Transcript Document 7263234

Donna Martin
NIU Office of
Sponsored Projects
Office of Sponsored
Projects
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Sponsor requires
progress reports
Sponsor expects
deliverables (technical
report, evaluation)
Award restricts use of
results or publications
Sponsor includes
“Terms & Conditions”
of award
NIU Foundation
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Donations
Gifts
Support for a particular
activity, program area
or purpose.
May have no
expectation of
outcome or
deliverable.
Common Heading Who Completes
Answers the Question
Cover Sheet
OSP
Who are we?
Table of Contents
OSP/PI
What’s in the proposal?
Abstract
PI
What’s the big picture?
Problem Statement
PI
Why should we do this now?
Goals/Aims
PI
What are we trying to accomplish?
Measurable Objectives
PI
What will be different?
Procedures
PI
What exactly are we going to do and when?
Evaluation
PI
How will we know if our idea works?
Dissemination
PI
Who else will benefit? How will we share data?
Facilities
PI
Do we have the necessary
tools/resources/capacity?
Personnel
PI
Who will do the work? Are they qualified?
Budget
OSP/PI
How much will it cost?
Biographical Sketch
PI
Who are the players?
References
PI
Whose work are you building on?
Appendices
PI
What else do the funders need to make a
decision?
Life Cycle of a Grant Proposal
Idea/
RFP
Contact
Office of
Sponsored
Projects
RDS
Narrative—
draft, get
feedback,
revise
Draft
budget
(get
permissions
if needed)
Narrative
finalized
Budget
finalized
5 days before
a deadline,
OSP should
start the
routing
process:
Routing Forms
for University
Approvals:
PIs, co-PIs,
Chair, Deans,
Directors, VPs,
OSP
OSP
Submits
proposal
to
Agency
OSP finalizing
agency forms
Days before agency submission deadline
90+
60
30
Business Days
14
7
5
3
0
- IRIS/GrantForward (as of July 1)
- GrantSearch
- Foundation Directory—Library
Use Databases (www.niu.edu/osp -- Funding
Databases) to locate information regarding:
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Foundations
Federal agencies
Corporate foundations
Professional organizations
Listservs (Federal, state, Foundation Center RFP
Bulletin)
Facebook (yes, Foundations have FB pages)
RSS feeds (the Foundation Center’s
Philanthropy News Digest, for example).
LinkedIn
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Federal info: www.grants.gov
State: IRIS/GrantForward or agency websites
Foundations -- Foundation Center:
◦ Foundation Directory
◦ Foundation Finder
◦ Newsletters (Arts, Education, and Health funding)
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IRIS/GrantForward (Federal, state, foundation)
GrantSearch (Federal, state, foundation)
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IRIS (GrantForward as of July 1, 2012)
GrantSearch
Foundation Center: newsletters available
Foundation Directory: NIU Library, Reference
Desk to log you in to search the Foundation
Directory
Federal info: www.grants.gov
State—by agency
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Over 9,000 active federal and private
funding opportunities in the sciences,
social sciences, arts, and humanities
(agriculture to zoology)
Search by sponsor, deadline date,
keyword, and other criteria
Most IRIS records contain links to sponsor
Web sites and electronic forms
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Seems you can establish an Alert for each of
your funding searches and then receive
emails when new funding opportunities that
match are added/updated.
IRIS can now be used from off-campus. “Link
to your institution’s network.”
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have to play by the Rules
Get the (most recent)
guidelines
Read the guidelines
Follow the guidelines
 Avoid
fuzzy or inappropriate use
of words:
The intrinsic labyrinth of wires must
be first disentangled. The liquid
contents of container should then be
disgorged via the spout by the
operator.
What is the writer really saying?
From Grant Resource Training, 2006
Academic writing
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Scholarly pursuit:
Grant writing
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◦ Individual passion
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Past oriented:
◦ Service Attitude
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Theme-centered:
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Expository rhetoric:
◦ Explaining to reader
Project-centered:
◦ Objectives and activities
◦ Theory and thesis
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Future oriented:
◦ Work that should be done
◦ Work that has been done
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Sponsor goals:
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Persuasive rhetoric:
◦ “selling the reader”
From: Porter, R. (2007). Why academics have a hard time writing good grant
proposals. The Journal of Research Administration, 38, 161-167.
Academic writing
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Impersonal tone:
Grant writing
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◦ Objective, dispassionate
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Individualistic:
◦ Conveys excitement
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Few length constraints
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Specialized terminology
◦ “insider jargon”
Strict length constraints:
◦ Brevity rewarded
◦ Verbosity rewarded
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Team-focused:
◦ Feedback needed
◦ Primarily a solo activity
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Personal tone:
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Accessible language:
◦ Easily understood
◦ (who are reviewers?)
From: Porter, R. (2007). Why academics have a hard time writing good grant
proposals. The Journal of Research Administration, 38, 161-167.
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Influence decision-makers
Convince them to commit dollars in
support of a specific project
A winning proposal addresses an important
question with an innovative idea, well
expressed, with a clear indication of
methods for pursuing the idea, evaluating
the findings, and making them known to all
who need to know
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OSP website: www.niu.edu/osp
 Go to the “Proposal Preparation” section and click
on Writing Guides
 Agency Guides
 Foundation Center Proposal Writing Short
Course
 Corporation for Public Broadcasting
 Courses and Workshops
 a Proposal Writing Seminar at the Foundation
Center (includes a free online course)
www.in4grants.com
Go to Resources, then Webinars.
To listen to the webinar for “Crafting a Sales Pitch
for Your Grant Proposal,” click on the
PowerPoint graphic. Enter your email to register
to watch the recorded webinar. Dr. Porter’s
article and PDF of the webinar are also
available.
Note: We’re also using the In4grants site (or
InfoReady) as a collaborative website for large,
interdisciplinary projects.
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Jargon Files:
◦ Words whose once-precise meanings got watered down
through trendy misuse: Impact, Strategy, Parameter,
Extrapolate.
◦ Some that never had a clear meaning to begin with:
Comprehensive
◦ Buzz words: at-risk, capacity, empowerment, proactive
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Online at the Edna McConnell Clark
Foundation at:
http://www.emcf.org/publications/otherresources/
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Access the agency guidelines and follow them
to the letter!
May be short, 1 page or so. Or might be 10
pages. (Some federal programs have almost
100 pages!)
They indicate how they want to see the
finished proposal arrive at their door.
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Agency priorities/themes—what areas
they are interested in funding
Format issues: Page limits, word count
limits, margin & font size limitations
Budget information (more on that later)
Deadlines (hard copy or email; postmark
or receipt; don’t forget time zones!)
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Executive Summary/Abstract
Statement of need: why is this project necessary?
Project description or Narrative: the nuts and
bolts of how the project will be implemented
(might be 3 pages or 20 pages! See agency
requirements.)
Budget: what are you going to use the $ for?
Organization info (sometimes NIU info,
sometimes your department info or mission)
Conclusion: summary (read guidelines to see if
this is needed; can be optional)
* See the agency guidelines for which sections to include
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Read the guidelines!
Length: # pages, single/double spaced?
◦ Determines how much space to use for the literature
review, description of need/problem, explanation of
methodology
◦ 3 pages, 6 pages, 1800 words.
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Need/Significance, Literature Review, Objectives,
Activities, Evaluation
Description of researcher/credentials
Meet review criteria
Write clearly
Address agency priorities! (example, Guggenheim)
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General description of the project
Specific purpose of funds requested
Target population served
Evidence of need for the project
Activities planned to meet objectives
Time required to complete activities
Qualifications of key personnel involved
If collaborative, details of collaboration
Plans for future funding of the project
Expected benefits and outcomes of the project.
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Overall concept,
more abstract
Broad statement of
what you want to
accomplish
• S – Specific
• M – Measurable outcomes
• A – Achievable, attainable
• R – Realistic
• T – Time-bound, achievable
in a specified time period
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Should be mapped to the Objectives
Explain how project will accomplish the
objectives
Discuss ONLY those actions that support an
objective
Fully describe the work to be done in the
project
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One or more activities for each objective
Specify:
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Who will do them
When they will be done
How they will be accomplished
Why you chose this approach
What other methods were available
How long each activity will take
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Clear Objectives and Activities leads to an
Evaluation Plan—how are you going to know
you accomplished what you set out to do?
Funders want to be able to determine if their
money has been well spent.
How well did the program achieve its goal?
Did the project meet its objectives?
Were project activities implemented as
planned?
How effective were the activities in achieving
the objectives?
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Disturb/Irritate
◦ Spelling errors
◦ Overusing technical terms
◦ Using acronyms
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Confuse
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Writing overly complex sentences
Failing to attend to paragraph coherence issues
Using passive voice
Including non-parallel lists
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Failing to address criteria
Abstract, problem statement, budget disconnect
Failing to address assessment and administration
Including extraneous information
Diminish Credibility
From Grant Resource Training, 2006
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Research skills
Sales capabilities
Written and oral communication skills
Ingenuity and flexibility
Administrative capabilities (from leadership to
accounting)
Human relations skills
Persistence, dedication, patience, and the
capacity for hard work
Political acumen
Integrity
Students in grades 5 and 6 are America’s
future. But the vast majority of these
students are performing at sub-standard
academic levels. This project aims to engage
students in an applied research project
analyzing the water quality of the Chesapeake
Bay. Activities will include collecting
samples, testing, analysis of impact and
reporting results. The standardized science
scores for students engaged in the project
will improve by 12 percent.
From Grant Resource Training, 2006
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http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts
/grant_proposals.html
Grant writing process
Timeline examples
Letters of Support
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Letter writer advocates
for your project
Referred to in the text,
put in appendix
How does the project fit
with the mission/goals
of the organization
Presents type of support
Letters of Commitment
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Evidence of interest in
the project from
participants
If the project is funded,
they are ready with their
contribution
What they will contribute
They will participate at
the time you need them
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It may be short, but it packs a punch…
◦ Reviewers read it first. You need to grab their
attention
◦ Should be brief—200 words/1 page
◦ It appears first, but it should be written LAST
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What: Topic of project, goals, objectives.
What do you intend to do?
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Why:
Problem/Issue to be addressed.
Why is the work important?
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How:
Methods, procedures.
How are you going to do the work?
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Who:
Target population, group served or
studied
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When:
Project dates, duration
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So what: Significance, outcomes expected
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If you have an idea for a project, contact OSP
to discuss your idea and for help in locating a
funding opportunity. It’s best if you can
prepare a 1 – 2 page description of your idea
or project. The beginning of your
Needs/Significance section, Goal, Objective,
or ideas for activities. These will change!
This is just for some discussion points!
If you have a Request for Proposal (RFP),
contact OSP to go over the RFP and help with
the process.
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Copy/paste the agency’s heading into your
Word doc to guide your work.
Start with describing your need, the
significance of the problem, issue, project
◦ A project is significant if it, for example,:
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Solves a problem
Creates new and important knowledge
Creates a model
Improves the human condition
Improves a scientific technique
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Needs, significance
Problem statement/Hypotheses
Objectives
Methods, work plan, activities
Evaluation
Dissemination
Budget, then budget narrative
Introduction
Literature cited
Forms
Summary/Abstract
Attachments, Biosketch/Vita – if allowed
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Begin with an outline (either the agency steps
or an outline of your project)
Name your project
Keep language clear and simple
Use action words
Avoid jargon and acronyms
Revise and edit
Foundation Center Proposal Writing Basics Webinar
 It’s
not how much money you
want, it’s how much the
project costs.
