Grant Writing 101

1
Grant Writing 101

• There is no grantsmanship that will turn a bad
  idea into a good one, but there are many ways to
  disguise a good idea. - Norm Braverman, NIH

2
What keeps us from doing grants?

• Fear of rejection
• Reality - only one proposal in 5 is turned down
  because the idea wasnt good enough
• Reality - A rejected proposal is worth about
  10,000 of free advice
• Reality - the success rate is higher for
  proposals turned in a second time
• Reality - the success rate on a third submission
  is almost 11

3
Not Enough Time

• Writing is like an Olympic event
• needs constant practice.
• Write everyday at a regular time in the
• same place. 20 minutes
• If you dont sit there every day,
• the day that it would have
• come well - you wont be there.

4
Just Do It!
5
Keys to Success

• Innovation and Creativity is important
• Looking for new solutions to old problems
• How do you create creativity?
• Calling the Program Officer is the most important
  element
• 85 of all successful grant seekers have had
  contact with the program officer

6
The grant process is never wasted

• Cant get a grant unless you write one
• Professionally fulfilling
• Requires you to focus your thoughts
• Armed with reviewers comments the second proposal
  is always stronger

7
Who Gives Money and Why?

• Federal
• gives and takes away based on political agenda
• they tell you what to do
• fewer means fewer submissions ? success rate
  increases
• slow review process

• State
• little for basic research
• often good for projects w/students
• outsource work when budgets decrease
• BUT - even when they have money they wont tell
  you about it

8
Private Giving

• Private Foundations
• give out of goodness of their heart
• advance a particular cause
• 10 billion annually
• only 1 billion to universities
• often fund geographically

• Corporations
• give for enlightened self-interest
• quality of life
• employment pool
• improve image
• Dow helps you do great things

9
What is a Grant?

• A Grant is a conditional gift or a conveyance of
  funds with strings attached.
• The funding source identifies the problem they
  want addressed, but no outcome is known.
• The idea originates with the grantee.

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Types of Funding

• Grant - Assistance
• purpose is to transfer money, property, services,
  or anything of value to recipient in order to
  accomplish a public purpose
• No substantial involvement is anticipated between
  the sponsor and the recipient
• Cooperative Agreement - Assistance
• substantial involvement between sponsor and
  recipient
• Contract - Procurement
• acquire property or services for direct benefit
  or use of the funding source

11
Grant vs. Contract

• Grant
• project conceived by investigator
• agency supports or assists
• performer defines details and retains scientific
  freedom
• agency maintains oversight

• Contract
• project conceived by agency
• agency procures service
• agency exercises direction or control
• agency closely monitors

12
Types of Grants

• Research
• Curriculum
• Demonstration
• Training
• Equipment
• Fellowships
• Federal Laboratory Research
• Grants for PUIs

13
Getting started

• Start out small and build a track record
• institutional grants
• supplemental grants - NSF (50 funding rate)
• new investigator programs (w/i 5 yrs)
• competition is level

14
How Whitworth Can Help?

• The Academic Grant Writer works on both
  institutional grants and with individual faculty
• All submitted grants must be submitted through
  Academic Affairs
• Information, facilitation, interpreting
  guidelines, editing, copying, mailing

15
Qualities of Effective Grant Writing

• Quality of the idea and its appeal to the funding
  source
• The ability to communicate clearly and concisely

16
The Process

• Contact the sponsor
• Plan in detail
• Develop the budget from the detailed plan
• Read the guidelines again with narrative in mind
• Be persistent - revise and resubmit

• A good idea
• A good institutional fit
• Assemble a winning team
• Match the idea to a sponsor
• Read the Guidelines
• Read them again

17
Idea

• An idea is something that only
• exists in your mind.
• Your task is to present the
• idea in a fundable proposal.
• Take a vague idea and identify
• a specific problem or need associated
• with it.

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Focused Freewrite
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Finding a Funding Source

• Make an appointment to discuss your idea with the
  Academic Grant Writer.
• Grants office will do customized searches on the
  IRIS database, the Opportunity Alert, Fedix or
  from other resources.
• Keywords.
• Read the Grants Bulletin you receive on email.

