The Craft of Grant Writing

1
The Craft of Grant Writing

• Phyllis McBride, Ph.D.
• Assistant Director
• Office of Proposal Development
• p-mcbride_at_tamu.edu
• 979-862-4183

2
Goal of todays seminar

• To assist you in or prepare you for your role as
  a researcher
• To give you a high-level overview of the entire
  project planning and grant writing process
• To give you the information you need to write
  your first grant application and to make it as
  competitive as possible!

3
Agenda Morning session

• 830 Getting started Assessing your readiness
  to submit a proposal Identifying funding
  opportunities
• 1030 Break
• 1045 Selecting appropriate funding
  mechanisms Analyzing funding agencies Reading
  the proposal solicitation Understanding the
  review process
• 1200 Lunch

4
Agenda Afternoon session

• 1230 Writing for reviewers Preparing the
  application (review samples)
• 230 Break
• 245 Vetting, editing, and proofreading the
  application Revising and resubmitting the
  application
• 500 Evaluation

5
Understand the grant environment

6
Understand the grant environment

• Realize that the grant application process has
  become more competitive than ever
• More investigators are applying for grant funds
• Grant funds are finite

7
Understand the grant environment

• Know that funds are available for your research!
• Federal grant making agencies
• Private grant making foundations
• Corporate grant making foundations
• Community grant making foundations

8
Understand the grant environment

• Federal Budget Request for RD for FY 2008

9
Understand the grant environment

• Private grant making foundations (2006)
• 64,405 independent foundations
• 27.4 billion given (9 increase)
• Corporate grant making foundations (2006)
• 2,548 corporate foundations
• 4.0 billion given (2.6 increase)
• Community grant making foundations (2006)
• 717 community grant making foundations
• 3.5 billion given (11.8 increase)

10
Getting Started

11
Know the keys to success

• Good idea
• Good grantsmanship
• Ample time

12
Be passionate and committed

• Talent is cheaper than table salt. What
  separates the talented individual from the
  successful one is a lot of hard work.
• Stephen King

13
Establish clear priorities

• Make your proposal one of your top priorities
• Set aside time to work on your proposal every day
• Eliminate or minimize distractions
• Learn to live with good enough

14
Create time

• Lead time
• Work time
• Proposal processing time
• Adapted from David Morrison and Stephen
  Russell, Write Winning Grants

15
Create lead time

• To develop and refine the research topic
• To identify potential funding opportunities
• To obtain background information on the agency
• To download application forms
• To become familiar with application instructions
• To recruit collaborators (if needed)
• To talk with the program manager

16
Create work time

• To draft the application
• To request and obtain supplementary materials
• To have colleagues vet the application
• To revise, edit, and proofread the application
• To prepare the budget
• To revise, edit, and proofread the budget
• To ensure that the data presented in the text and
  in the budget are consistent

17
Create proposal processing time

• To verify that all instructions have been
  followed
• To route the application for institutional
  approvals
• To finalize the application for submission
• To submit the application to the agency

18
Practice project management

• Create a proposal production schedule
• Identify all required steps in the proposal
  production process, then back into your schedule
• Divide the proposal into small parts, and
  identify the date by which you need to complete
  each part
• Allow time to accommodate Murphys law
• Stick to your schedule!

19
Assessing your readiness to submit a proposal

20
Assess your readiness

• Assess your idea
• Assess your competition
• Assess yourself
• Adapted from David Morrison and Stephen
  Russell, Write Winning Grants

21
Assess your idea

• Three main kinds of proposals
• Hypothesis-driven
• Need-driven
• Application-driven

22
Assess your idea

• Define the problem, need, or application
• Spend time thinking
• Gather relevant information
• Read the literature
• Vet your idea
• Discuss your idea with your colleagues and with
  your program manager
• Refine your idea or move on to another idea

23
Assess your idea

• Paradigm shifters
• Paradigm pioneers
• Settlers
• Joel Barker, Paradigms The Business
  of Discovering the Future

24
Assess your idea

• Determine if you can identify a category in
  which you can make yourself first
• Reframe your idea if necessary
• Evaluate the degree to which your idea is
• Based on excellent scholarship and/or science
• Fresh and innovative
• Significant

25
Assess your competition

• Read the literature
• Find out as much as you can about similar
  projects
• Make sure your idea has not already been funded

26
Find out if your idea has been funded

• Search funded award databases
• Review records of funded projects that are
  relevant to your own
• Principal investigator
• Project title
• Funding agency
• Review group
• