Grant Writing Tips

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Grant Writing Tips

• Kim Sullivan
• Utah State University
• Former NSF Program Officer

Based on a workshop held at the 2006 ABS meeting
by Godfrey Bourne, Jerry Wolfe and Jerry Wilkinson
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NSF-Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (DDIG)

• Advice applies to other grant programs as well.
• Eligibility- Ph.D. candidates (passed
  comprehensive exam) at a US institution.
• Research in area supported by Division of
• Environmental Biology (33 funding rate)
• -- Ecological Biology
• -- Ecosystem Science
• -- Population and Evolutionary Processes
• -- Systematic Biology and Biodiversity
  Initiatives
• AND Animal Behavior Program in the Integrative
  Organismal Biology Division (25 funding rate)
• Co-funding with International Programs and
• Engineering is possible

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DDIG

• www.nsf.gov
• Due 3rd Friday in November 5 pm local time.
  12,000 budget
• Improvement grant dont fund whole dissertation
• Follow the Grant Proposal Guidelines on website
• Contact the program director!

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What gets funded?

• Likely to have high impact, new and original
  ideas, must have importance beyond your
  particular system- dont be birdocentric
• Project plan focused and clear 2-3 main
  objectives, lay out hypotheses with alternatives
  and predictions, expected outcomes, sound
  scientific rationale
• Knowledge of subject area and methods, current
  references
• Realistic amount of work (not too ambitious) and
  realistic budget
• Clarity about future directions
• Broader impacts will be returned without review
  if missing

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NSF Criterion I Intellectual Merit

• Potential for advancing knowledge
• Well qualified to carry out the project
• Creative and original
• Conceptualization and organization
• Access to resources

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NSF Criterion II Broader Impact
http//www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/broaderimpacts.pdf Ad
vance discovery and understanding while promotion
teaching training and learning Broaden the
participation of underrepresented groups Enhance
infrastructure for research and education Broad
dissemination to enhance technological and
scientific understanding Benefits to society

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Tips and Traps

• Know your audience, what are they looking to
  fund?
• Sell yourself and the project. Excite the
  reviewer in the first page. Original, wow
  factor, impact, use active voice
• Clearly id problem, theoretical basis, good model
  system for testing hypotheses
• Preliminary data
• Follow all of the rules (Grant Proposal
  Guidelines)
• Allow enough time to fix errors and have informal
  reviews

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Style is important

• Make the proposal a pleasure to read
• Follow the rules on font size, line spacing,
  margins 12 point Times New Roman, dont skimp on
  white space
• Use headings, bold, indents, figures, flowcharts,
  timelines
• Cite references accurately
• Spell and grammar check
• Get letters of support if collaborators involved
• Your proposal may state what you will do, but it
  shows what you can do

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Preparations

• Talk to program officer if possible
• Determine the funding objectives of the agency
• Read successful proposals (abstracts may be
  posted online at agency website)
• Read directions and guidelines carefully
• Allow enough time for informal reviews
• If declined, consider resubmitting

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• Good luck!