Introduction to Grants & GRANT proposal writing

1. Introduction to Grants & GRANT proposal writing a presentation by the Indiana University GradGrants Center Esen Gokpinar-Shelton Proposal Development Consultant September 8, 2018

2. Agenda • What are grants? • How do we map and locate grants? • What are some of the key tips before drafting a proposal? • How do we write winning grants?

3. What are Grants? • Grants (or fellowships) are forms of monetary funding given by an organization, such as a governmental or academic institution, for a particular purpose • Grants can help you: • Earn a graduate degree • Conduct major research projects • Fund conference travel • Obtain language proficiency • Complete a pre-dissertation research • Complete your dissertation in a timely manner Grants add lines to your CV and help you to develop a professional persona, serving as stepping stones to reaching your long-term goals

4. HOW DO WE MAP GRANTS? • Define your long-term goals • M.A.  Job OR M.A.  Ph.D. • Ph.D. Job out of academia OR Ph.D. Job in academia • Identify skills that move you toward these goals • Advancing language proficiency • Conducting independent fieldwork • Gaining professional experience in a foreign setting • Gaining teaching experience • Find grants to help you build these skills

5. Use Signposts for mapping • Coursework • Pre-dissertation research • Prospectus/proposal • Qualifying exams • Dissertation research • Fieldwork? Archives? Lab work? • Dissertation write-up • Graduation (post doc opportunities)

6. Match Funding types to signposts COURSEWORK RESEARCH, WRITING Fellowships (largely external) Travel Conferences Workshops LONG-TERM Research Equipment and other research expenses Dissertation completion support Q U A L I F Y I N G E X A M S • Fellowships (largely internal) • Scholarships • Teaching and graduate assistantships (SAA) • Travel grants • Conferences • Workshops • Short-term research (usually in summer)

7. Chart out a plan

8. Internal vs. external grants INTERNAL AWARDS EXTERNAL AWARDS Monies that come into the university from outside Fulbright; Social Science Research Council; National Institutes of Health; National Science Foundation; etc. Advantages: major dollar amounts, more prestigious than internal awards Disadvantages: often highly competitive, time-consuming • Monies distributed within the university system • GPSG; OVPIA; CAHI; COAS; Departments, schools, colleges • Advantages: often less competitive, experience-building, make you attractive to future funders • Disadvantages: usually small in dollar amount

9. HOW CAN we LOCATE INTERNAL GRANTS? SMALL TRAVEL/RESEARCH AWARDS: • GPSG Travel/Research Award (up to $500 & $1,000) • OVPIA International Engagement Grant (up to $1,000) • OVPIA Summer Pre-dissertation Travel Grants (up to $2,000) • IUPUI Travel Awards (up to $1,000) LEADERSHIP, SERVICE, DIVERSITY AWARDS: • Wells Graduate Fellowship ($42,000) • President’s Diversity Dissertation Fellowship ($25,000) For more internal grant opportunities, see: http://graduate.indiana.edu/admissions/financial-support/fellowships-awards/index.shtml https://graduate.iupui.edu/admissions/financial-support/fellowships-awards/index.html

10. HOW CAN we LOCATE external GRANTS? • Talk to more advanced students and your advisor/faculty • What kinds of awards do students in your program/field tend to apply for? • What/who has been funded in recent years? • What are the current trends in the funding landscape? • Do research online • Search databases • Community of Science (COS) Pivot • University of Illinois Fellowship Finder • George Mason University Fellowship Opportunities page

11. Use Funding Search Engine to find funding and sign up to receive alerts to receive relevant grants • Free for IU students • Find a funding match by location, fields of interest, types of support, geographic focus • Instantly view matching faculty from inside or outside IU. • https://pivot.cos.com

12. Use Funding Search Engine to find funding and sign up to receive alerts to receive relevant grants • https://www.grad.illinois.edu/fellowship/

13. Use Funding Search Engine to find funding and sign up to receive alerts to receive relevant grants • Find links to opportunities related to dissertation research and completion. • Find lists of the most common fellowship programs & opportunities divided by focus or field. • http://gradfellows.gmu.edu/fellowship-opportunities/

14. KEY TIPS BEFORE DRAFTING A PROPOSAL

15. Who is funding the grant/fellowship? Mission statements, key words, expected results, types of candidates • NSF: To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense; and for other purposes. NSF envisions a nation that capitalizes on new concepts in science and engineering and provides global leadership in advancing research and education. • NIH: To seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. • Ford Fellowship: increasing ethnic and racial diversity in faculties, in educational benefits, and in the education of all students

16. What is the type of funding? • The funder may offer multiple funding programs so read descriptions carefully! Fellowship, dissertation funding, research, etc. Based on funding program, you must consider: • The deadline (is it feasible?) • Funding amount (is it enough?) • Eligibility requirements (Are you eligible? What is the level of experience expected/required?)

