Advanced Grantsmanship

1. Advanced Grantsmanship There is no grantsmanship that will turn a bad idea into a good one, but there are many ways to disguise a good idea. Norman Braverman National Institutes of Health

2. What keeps us from writing grant proposals? Fear of Rejection

3. Fear of Rejection Reality: Only one proposal in 5 is turned down because the idea wasn’t good enough. Reality: A rejected proposal is worth about $10,000 of free advice. Reality: The success rate is higher for proposals submitted a second time. Reality: The success rate on a third submission is almost 1:1.

4. Not Enough Time Writing is like an Olympic event and requires constant practice to maintain proficiency. Write every day at a regular time in the same place for at least 20 minutes and permit no distractions. If you don’t sit there every day, you will never learn to do it.

5. Just Do It! Make the time. Writing becomes easier every day.

6. Keys to Success Innovation and creativity are important. Something totally new and different! How do you create creativity? Calling the funding agency Program Officer is the single most important thing you can do. 85% of all successful grant seekers have had contact with the program officer.

7. The grant-seeking process is never wasted effort. You cannot get a grant unless you write a grant application. The process is professionally fulfilling. The process requires that you focus your thoughts and clarify your ideas. Armed with the reviewers’ comments, the second proposal is always stronger.

8. Getting Started Start out small and build a track record. Look at Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. In our work, there are often institutional grants for training and infrastructure projects, supplemental grants (at NSF these have a 50% funding rate), and new investigator/project director programs.

9. Key Elements of Effective Grant Writing The quality of the idea and its appeal to the funding source. Your ability to communicate that idea clearly, concisely, and persuasively.

10. A good idea. A good institutional fit. Assemble a winning team. Match the idea to a sponsor’s interests. Read the Guidelines. Read them again. 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. The Process

11. The Idea An idea is something that only exists in your mind. Your task is to present the idea in a fundable proposal. Start by taking a vague idea and identify a specific problem or need associated with it.

12. Finding a Funding Source See the Research Division’s Opportunity Update www.research.vt.edu/funding/ou/update.html#opps Foundation Finder http://lnp.fdncenter.org/finder.html Grants.gov www.grants.gov Community of Science www.cos.com

13. Federal Are you eligible? Can you meet match, if required? How many funded? How much money? Change to meet guidelines? Private Institutional advancement? Geographic limits? Who do they fund? Dollar range? Type of project? Interest, but no grants? Change to meet priorities? Do they have staff? Is it the Right Grant?

14. 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?

15. 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.

16. Concept Paper 2-4 pages (typical) Highlights only Pre-proposal 5 pages (typical) Reviewed Invited to submit full proposal Full Proposal From 10-40 pages (typical) Forms Attachments Specific format Curriculum Proposal Faculty involvement Advisory committee Types of Grant Applications

17. The Next Step after Reading the Guidelines

18. Call the Program Officer!

19. Things to Consider “You’re off the hook. In order to have a conflict of interest, you must have an interest in the first place.”

20. Conflict of Interest? Human Subjects? Animal Subjects? Recombinant DNA? Due Date - Received or Postmarked? Page Limit(s) Spacing Page Numbering Margin Requirements Font Requirement Letters of Support Group Projects - Gantt Chart http://www.osp.vt.edu/forms.html Issues to Consider Before You Write

21. Write to the funding source. Write in the correct language of the field, but no jargon. Never write in the first person. Emphasize clarity. Observe the 5 Ws. Write to inform; don’t use language that is biased. Write to persuade, using only current data from reputable sources. Establish your credibility by excluding unsubstantiated opinions. Appropriate Writing Style

22. It is a detailed operational plan for accomplishing a specified set of measurable goals and objectives. A Grant Application is Not an Idea. . .

23. Title 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 Parts of a Grant Application

24. The Title The title is important. It should succinctly convey what the project is about. The title is often used to assign the application to a specific review group based on its content.

25. Abstract Must stand alone since it may be the only portion of the proposal read by the reviewers. It must be of publishable quality since many funders will use this in various reports of their funded projects. Clear, concise, one page (or less), single spaced. Avoid the first person. Do not refer to proposal in the abstract. The abstract must stand on its own. Cover all key elements of the proposal in their order of appearance in the main body of the proposal. Use a clincher, and never exceed the word limit.