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Is it the Right Grant?

• Federal
• Are you eligible?
• Can you meet match?
• How many funded?
• How much money?
• Change to meet guidelines?

• Private
• Institutional Advancement
• Geographic
• Who do they fund?
• Range?
• Type of project?
• Interest, but no grants
• Change to meet priorities?
• Do they have staff?

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More Questions to Ask

• Does the funding agency share your goals?
• Is the funding agency interested in the same
  populations?
• Has the funding agency funded projects similar to
  yours?
• Have they made awards to institutions similar to
  ours?
• Does the agency require matching?
• When will the award be made?

22
Writing a Grant is Like Playing a Game
23
You have to Play by the Rules

• GET the guidelines
• READ the guidelines
• FOLLOW the guidelines

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Following the Guidelines

• You must follow the guidelines exactly.
• Respond to all sections.
• Adhere to any format restrictions.
• Topics must be covered in order presented in
  guidelines.
• Use headings that correspond to the guidelines.

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Types of Grants

• Concept Paper
• 2-4 pages
• highlights
• Pre-proposal
• 5 pages
• reviewed
• invited to submit full proposal

• Full Proposal
• from 10-40 pages
• forms
• attachments
• specific format
• Curriculum Proposal
• clear task force
• faculty involvement
• advisory committee

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The Next Step after Reading the Guidelines
27
Call the Program Officer!

• The major variable in getting proposals funded is
  contact with the program officer prior to
  submission of a proposal.

28
If you dont want to call...
RICE
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Things to Consider

• Youre off the hook - in order to have a
  conflict of interest, you gotta have an interest
  in the first place

30
Technical Issues to Consider Before you Write

• Conflict of Interest?
• Human Subjects?
• Due date - received or postmarked
• Page limit
• Spacing
• Numbering

• Margin requirement
• Type requirement
• Do you need letters?
• Group Projects - Gant Chart

31
Appropriate Writing Style

• Write to the funding source
• Write in the correct language of the field - but
  no jargon
• Never write in 1st person
• Clarity
• 5 Ws

• Write to inform
• dont use language that is biased
• Write to persuade
• data from reputable source
• use current data
• establish credibility
• No unsubstantiated opinions

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A Grant is not an Idea

• It is a Plan

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Parts of a Grant Application

• Cover Page
• Table of Contents
• Abstract
• Problem or Needs Statement
• Goals and Objectives
• Methodology
• Quality of Key Personnel

• Evaluation
• Dissemination
• References Cited
• Budget Narrative
• Vitae
• Appendices
• Forms, Certifications and Assurances

34
Why Work with the Grant Writer?

• You will have less to do.
• Your grant will be more competitive.
• Common technical errors may be avoided.
• Your eye will read what is written and your brain
  will translate it to what you meant and you will
  miss errors when editing and proofing.

35
Parts of a Grant
36
The Title

• The title is important
• It should covey what the project is about
• It is often used to assign review groups

37
Two Examples

• Aculturating Christianity Christian Culture and
  Human Responsibility Imaged in the Humanities.
• Developing a Case Study Model for
  Interdisciplinary Humanities Curriculum in the
  Context of a Small Liberal Arts College.

38
Develop a Title for your Grant
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Abstract

• Should be able to stand alone
• it may be all the reviewers read
• Publishable quality
• Clear, concise, one page, single space
• Avoid 1st person
• Do not refer to proposal in the abstract
• Cover all key elements in order

40
The Needs or Problem Statement

• In God we trust in needs statements all others
  bring data

41
The Task You Face

• Critically important, and often poorly written
• Convince the funding source that you understand
  the need and can help them solve the problem
• Prove the need
• cite evidence
• illustrate with graphs and charts
• Demonstrate that the need is pressing
• That the problem is an important problem to be
  solved
• How your project will address the problem and
  what gaps will it fill

42
The Problem Statement Framing the Need

• Dont assume that no one else has ever thought of
  your idea.
• The Problem Statement establishes a framework for
  the projects goals, objectives, methods, and
  evaluation
• Provide a thorough explanation of your need
• test assumptions
• anticipate questions of others
• incorporate proposal guidelines
• Begin with a framing statement then provide
  documentation

