly identify the problem including the scope or magnitude of the issue

Use key literature to support your key assertions especially recent references

Be aware of what others have studied or achieved in reference to your issue

Describe your prior research experience Describe your short-term research goals Describe your long-term research goals Describe your current project and expected outcomes Keep up to date CV Details are important Demonstrate organization clarity in writing and tailor

proposals to the grant criteria

Creating a Template

Proposers did not demonstrate clear understanding of the problem

The proposal did not arrive by the submission deadline

The information requested in the request for proposals was not provided

The objectives were not well-defined The procedures and methods were not

specific No evaluation plan was outlined

Common Reasons for Rejection of Proposals

The overall design was not strong or did not fit the problem and objectives

Budget was not realistic, either too high or too low

Project personnel lacked experience or the necessary qualifications

Proposal was poorly written and not well organized.

Proposed time line was not realistic Proposal did not follow the organizational

pattern specific in RFP

Common Reasons for Rejection of Proposals