Grants and Proposal Writing

1. Grants and Proposal Writing Michelle Eberle Consumer Health Information Coordinator NN/LM NER May 2009

2. Agenda • Common Mistakes • The Lingo • Types of grants and funding opportunities • Basic elements of the proposal • The Budget • Proposals for foundation funding • Q & A

3. Why?

4. Common Mistakes

5. The “Lingo” • RFP: request for proposals • RFA: request for applications • PA: program announcement • Application • Letter of intent • Call for participation • Principal investigator

6. Types of Grants and Funding • NN/LM Funding • http://nnlm.gov/ner/funding • Government Grants • Grants.gov http://grants.gov • Institute of Museum and Library Services http://www.imls.gov • National Library of Medicine http://www.nlm.nih.gov/grants.html • Other Organizations • Library Grants blog: http://librarygrants.blogspot.com/ • Foundation Center: http://foundationcenter.org

7. Grant Publications • Grants for Libraries • Grants for Libraries and Information Services • National Guide to Funding for Libraries & Information Services • Fundraising for Libraries: 25 Proven Ways to Get More Money for Your Library

8. NN/LM New England Region Health Information Outreach Subcontracts

9. NNLM-NER Health Information Outreach Subcontracts FormalProposal 12-18 months Up to $25,000

10. NNLM-NER Subcontracts • RFP annually in Fall • Contact Associate Director with intent • Develop relationships with collaborators • Research and write proposal • Get letters of support • Submit proposal

11. Technical evaluation criteria Scoring • Identification of need, geographic area, description of target group (35 points) • Methodology/ technical approach (35 point) • Experience and facilities of the respondent and supporting documentation (30 points)

12. Review of subcontracts • Review by Outreach Review Committee • Review by National Network Office • Funding is determined

13. Yale/New Haven Public Library Consumer Health Information Center

14. University of VermontVermont Cooperative Consumer Health Information Project

15. Tufts University Health Sciences Library Selected Patient Information Resources in Asian Languages (SPIRAL)

16. Rhode Island Multitype Library Outreach for Health Information

17. Massachusetts General HospitalAccess to Resources for Consumer Health (ARCH)

18. JSI Center for Environmental Health Studies: Informed Communities Environmental Health Initiative

19. Franklin Community Health Network Medical Library Outreach Project

20. Northern New Hampshire Health Information Outreach ProjectLittleton Regional Hospital

21. NN/LM New England Region Outreach and Community Engagement

22. NNLM-NER Express Outreach Outreach Community Engagement • Smaller in scope than subcontract • Short term (12 months or less) • Maximum funding: $10,000

23. NN/LM NER Express Outreach Outreach Community Engagement • Application requirements • Brief proposal with detailed budget • Must include goals, objectives, description of collaborators, intended outcomes and evaluation plan

24. Holyoke Consumer Health Library

25. Massachusetts College of PharmacyKids to College

26. Healthy Choices (Stamford Hospital, CT)

27. NNLM-NER Express Outreach Course Development Proposal instructions: Cover sheet, brief proposal with description of intended audience and need for the course; statement describing each module; goals; outline of plans; CVs of personnel; detailed budget with narrative justification Allowable expenses: Personnel; supplies; material production (video, workbooks, handouts); communications; facility rental; equipment or software needed to develop / teach the course Maximum funding: $10,000

28. World Education Health literacy tutorial http://healthliteracy.worlded.org/docs/tutorial/SWF/flashcheck/main.htm

29. NNLM-NER Express Outreach Exhibits and Promotion of Health Information Services Proposal instructions: Cover sheet; name and description of venue; dates, location and estimated attendance; rationale for selecting the group; CVs of exhibit staff; budget and narrative justification Allowable expenses: Registration, travel, publicity, booth rental, shipping, electricity and phone lines; equipment rental Maximum award: $2,000

30. Exhibit Award • Lowell General Hospital (Lowell, MA) for the Massachusetts Health Sciences Library Network (MAHSLIN) Public Service Announcement to Promote Medical Libraries • World Education (Boston, MA) Exhibit at the National Conference on Family Literacy