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Ask for what you need to do the work
Justify requests that are significant or out of
the ordinary
Reviewers emphasize project quality over
budget
Follow sponsor and institutional guidelines
and policies
When in doubt, ask!
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Can be as simple as a one-page statement of
projected expenses or quite complex on
agency forms
Can be overwhelming—but OSP will assist!
Budget Costs
 Envision what your project needs to make it a
reality
 A cost must be reasonable
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Read the Guidelines!
Consider the overall project budget before you
begin to develop individual budgets for each
year
Consider agency limits:
◦ items they will fund—items they will NOT fund
◦ level they will fund—don’t propose a budget over the
level (it will most likely be rejected)
◦ number of years they will fund
Outline the budget in the format the agency
requests
Remember that the grant will not start for
probably several months and submit costs
accordingly
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If the project is over several years, build
in cost increases
Develop a budget explanation to
delineate clearly how budget figures
were computed
Ensure that the budget coincides with
the narrative and falls within the timeframe allowed
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Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation: “And if
you submit a budget that contradicts any of
these carefully described guidelines, we will
have reason to think of you as a careless
reader and thoughtless applicant. This will
inevitably be reflected in our estimation of
the potential of your scholarship.”
- Internal review process
- Who will review your grant proposal?
- What if it’s rejected?
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Except in very rare cases, proposals must
normally be reviewed by OSP before
submission to the funding agency.
◦ When a proposal is submitted to a funding agency,
a legal agreement is created between the agency
and the submitting institution.
◦ Consequently, institutional review is required to
ensure that the proposed research activity is in line
with the institution’s mission and abilities.
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Funding agencies normally require proposals to
be endorsed by someone who has the legal
authority to commit the institution to carry out
the proposed work.
◦ They also normally require the individual approving the
proposal to make a number of representations and/or
certifications as part of the submission process.
◦ Authorizing signatory: Director of Sponsored Projects,
VP of Research & Graduate Studies, and other upper
administration (including the President on rare
occasions when the agency specifies).
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Agency guidelines contain Review Criteria
Peer reviewed
Panel reviewed
Staff review
Board review
It is OK to ask them not to send a proposal to a
particular person (must be carefully justified)
It’s okay to recommend reviewers
Be aware of points assigned to proposal
sections.
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Don’t assume readers/reviewers know the
subject as well as you do, but don’t go
overboard.
Use the agencies Subject Headings for review
criteria! Don’t make them hunt for the
“Significance.”
The most important rule to keep in mind:
◦ Don’t annoy the reviewers!
Examples include:
 Formatting issues (going over page, word, or
line limits)
 Submitting a proposal over the budget ceiling
 Deadline issues (Online? Do time zones
matter? Postmark/receipt?)
 Submitting a proposal outside agency
interests (for example, a health-related
proposal to NSF)
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Innovation
Relevance
Demonstrated Competence/expertise of PI
Feasibility Study
Time Schedule
Enthusiasm
Simple Straightforward Language
Complete Literature Search
1. Project doesn’t address agency priorities
2. Guidelines not followed
3. Not a compelling idea
4. Ideas not clearly presented
5. Methodology appears to be flawed
6. Overuse of jargon
7. Overly ambitious
8. Narrative and budget don’t correspond
9. Sloppy presentation
10.The work has already been done
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Don’t give up!
Get reviews
Talk to agency contact
Re-evaluate, revise and
resubmit
Look for other potential
funders
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Look at an agencies previous grantees
◦ Annual reports
◦ Listing on website
◦ If requesting a brochure (rare with most
foundations having websites, but possible), request
a list of previous grantees.
◦ Look at others’ titles, how much money they were
awarded, Abstracts if available.
◦ Look at other institutions—where are they receiving
money from. Foundations do have geographic
restrictions.
The intrinsic labyrinth of wires
must be first disentangled.
The liquid contents of
container should then be
disgorged via the spout by the
operator.
Disconnect the wires
and pour the
contents into…