17. What are the regulations for selection? • Fellowship funds are available for: • Educational expenses • Living expenses • Dependent child care • Travel to professional meetings, conferences, or seminars, as long as it does not exceed 10 percent of the fellowship • International Fellowship funds are NOT available for • Purchase of equipment • Indirect costs • Research assistants • Previous expenditures, deficits, or repayment of loans • Publication costs • Institutional (overhead) costs • Tuition for dependent’s education • Travel to or from a fellow’s home country • Travel to or from the fellow’s research location, if abroad

18. What types of projects has the grant funded in the past? • Quantitative or qualitative? • Theory building or policymaking? • Which disciplines?

19. Who are the reviewers? • Know your audience! • Disciplinary audience (experts in your field)? • Topical audience? • Community experts? • Educated but layman audience?

20. Grant proposals As PERSUASIVE WRITING

21. Typical Structure of a Grant Proposal The structure of grant proposal sections varies across each funding agency. • Cover sheet • Table of contents • Project summary (abstract) • Project description • Budget and budget justification • Facilities, equipment, and resources • References • Appendix

22. Grant Applications to VERY Different Funding Agencies are Very Similar

23. The Major Points/Rhetorical moves Every Proposal Should Address

24. What we will learn as the result of the proposed project Research Questions: • WHAT do you wish to accomplish? • As with goals, is the question S.M.A.R.T.? Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound • Avoid a long list • Three usually suffice • Bullet, number, or use formatting to highlight the different questions

25. Why is it worth knowing? Literature Review: • Not all grants require full literature reviews, but almost all require that you show knowledge of your field • Who else has asked questions similar to yours? • What did they find? • What didn’t they look into? • Where does your work build off of and add to previous scholarship? • What is the broader significance of your work to people outside your specific area/discipline? • This is the place to cite secondary sources

26. Why is it worth knowing? Significance & Broader Impacts: • Re-address the significance of the project • Why is it important to you? • Career development • “I will do X upon finishing my grant” • Why is it important to scholarship in and out of your field? • tests an important theory • moves toward policy change • fills a hole in the literature • advances human knowledge • helps us rethink an everyday concept • Why is it important to funders? • helps fulfill their explicit mission of • advancing theory • promoting mutual understanding, etc. • How is your project innovative?

27. How we will know that the conclusions are valid Methodology & Timeline: • Amount of detail depends on the specific grant • Links methods explicitly to research questions • Why is a particular method the best way to answer a particular question (which helps you to elicit answers that speak to the central issue in the project)? • Addresses feasibility • Think carefully about time frame, personal skillset, environment, any likely obstacles (e.g., internet access) • Often includes a timeline for project • e.g., “From January to March, I will conduct fifteen semi-structured interviews with . . .” • “The first phase of my project . . .”

28. Why you should be the one to conduct the research Researcher’s Qualification: • Coursework • What kinds of courses have you taken (theory, methods, etc.)? • How has that coursework prepared you for this specific research project? • Previous research on topic • When and where have you been for previous research related to this project? • What did you learn? • How will you build on these previous experiences? • In-country contacts and affiliations • Name-drop if you can • Language training (if applicable) • “I have a [high-advanced] proficiency in Mandarin” • What can you do (research-wise) with your language?

29. Writing as a cultural process • Use direct, clear language (readable/skimmable) • Bold, italic, and bullet points help readers navigate • Signposts (“This project will address xxx from the perspective of yyy and qqq, in order to demonstrate aaaaa.”) • Concise writing isn’t necessarily brief, but economical. We often get carried away with redundancies and verbose language. Find a good balance. Don’t make your writing choppy. • Avoid jargon • “Critical theory seeks to problematize the hegemonic reification of oppressed stratified social constructs.” • Repeat main objective/question and its importance • Have a singular, feasible plan drawing on personal strengths/training

30. Other general tips

31. Seek Feedback • Circulate your proposal for feedback • ADVISORS, colleagues, friends, GGC, past winners of this fellowship • Choose readers in accordance with particular grant (e.g., NSF vs. Fulbright) • Account for lots of time to review longer proposals (especially during summer) • Try explaining to others (orally) what the project will accomplish and why it’s important • Remember: critical feedback is good feedback • Write and re-write based on the various critiques you receive

32. Utilize the gradgrants Center! • In-person appointments • Email gradgrnt@indiana.edu • Provide GGC with draft materials 48 hours in advance of consultation • Brainstorming, drafting, editing grant proposals • Either in-person or electronically via email or Skype • Searches for external (non-IU) funding opportunities • ”Mapping” funding for your graduate career