43
A Good Problem Statement Should

• Describe the theoretical or conceptual basis for
  your project and your knowledge of the issues
  surrounding your proposed project
• Include statistical data, if appropriate
• Demonstrate that your approach is creative or
  innovative
• Describe how this project fits into the already
  existing goals of the organization

• Show that you understand the problem
• Demonstrate that this is an important problem to
  solve, not only at Whitworth, but regionally and
  nationally as well
• Clearly describe the aspects of the problem that
  your project will address, and what gaps this
  will fill

44
Questions to Ask, Things to Know

• What significant needs are you trying to meet?
• What is the current status of the needs?
• Will this project help meet the need?
• What really needs to be done?
• What services will be delivered? To whom? By
  whom?
• Is it possible to make some impact on the
  problem?

• What gaps exist in the knowledge base?
• What does the literature say about the
  significance of the problem, at a local, state,
  regional, national level?
• Is there evidence that this project will lead to
  other significant studies?
• What previous work has been done to meet this
  need? Was it effective?
• What will be the impact of this study?

45
Example

• Children are exhibiting violent and disruptive
  behavior.

46
Check your Assumptions
47
Improve this statement by

• Children are exhibiting violent and disruptive
  behavior.
• Clarifying the assumptions
• Anticipating the questions

48
Funded Problem Statement

• The harsh truth is that growing numbers of
  children in America are exhibiting violent and
  disruptive behavior or externalizing behavior
  (also referred to as antisocial behavior,
  challenging behavior, defiance, noncompliance,
  aggressive behavior, acting-out, etc.) beyond the
  occasional minor incident typical of most
  children during the normal course of development.
  Such behavior has become one of the most
  pressing issues in schools.

49
Dissecting a Problem Statement

• The first sentence is the problem.
• Then clarify the problem by defining both the
  behavior and what is normal
• States that this is a pressing need
• which is hopefully the need the funder is
  addressing

50
Documenting the Problem Statement

• Rooted in factual information
• must document that your initial statement is
  correct.
• Show you know whats going on in the field, what
  the basic issues are
• Use national and local information
• showing that the local problem is also a national
  one

51
Documentation

• Cite current literature
• 6-10 key references
• 1-2 of works should be yours
• Key informants
• Case studies

• Statistics - objective
• Surveys
• Focus groups
• Use relevant graphs and charts

52
Words that paint a picture

• There is still not a single traffic light the
  length and breadth of Pend Oreille County. This
  is the other Pacific Northwest.

53
What was used to prove need?

• Charts
• crime victimization
• weapons in schools
• fighting and other assaults
• feelings of safety
• increases in disruptive behavior over last 2
  years in local schools
• References
• Impact of behavior on school environment
• What do key informants think?

• Statistics
• of students and teachers that are attacked each
  month
• number who worry about safety
• eligible for special services with higher
  deportment problems
• References
• Impact of behavior on individuals
• Post-school problems

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How would you document your problem statement?
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Organizing and Writing the Needs Statement

• Go from the foundational statement
• Build your case with the data
• Follow the guidelines
• Follow the guidelines
• Be succinct and persuasive
• Tell your story and build your case drawing to a
  logical conclusion that leads into the project
  goals and objectives

56
Ending a Needs Statement

• Emphasize the significance of the project
• what will be the result
• what impact will it have
• will the impact continue
• You might present you project as a model
• Always address the priorities of the funding
  agency
• Forecast the usefulness and importance of the
  results

57
Goals and Objectives

• The What

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Appropriotic (uh PRO pree ah tick) adj.

• Of or pertaining to the penchant to overuse the
  term appropriate in a proposal when the
  guidelines call for measurable objectives and
  outcomes and the principal investigator hasnt
  the foggiest idea what to do. It produces such
  sentences as the project director will take
  appropriate measures to seek appropriate levels
  of support for the delivery of appropriate
  services.