26. Need or Problem Statement Why is this proposal of such compelling significance that it demands funding now? Assemble a “case,” embodying both a need or problem statement and later in the proposal, a concrete specific plan to address that need. Use compelling, current data and show trends over time if possible. Write this from the funding agency’s point of view, not though the lens of your own need.

27. The Task You Face The needs statement must be powerful and compelling. You must demonstrate that you understand the need and can help solve the problem. You must, using evidence, prove the need in a formal, logical way. Numerical data is often best presented by illustrating with graphs and charts. You must demonstrate that the need is pressing and how, specifically, your project will address the problem and what gaps will it fill.

28. Framing the Need Don’t assume that no one else has ever thought of your idea. The needs statement establishes an integrating framework for the project’s goals, objectives, methods, and evaluation. Provide a thorough explanation of your under-standing of the need by testing assumptions, anticipating the questions of others, and incorporating the proposal guidelines into your analysis. Begin with a framing statement then provide documentation as you logically build your case.

29. 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? Is there evidence that this project will lead to other significant studies/projects? What previous work has been done to meet this need? Was it effective? What will be the impact of this study/project? Questions to Ask

30. Example “Children are exhibiting violent and disruptive behavior.”

31. Check Your Assumptions

32. Improve this statement by: Clarifying the assumptions. Anticipating the questions.

33. Funded Needs Statement The harsh truth is that growing numbers of children in America are exhibiting violent and disruptive behavior or externalizing behavior beyond the occasional minor incidents typical of most children during the normal course of development.Such behavior has become one of the most pressing issues facing our schools.

34. Dissecting a Needs Statement The first phrase states the need, or, the problem. The second phrase then clarifies the problem by defining both the target problem behavior and what is normal. This problem statement then posits that this is a pressing need which is hopefully the need the funder wishes to address.

35. Documenting the Needs Statement Your documentation needs to be rooted in factual information and must directly support your initial problem statement. Your documentation or literature review ought to demonstrate that you know what’s going on in the field, I.e., what the basic, important, and emerging issues are. Use national and local data to demonstrate that the local problem is also a national one.

36. Cite current literature including 6 to 10 key references. One or 2 of the works should be yours or your collaborators, if possible. Cite, as well, key informants (experts) and case studies. Objective Statistics Surveys Focus groups Relevant graphs and charts Other objective evidence appropriate to the subject matter. Documentation

37. 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.”

38. Current Statistics No. of students and teachers attacked each month No. who worry about safety No. eligible for special services re serious deportment problems References Impact of behavior on individuals Relationship to problems in post-school functioning 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? What Was Used to Prove the Need?

39. How Would You Document Your Problem Statement?

40. Organizing and Writing the Problem Statement Begin with 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’s goals and objectives.

41. Ending a Needs Statement Emphasize the significance of the project: What will be the result? What impact will it have? Will the impact continue past the expected end of this grant? You may wish to present your project as a model. Always address the priorities of the funding agency. If there is an evidentiary basis for doing so, you may wish to forecast the usefulness and importance of the results. Don’t count chickens!

42. Goals and Objectives

43. Appropriotic (uh PRO pree ah tick): Adj. Of or pertaining to the penchant to overuse the word “appropriate” in a proposal when the guidelines call for measurable objectives and outcomes and the principal investigator hasn’t the foggiest idea what to do.

44. The Goals 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…”

45. A Well Thought-Out Project: Will have: • one or two goals; • several objectives related to the goals; • many methodological steps to achieve each objective.

46. Objectives The objectives state the essence of the proposed work in terms of what will be accomplished. Create the objectives by breaking the goal(s) down into specific measurable pieces, the outcomes of which can be measured to determine actual accomplishments.

47. Objectives Objectives discuss who is going to do what, when they will do it, and how it will be measured. Objectives discuss desired end results of the project, but not how those results will be accomplished. Objectives are action oriented and often begin with a verb. Arrange the objectives in priority order. In a research proposal the objectives are the tests of the hypotheses.

48. Which is an Objective? Our goal is getting people from Indiana and Kentucky to interact to improve the economy. A. To construct a bridge over the Ohio River. B. To improve trade (what) within five years (when) between residents of southern Indiana and northern Kentucky (who) as measured by each state’s economic development indicators related to interstate commerce (measure).

49. O.K., Mr. Smarty-Pants! If the correct answer is “B,” then what, exactly, is “A?” That’s right! Building the bridge is the method via which we plan to achieve the objective, and via this and the attainment of the other objectives, to reach the project’s overall goal(s).

50. Methodology: The “How”