GRANTS 101

1. GRANTS 101 Graduate Studies and Research

2. What is a grant? • A grant is a conveyance of funds with terms and conditions attached. • A grant can be used for… • Research, curriculum development, demonstration, training, equipment, fellowships, and more

3. The grants process: • Starts with an idea • Matches idea with a funding source • Application • Develop a detailed plan (Proposal Narrative) • Develop a budget from the plan • Submit grant proposal • Receive award • Implement the plan • Reporting & closeout

4. Who will fund my idea? • The federal government: www.grants.gov • The state of Maryland • A private foundation • Corporations

5. How do I get a grant? • STEP 1: Conduct a funding search: • Grants bulletins • SPIN/SMARTS/Genius database • SU News – grant announcement • Faculty research and scholarly interest database (under construction)

6. How do I get a grant? • STEP 2: Find the right grant • The guidelines – Request for Proposal (RFP) • Eligibility • Meeting the funder’s priorities: does your idea fit the funder’s priorities? • Dollar amounts: how much money do they have? • Is there a match/cost share? • The deadline: is it realistic?

7. Questions every proposal should answer: • Why is the project needed? • How will your organization or agency meet that need? • How will the project be carried out? • Where will it take place? • Who will mange the project? • Who will benefit from the grant? • How much will the project cost? • What time is required to complete project and evaluate the results? • What makes your project unique? • What makes your solution to the problem or need effective? • What does your organization or collaboration bring to the project?

8. The elements of a proposal are: • Abstract • Project narrative • Budget and budget narrative • Curriculum vitae • Certifications and assurances • Appendices

9. Preparing the Project Narrative An effective project narrative should clearly demonstrate that your approach is relevant or innovative and describe how your program is in alignment with the funders’ goals.

10. The abstract or summary includes: • Description of your mission • Applicant identification • Purpose of the grant (needs or problem address) • Project plan • Anticipated result • Your qualifications • Amount requested

11. The project narrative includes: • Problem or needs statement • Goals and objectives • Activities (methodology) • Management plan • Evaluation • Sustainability • Dissemination plan

12. The needs statement should: • Describe the need that the project will address • Use evidence to support the claim that the needs are critical and discuss current efforts and research in the field • Use statistical data, if appropriate • Demonstrate that your approach is creative or innovative • Describe how your program “fits” with the funders’ priorities

13. Clearly-stated goals should: • Convey the ultimate intent of the proposed project, the overarching philosophy • Include a concise statement of the purpose of the project • Include at least one or two goals

14. Clearly-stated objectives should: • Use action-oriented descriptions: • “increase” “identify” “improve” • Discuss who is going to do what, when they will do it and how it will be measured • Be time sensitive and quantifiable • Be arranged in order of priority

15. Methodology: how will I implement the plan? • Success is contingent upon proving the validity and relevancy of the project. Your plan should… • Include as many details as possible • Describe the activities as they relate to the objectives • Prove to be sound, valid and relevant • Explain how the activities will be conducted • Include a timeline • Explain the use of facilities and other resources

16. The management plan should consider: • Key personnel • Highlight expertise of all key personnel • Include experience on other grant projects • Indicate responsibilities and level of effort • Institutional qualifications • Highlight institutions' capabilities • Include information on fiscal grants management • Describe facilities that would support project

17. The evaluation should consider: • Who will conduct the evaluation? • What is to be evaluated? • What are the methods of evaluation • What evidence will you provide to show the success of your plan? • Include an appendix which describes record-keeping, surveys and assessments

18. Sustainability - continuing the project: • What resources will you need? • What resources are available? • Staffing • Travel • Participants • Other costs

19. How will I report my activities and results? • A dissemination plan is of key importance to the funding agency! Some things to consider are… • Results to be reported • How the results or product will be distributed • Professional journals • Publications of books, chapters or monographs • Conference presentation • CDs or DVDs

20. Preparing the Budget OMB Circular A-21 – Rules and Regulations for Colleges and Universities state that the budget should be: Reasonable • Allocable • Consistent

21. The budget should consider: • Personnel • Fringe benefits • Travel • Equipment • Participant-support costs • Other direct costs • Materials and supplies • Publication/duplication costs • Consultants • Sub-awards, • Other costs • F&A/indirect costs • Total costs • SU institutional support

22. Personnel & fringe benefits: Personnel includes: Fringe benefits include: • Salisbury University • Faculty • Staff • Graduate and undergraduate students • Social Security • Unemployment • Retirement • Health care

23. Travel expenses include: • Travel expenses for persons working directly on the project: • Local travel • Domestic travel • International travel • Be sure to follow sponsor guidelines regarding travel, and contact us if you have questions!

24. Equipment: • The federal government uses $5,000 as the cap. • In most cases, the institution retains the title to the equipment at the end of the grant.

25. Participant support costs: • Costs related to external participants may include: • Stipends for K- 12 teachers • Tuition for K- 12 teachers • Human subject payment • Travel for teachers • Room and board for non-SU students

26. Other direct costs may include: • Materials and supplies • Includes books, lab supplies, software, etc. • Consultants • Should be named in the narrative • Sub-award • An organization you are working with • Publication/ dissemination/duplication • Other costs could include • Long distance phone calls, IT costs, food, etc.

27. F & A indirect costs include: • Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs are a previously negotiated percentage of the direct costs that will be charged to the grant. • These costs cannot be easily identified readily or specifically with a particular project or activity.

28. Institutional support: • Cost Sharing includes: • Cash or in-kind donations • Donated goods or services • Donated time from faculty or volunteers • Matching: • Your department picks up the cost for something related to the project

29. Application and submission checklist: • The proposal is readable and neat • Sections are easily identified • Table of Contents is accurate • Required number of copies have been submitted • Deadline has been met

30. Award Administration Award notice components: Award amount Project term Key personnel Terms and conditions of awards

31. You are not alone. We can assist with: • Grant setup • Program and budget review • Responsibilities of the Principal Investigator (PI) or Project Director • Startup plan • Compliance issues and regulations …Follow your proposal – It’s a plan!

32. Administering the grant: • PI Responsibilities and ownership - the keys to success: • Communication • Active involvement • Timeliness • Documentation

33. Spending the money: All expenditures related to grant activities come to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research for budget approval and processing.

34. Sometimes the best plans… …don’t turn out as expected. • Did you over-promise or underestimate? • Did you encounter unexpected personnel issues? • Are there unforeseen budget issues? • Is the program unrealistic?

35. If you find you can’t deliver as promised: • STOP • Don’t panic! Contact the Office of Graduate Studies and Research right away, so we can help you work out a plan to get you back on track.

36. Modifications might include: • Budget modifications • No-cost extensions (extend the length of the project with no additional funding) • Key personnel changes

37. The reporting & closeout process: • Internal reports, interim reports, and annual reports • Project ends and expenditure activity • Record retention • Project audit

38. See how easy that was? • Are you ready to reapply or look for larger amounts of funding? • Use the resources from your grant to match to new funding or for re-application.

39. Graduate Studies & Research Contact us if you have questions: Ginger Steelman: 410-677-5485 Beth Walsh: 410-546-2399