59
The Goal

• Both the goals and objectives should flow
  logically from the statement of need.
• Goals convey the ultimate intent of the proposed
  project, the overarching philosophy, A CONCISE
  STATEMENT OF THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT.
• The opening statement of this section should
  begin with the goal of this project is to

60
A Well Thought-Out Project

• Will have
• one or two goals
• several objectives related to the goals
• many methodological steps to achieve each
  objective.

61
Objecvtives

• The objectives state the essence of the proposed
  work in terms of what will be accomplished.
• Break the goal down to specific measurable
  pieces, the outcomes of which can be measured to
  determine actual accomplishments.

62
Objectives

• Objectives discuss who is going to do what, when
  they will do it, and how it will be measured.
• Discuss desired end results of the project.
• But not how those results will be accomplished.
• They are action oriented and often begin with a
  verb.
• Arrange them in priority order.
• In a research proposal the objectives are the
  hypotheses, they are less specific, but reinforce
  that the project is conceptually sound.

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Is this an Objective?

• If our goal is getting people from Indiana and
  Kentucky to interact to improve the
  economy.(goal).
• To construct a bridge over the Ohio River.
• To improve trade (what) within five years (when)
  between residents of southern Indiana and
  northern Kentucky (who) as measured by each
  states economic development indicators related
  to interstate commerce (measure).

64
Research Objectives

• Generation of new knowledge
• Hypothesis or research questions
• generally short
• Example
• determine the impact of sheep ranching on the
  wild puma population in Peru
• identify the needs of the farmers in preventing
  loss of sheep due to puma predation
• formulate ranching guidelines to meet the needs
  of the farmer and the wild puma

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Writing Goals and Objectives
66
Methodology The How
67
Plan of Action, Project Design, or Methodology

• Usually, this is the area allotted the most
  points.
• Often poorly written or missing altogether.
• 25 proposals are turned down because the
  methodology is unsound.

68
Methodology, Project Design, Plan of Action

• Often the most detailed and lengthy section
• What specific activities will allow you to meet
  your objectives
• Task oriented, specific, detailed
• Essential that you demonstrate all the steps
  necessary to complete project with each flowing
  logically from the previous to the next.

69
Questions for Methodology

• Walk the reader through your project
• Describe the activities as they relate to the
  objectives
• Develop a time line and/or and organizational
  chart

• How will the activities be conducted?
• When?
• How long?
• Who?
• Where?
• What facilities?

70
Methodology in a Research Proposal

• Provide descriptions of data sources including
  subjects, how they will be selected, the size of
  subject pool, and the size of the sample.
• Describe all procedures
• Include pilot instruments and data when possible
• Step-by-step work plan

• If methodology is new or unique explain why it is
  better than that previously used
• Specify research design and why it was chosen.
• Include descriptions of variables and their
  relationships.
• Define all important terms

71
Quality of Key Personnel
72
Who Are these People, and Why Should we Give them
our Money?

• This is where you demonstrate that you are the
  right person to do this project.
• Do not simply say See resume.
• Convince the funding agency the you are capable
  of accomplishing what you say you can accomplish
• Highlight the expertise of all key personnel
• Include experience you have had managing other
  projects
• Weak qualifications or inexperience in some cases
  can be compensated for by adding appropriate
  consultants. Include why you need consultants
  and how you chose them.
• If you dont identify a person, summarize the job
  description or qualifications required and how
  you will find that person
• Indicate responsibilities of all, and level of
  effort.

73
In Key Personnel Section Address...

• Publications in the area of the proposal or
  related areas.
• Evidence of relevant training, certification, or
  clearance.
• Unpublished papers, conference presentations in
  the area.

74
Institutions Qualifications

• Why should the award be made to your institution?
  
• The Grants Office will help you with the
  information in this section.
• Highlight institutions capabilities, relation of
  the project to mission.
• Facilities, support, library, computer, etc.

75
Evaluation

• Did it go up or down?
• Were they happy?

76
Evaluation

• Formative evaluation of objectives
• how the project will be evaluated as it
  progresses
• Summative evaluation of objectives
• how the project will be evaluated when it is
  finished

77
Evaluation design

• Explanation of the methods.
• What was the impact?
• Descriptions of record keeping, surveys, and
  assessment instruments.
• Consider what would count as evidence that your
  project succeeded or failed?
• If you where someone else who wanted to replicate
  the project what would you need to know to
  determine if you would benefit
• What form should that information take to be
  sufficiently credible or useful?

