Proposal Writing Workshop New College of Florida

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Proposal Writing WorkshopNew College of Florida

• Janet Stocks. Associate Academic Dean
• Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, OH

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Introductions and Goals

• Name
• Discipline
• Research interest
• History of grants?
• Expectations for this workshop

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Janet Stocks

• Sociologist
• Associate Academic Dean Baldwin-Wallace College
• 8 years as Director of the Undergraduate Research
  Office at Carnegie Mellon University
• Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) member
  since 1998
• National Conferences on Undergraduate Research
  (NCUR) Board of Governors Chair
• CUR Proposal Writing Institute facilitator since
  2000
• Grant history
• Major NSF grant
• Multiple local foundation grants (Heinz
  Endowments, Cleveland Foundation)
• Several corporate foundation grants (Alcoa,
  Intel, Motorola, Merck)

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Workshop structure

• This morning
• Basics of getting started
• Defining a research agenda
• Feasibility and resource needs
• Investigating funding opportunities
• Working with your Research Programs and Services
  Office
• What are funding agencies looking for?
• Building a relationship with the Program Officer
• The proposal as narrative
• Involving undergraduates in your research
• Submitting a proposal

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Workshop Structure (cont.)

• Divisional groups
• Individual Research interests and goals
• Advice from experienced grant writers in your
  Division
• How to critique each others work
• Setting goals for the next month / next six
  months
• Budgets 101
• Natural Sciences Monday 130 5
• Social Sciences Tuesday 9 1230
• Humanities Tuesday 130 5

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Basics of getting started

• Defining a research agenda
• Your interests and previous work
• Your credentials
• Resources available to you
• Needs of your institution
• Opportunities in your discipline
• Integration of research and education
• Possible collaborators
• Promotion and tenure requirements

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Basics of getting started

• Determining feasibility and need
• Time
• Equipment / resources
• Availability of research assistants
• Investigating funding opportunities
• Match with research agenda
• Match with financial need
• Institutional relationships with funding agencies
• Look at previously-funded proposals
• E.g. Selby Foundation

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Funding sources

• Institutional
• Setup and seed funds for junior faculty
• Summer stipends
• Other internal funds (New College Foundation)?
• National Foundations
• Public NSF, NIH, NEH, DOE, etc.
• Private Research Corp., PRF, Gates, Ford,
  Lilly, etc.
• Local Foundations
• E.g. Sarasota Community Foundation, Gulf Coast
  Community Foundation of Venice, and the Selby
  Foundation
• Local Corporations
• E.g. Publix
• Disciplinary societies

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Working with your Research Programs and Services
Office

• Jeanne Ware and Nicole van der Berg
• Resources
• Requirements

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What are funding agencies looking for?

• Research that meets the agencys goals
• Eligibility of institution and investigator
• Appropriateness of research to the discipline
• Does it address a novel question / approach?
• Might it lead to a an important breakthrough?
• Is it well focused and feasible?
• Budget
• Timeline
• Resources

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What are funding agencies looking for?

• Credentials of investigator
• Resources of institution
• Assessment
• Dissemination
• Sustainability

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Building a relationship with the Program Officer

• Figuring out who the program officer is
• E.g. NSF, NEH
• Making initial contact
• Check with your Research Programs and Services
  Office
• Preliminary proposal?
• Abstract?
• In person?
• Striking a balance between your interests and the
  goals and requirements of the funding agency
• Understand review process, funding rates
• Copies of previously-funded proposals

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Break
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The proposal as narrative preliminary

• Audience
• Specialists?
• Generalists?
• What does granting agency want to accomplish?
• Reality of proposal review (dont give them
  reasons to dismiss your proposal)
• Purpose of proposal
• To persuade funding agency
• To clarify your thinking / methods and plan
• To demonstrate scholarship to your institution

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The proposal as narrative rhetorical needs

• Exposition
• Clarity
• Conciseness
• Coherence
• Persuasion
• Organization
• Logical bridges
• Credentialing
• Accuracy

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The proposal as narrative structure

• Overview / abstract
• Literature review
• Identification of research question
• Methods
• Pilot data / Preliminary Work
• Credentials of investigators
• Budget
• Supporting documents

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The proposal as narrative writing strategies

• Outline
• Outline
• Outline
• Peer review
• Specialist
• Generalist
• Reviewers (resubmission)
• Multiple Drafts

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Involving undergraduates in your research

• Why?
• Potent form of teaching / learning
• In some disciplines need for bodies / hands
• Low cost / low stakes
• Fresh perspectives / enthusiasm
• Expectations of institution
• How?
• Small piece of larger project
• Exploratory research
• Student-proposed project

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Involving undergraduates in your research

• Explaining within grant proposal
• Some granting agencies will expect this
• Others might need to be convinced that
  undergraduates are capable of conducting
  meaningful research
• Good conversation to have with program officer
• Student involvement must advance research, not
  just be an educational experience for them
• NCF ISP and thesis requirements demonstrate a
  culture of undergraduate research which can help
  to make the argument
• Council on Undergraduate research
• Multiple resources to support this activity
  www.cur.org

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Submitting a proposal

• Be sure to read RFP / funding announcement
  multiple times before submission
• Adhere to it in detail and without exception
• Pay particular attention to eligibility, award
  size, format, page length, font size, etc.
• Deadlines received or postmarked?
• Submission hard copy (and number of copies) or
  electronic?
• Supplementary materials, signatures, etc.
• Coordinate with Research Programs and Services
  Office

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Questions / Discussion

• ?