31. NN/LM Technology Awareness Program Award Proposal instructions: Goals and objectives; rationale for plan; detailed outline; audience and geographic area; numbers of participants; date and event; promotional plan; evaluation plan; personnel; facility/resources Allowable expenses: Honoraria and travel, publicity, equipment rental, videotaping of the program; communication; phone lines for demos; facility rental; electricity Maximum funding: $10,000

32. Technology Awareness Award • Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA) for the Massachusetts Health Sciences Library Network (MAHSLIN)MASHLIN Technology Day • Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA) for the Massachusetts Health Sciences Library Network (MAHSLIN)New Models of Medicine in the Electronic Age: From Practice to Publishing • North Country Health Consortium and New Hampshire AHEC Telehealth New Hampshire (June 14-15, 2004) • University of Connecticut Health Sciences Library (Farmington, CT) Consumer Health Conference, Networking & Technology

33. Other NER awards • Electronic Document Delivery • Internet Connectivity • Visiting library

34. The Proposal

35. Getting Started • Start early • Be clear about your reasons • Have a plan: don’t “chase the money” • Form a working group • Review the RFP written guidelines • Submit a Letter of Intent • Letter is not binding • Provide: Name, Institution, Date • Pay attention to any deadlines Contact us if you need any assistance

36. Before the Proposal • Gather background information on the need to be addressed • Identify project needs • Staffing • Equipment • Supplies • Sketch a rough draft of the budget • Determine who will write the proposal

37. Tips on Writing • Make a cohesive argument • Always remember your plan • Avoid excessive jargon • Think of the reviewer • No unnecessary information • Revise • Have someone else read the proposal • Edit • Show your enthusiasm, belief in the project

38. Sections of the Proposal Summary Need Budget Plan Method Evaluate

39. Summary Statement • Starts with a summary of the proposal. • Answer: who, what, how, how much • Why is there a need? • What are you going to do to solve this need? • Also known as an executive summary

40. Population/Geographic Area • Identify target group • Identify geographic area • Use background data (examples, statistics) • Be as specific as possible: • Demographics • Socioeconomic data • Census information- Populations http://www.census.gov • Statement of need • We are so needy/poor that…

41. Identification of Need • How do you know there is a need? • Research your/other organizations’ efforts • What is being done currently? • Did it work? • What has been done in the past? • How will your project be different? • How will the project address that need?

42. Goal and Objectives • What do you want to accomplish? • List goal and objectives to reach goal • Goal: Increase teenagers’ use of MedlinePlus • Objectives: • Publicize MedlinePlus in Winston High School newspaper • Conduct MedlinePlus presentations at Winston High School • Conduct MedlinePlus training classes at Paco Public Library targeting teenagers • Use action words: increase, reduce, expand

43. Methodology / Approach • Provide rationale for the stated objectives and plan of work for achieving them • Include any experience with methodology, areas of anticipated difficulties or unusual circumstances Schedule/ timeline: Provide an activity based timeline corresponding to objectives

44. Publicity / Promotion • What is your plan for publicity? • Publications, flyers, newspaper, radio? • Web site? • Exhibiting? • Tagging on to existing programming?

45. Personnel • Identify all project personnel • Include a narrative summary of qualifications as they relate to the statement of work and project responsibilities • Evidence of the project prinicipal’s ability to handle a project of similar scope

46. Establish Baseline Data • How will you determine “starting point”? • Baseline data allows you to determine success or failure of the project • Does not need to be completed prior to submission of proposal • Baseline questionnaire • e.g. "What websites do you use to find health information?”

47. Facilities/Institutional Support • Describe the organization/institution • What makes your organization unique? • Describe services or facilities • Detail any support provided by partner organizations, library, university etc. • Any other source of funding • Letters of support

48. Evaluation • Must be measurable and quantifiable • Use baseline data • Evaluate each goal and objective • Outreach and Evaluation Research Center (OERC) http://nnlm.gov/evaluation • Measuring the Difference • Planning and Evaluating Health Information Outreach Projects

49. Continuation of Activities • Will the project be continued after period of funding ends? • Indicates recipient’s belief in the project • What will be done with the information gathered during the project? • Important to foundations, non-profit organizations, private funders

50. The Budget