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Evaluation Design - Questions To Ask

• Summative
• Did faculty change their instructional practices?
• Did this vary by teacher or student
  characteristics?
• Did faculty use information?
• What obstacles prevented implementing change?
• Were changes made in the curriculum?
• Were students more interested in class work?

• Evaluation for Faculty Development Workshops
• Formative
• Who participated?
• Were they organized and staffed as planned?
• Were materials available?
• Were they of high quality?
• Was the full range of topics actually covered?
• Too few, too many?
• Problems?
• Modification?
• Timing?

79
Outside Evaluation

• Hire a third party.
• Someone well known in the field.
• Someone you quoted in the needs section.
• Identify evaluators before submitting proposal
  and include their resume and a letter of
  commitment.
• They may often contribute to the writing of the
  evaluation section.

80
A Good Evaluation Plan

• Covers both process and product
• Tells who will perform the evaluation and how
  they were chosen
• Defines the criteria by which the program will be
  evaluated
• Evaluates the achievement of each objective
• Describes data gathering methods
• Explains assessment instruments, questionnaires,
  and other materials
• Describes data analysis procedures
• Relates evaluation findings to a plan for program
  improvement
• Describes evaluation reports to be produced

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Continuation

• What happens when the
• money runs out?

82
Project Continuation

• Funding agencies want to have a lasting impact
  and they want to know how that will happen.
• Include how you propose to continue the project
  beyond the funding that you are requesting -
• May include a good faith statement from the
  institution
• Demonstrate Continuation with budget
  construction.
• How will this project become part of an
  established program?
• Will it generate fees to sustain it?
• Will it become part of the institutional budget?
• Is it part of an on-going research endeavor?

83
Dissemination
84
Dissemination

• Process by which your project is reported to
  other professionals and the public.
• Important to the funding agency.
• Sometimes presented as the concluding thoughts of
  the project plan.
• How will you make the research results available
  to others?
• Will there be workshops, publications, or
  conferences?
• If you are producing materials how will they be
  advertised, marketed, and distributed?
• Websites

85
Dissemination Plan Should Include

• Which results will be reported?
• What audiences will be reached?
• How the results or products will be disseminated,
  e.g., computer networks, video tapes,
  conferences, professional journals, or
  publication of books, chapters, or monographs?

86
The Budget

• Do the Math!

87
Developing Your Budget

• The Grants Office must be involved in this
  portion of proposal development.
• A restatement in dollar terms of the methods
  section - no surprises
• Realistic, dont inflate
• Two parts to a budget
• the budget form which breaks the budget into
  specific categories
• a budget narrative that explains how you arrived
  at these figures and why you need the money

88
Two Types of Costs

• Direct and Indirect

89
Direct Costs

• Costs that can be identified specifically with a
  particular sponsored project, an instructional
  activity, or any other institutional activity or
  that can be directly assigned to such activities
  relatively easily with a high degree of accuracy.

90
Indirect or Facilities and Administrative (FA)
Costs

• Costs that are incurred for common or joint
  objectives, and, therefore, cannot be identified
  readily and specifically with a particular
  sponsored project, an instructional activity, or
  any other institutional activity.
• Indirect Rate is negotiated with Cognizant
  Auditing Agency

91
What Happens to Indirect Costs?

• According to College Policy
• 1/3 to Business Office, a of which must go into
  the Facilities Maintenance Fund
• 1/3 to Grant Writer, currently used for
  mini-grants and to supplement conference budget
• 1/3 to PIs department without restriction

92
Cost Share or Match

• Funders like to see that the institution is
  putting funds into a project as well.
• Match - A 50 match for a 100,000 grant is
  50,000
• A 50 Cost Share of the total project cost where
  the funder puts up 100,000 is 100,000 because
  it is 50 of 200,000.

93
Costing Principles

• OMB Circular A-21
• Costing Principles for Colleges and Universities
• Like costs must be treated the same
• you cant give a private foundation a better deal
  than you would give the federal government

94
How Do we Determine if a Cost is Allowable?

• Only required for federal, but most institutions
  apply to all sponsored projects.
• REASONABLE A prudent business person would have
  purchased this item and paid this price
• ALLOCABLE Assigned to the activity on a
  reasonable basis
• CONSISTENTLY TREATED like costs must be treated
  or costed the same in like circumstances

95
Categories of a Budget

• Salaries
• Fringe Benefits
• Travel
• Materials Supplies
• Equipment
• Contractual
• Other

• Total Direct Costs
• Indirect Cost Rate
• 35 of Salaries
• Total Federal Share
• Cost Sharing
• Total Project Cost

96
Salaries

• You may not give yourself a raise.
• Your time must be figured in of effort as it
  relates to 100.
• You may not work more than 100.
• Example
• Academic yr. 42,000 x 50FTE 21,000
• Summer 42,000/9x2mos. X 50FTE 4,667
• This section is for Whitworth employees or
  students only

97
Fringe Benefits

• Varies according to classification of employee
  and salary
• Faculty are generally 21
• Summer benefits are less - around 16 (health
  benefits not included)
• Use 3 for Students

98
Travel

• This section is only for Whitworth employee
  travel. All other travel goes under contractual
• Airfare
• Per diem
• Lodging
• Ground Transportation
• Conference Registration
• Fly America Act

99
Materials Supplies

• No consumable office supplies such as pens,
  pencils, paper, etc.
• Computer Disks
• Lab Supplies
• Books, journals

100
Consultants

• Usually will require a formal agreement such as a
  subcontract, MOA or MOU.
• Substantive part of work for it to be subcontract

• Should be named in grant narrative
• Justification for selection must be documented

101
Types of Subawards

• Subcontract/Subgrant/Subagreement
• Consulting agreement (MOU or MOA)
• Purchase Order

102
Remember

• Subcontracts are never to individuals, only to
  organizations.
• In developing a subcontract, make sure the time
  by which reports from the subcontractor must by
  in to you are much earlier, than when you have to
  submit your final report.

103
Consulting Agreement

• A consultant is not an employee
• Consultants operate as independent contractors
  without detailed supervision
• Temporary, highly technical, urgent, special
  services that cannot be performed by a college
  employee

104
Equipment

• At Whitworth, anything over 1,000 is considered
  equipment.
• Federal 5,000 or greater, 1 yr. useful life
• In most cases the institution retains title to
  the equipment at the end of the grant

105
Other

• Anything that does not fall into any other
  category
• Long distance phone, but not local
• copies - if they can be tracked
• publishing costs
• human subjects costs
• computer costs

106
Other Possible Sections

• References or Literature Cited
• use standard format
• Facilities
• dont use boiler plate - what is available for
  your project
• show you have access to what you need

107
Adequacy of Resources

• Review your budget objectively
• Have you requested enough funding to complete the
  project professionally
• Target your budget to the average award range
  indicated by the agency
• You may need to demonstrate that the institution
  has adequate facilities to do the project as well.

108
Appendix

• What additional information will be helpful to
  the reader?
• Vitae
• Letters of Support/Commitment (Grants Office will
  obtain any institutional letters)
• Sample questionnaires, syllabi
• Some sponsors either do not allow appendix
  material or do not require reviewers to read
  anything that appears in an appendix
• Dont waste trees

109
Letters

• Letters of Support
• We think its a good idea
• referred to in text, put in appendix
• how does project fit with mission/goals of
  college
• Presents type of support

• Letters of Commitment
• Evidence of interest in project from participants
• if project is funded they are ready with their
  contribution
• what they will contribute
• they will participate at the time that you need
  them

110
Forms

• Assurances/Authoritiy
• Title VI of Civil Right Act
• Section 504 Rehab Act
• Title IX
• Age Discrimination Act
• Hatch Act
• Fair Labor Standards Act
• Conflict of Interest
• Misconduct in Science
• Access to records - FOIA
• EPA Violating Facilities list
• Flood Disaster Protection Act
• National Historic Preservation Act

• Certifications
• Authorized Organizational Representative
• Lobbying
• Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility
  Matters
• Drug-Free Workplace

111
Who Signs on the Line?

• Can you sign your own application as the
  authorizing signatory? No.
• Only Tammy Reid can sign for Whitworth College.