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Lunch
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Divisional Workshops
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Your research plans

• Topic / research question
• Thoughts on funding sources
• Previous work in this area?
• Previous grants?

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Your local experts

• Successful grant-writers from New College share
  their experiences and advice

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Creating peer support for your grant-writing
efforts

• Importance of critique
• Structure of CUR PWI
• How we will use the rest of our time today
• Creating a structure for ongoing support

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The benefits of peer critique

• Who
• Someone who knows your discipline (a specialist)
• Someone who doesnt (a generalist)
• What
• A fresh/objective perspective
• Discussion of/clarification of ideas
• Additional literature suggestion
• Remember we are often better at evaluating other
  peoples work than our own

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Benefits to you of critiquing others proposals

• Youll likely learn something you didnt already
  know
• It will help you get perspective on the structure
  of a proposal
• You can get some good ideas about how to present
  arguments
• You can feel that youre part of an intellectual
  community

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The attitude of a peer critique

• Constructive criticism (be supportive, not
  brutal)
• Attempt to paraphrase main points (to see if they
  are clear)
• Dialogue /Ask questions for clarification
• Suggest additional literature
• Probe for methodological details
• Point out gaps

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What to critique

• Content of proposal
• Research question/ statement of the problem/
  program objectives
• Significance of research question
• Existing state of the field and gaps (literature)
• Methods
• Expected products/ outcomes/ contribution
• Assessment/ dissemination
• Intended audience
• Is this the right funding agency for this
  proposal?
• Does the proposal address the agencys needs?
• Has the researcher made appropriate contact with
  the agency?

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What to critique (cont.)

• Presentation
• Is the writing clear and concise?
• Is the readers interest engaged throughout?
• Are you persuaded that this is worth funding?
• Are all the elements presented logically and
  consistently?
• Are there appropriate transitions between
  concepts and sections?
• Does the writer present appropriate credentials?

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How to deliver a critique

• Remember that this is not YOUR proposal (dont
  expect that all your suggestions will be taken)
• Your opinion is valuable, but assume that the
  proposal author knows a lot too

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How to receive a critique

• Be flattered that the person took the time to
  take your proposal seriously
• Take all feedback into consideration but make
  choices based on what YOU believe is best
• Come back to the feedback a day or two later and
  consider it again

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Pair up, set goals

• Next 45 minutes
• Pairs or threesomes
• Discuss details of your grant plans
• How far along are you in developing your ideas?
• Have you done preliminary research?
• Do you know of a funding agency that would be a
  good fit?
• When would you like to commence your research?
• What kind of support would you like from your
  colleagues?
• Develop timeline for your work and for getting
  together again to discuss your progress and
  critique proposal drafts

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Break
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Budgets 101

• Granting agency rules and requirements
• Make sure your proposed project and the funding
  agency are a good match
• Read RFP closely to see the types of expenses
  covered and not covered
• Direct and indirect costs
• Matching funds
• Be aware of category and total maximums

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Budgets 101

• Ask for what you need
• If something is necessary for the research and
  you dont already have it, ask for it or explain
  how you will get it
• Only ask for the biggest, newest, best piece of
  equipment if you really need it
• Budget justification take it seriously, and
  dont pad

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Typical expenses

• Personnel costs salaries, wages and fringe
  benefits
• Equipment (non-consumable instrumentation)
• Supplies (consumables)
• Consultants / subcontractors
• Travel
• Dissemination costs
• Assessment
• Other?

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Details matter

• Know current costs, especially of expensive
  equipment
• Be sure of your institutions indirect cost rate
• Check on of salary and wages used to calculate
  benefits
• Match budget to proposal narrative
• Review your math

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Budget 101 final tips

• Talk with your program officer about any
  questions you have about your budget
• Dont leave budget details until the last minute
• Be sure to inform your Research Programs and
  Services Office about the details of your budget
  early and often

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What to do if your proposal is not funded

• After your initial response to the news
• Step back and give careful and objective
  consideration to the reviewer comments the
  proposal really can be improved!
• Realistically assess whether or not resubmission
  is a good idea
• Realize that resubmissions have a much higher
  success rate assuming they are modified
  appropriately.
• Contact your Program Officer with questions
• Plan on a resubmission to this or another agency
• Dont be discouraged no funds are awarded
  without effort.

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Questions / wrap up