112
Review Criteria
113
Review

• Application Guidelines contain review criteria
• Peer Reviewed
• Panel Review
• Staff Review
• Board Review
• It is OK to ask them not to send a proposal to a
  particular person
• It is OK to recommend reviewers
• If points are assigned to sections, one weak
  section may limit the chances of an otherwise
  strong proposal.

114
A Reviewer Friendly Grant
115
A Readable Style

• Scannability
• Make sure that all pages are not just solid text
• Use bulleted items
• Use graphics in methodology and needs sections
• Use headings and subheadings, bold and underline,
  no italics
• Look at each introductory sentence of a
  paragraph, it is the most important part, it is
  all they may read
• Use type faces with serifs, like Times, they are
  easier to read
• Do not justify

116
Editing

• The fine balance between wordiness and brevity
  that equals clarity

117
Editing your Grant

• After you have finished your draft
• set it aside for a day
• revise
• Have someone else read it without taking notes

• Have them tell you what your project is about
• Edit for clarity and conciseness
• No jargon
• No first person

118
Writing in Plain English

• Grant Writing is a form of technical writing
• Put sentences in logical sequence
• Use action verbs
• Never write in first person
• Use lists when you have several items

• Use the active voice
• avoid to be
• subject first
• Use parallel construction
• Avoid noun strings
• Go on a which hunt
• Avoid openers with There is, There are, and It is
  - try ing

119
Submitting your Grant
120
The Last Minute

• Due Date received by or postmarked
• You cant FedEx to a P. O. Box.
• Make sure you have the correct address
• The Grants Office will facilitate copying and
  mailing, provided the grant is in one day before
  it is due.

121
The Very Last Minute

• A crisis on your part does not constitute a
  crisis on my part.

122
Formatting and Typing Checklist

• Use margins, type size and spacing as requested
• white paper
• Adhere to page limits
• Address all sections of guidelines and review
  criteria

• Address review criteria
• Make sure the budget balances
• Standard bibliography format
• Complete all forms
• Proofread/spell check
• Check duplication process

123
Page Limits

• Can you go beyond them?
• NO!!!

124
Nolands Law

• One Hour before the grant needs to go out, the
  copier will break.
• Leave enough time!

125
The Final Document

• Readable, neat, easy to handle
• Avoid fancy covers or a slick appearance
• Be sure sections are easily identifiable and
  table of contents is accurate
• Required number of copies
• Necessary signatures in blue ink

126
14 Reasons Why Proposals Fail

• Deadline not met
• Guidelines not followed
• Nothing intriguing
• Did not meet priorities
• Not complete
• Poor literature review

• Appeared beyond capacity of PI
• Methodology weak
• Unrealistic budget
• Cost greater than benefit
• Highly partisan
• Poorly written
• Mechanical defects

127
Together

• It is a Team Effort
• You as the PI
• The Academic Grant Writer
• The Accounting Office

128
Remember

• Get
• Read
• Follow
• The Guidelines
• Call
• The Program Officer

129
The Award

• Once you receive your award notice, the Grants
  Office will work with you to set up your account
  with the business office.
• Although the college is legally responsible to
  the sponsor as the actual recipient of a grant or
  contract, the PI is held accountable for the
  proper fiscal management and conduct of the
  project.
• All expenditures must be approved by the Grants
  Office.
• You are responsible for meeting all reporting
  deadlines for programmatic reports.

130
Recycle your Rejected Proposal

• Success means having one in three grants funded
• A rejected proposal does not always mean the idea
  was rejected
• Obtain reviewer comments
• Call the program officer
• Rewrite, revise, resubmit

131
The Fatal Mistake

132
The Biggest Mistake of All

• Is to not write a proposal. It is absolutely
  fatal.
• So - Go ahead and Buy a Ticket!

133
The End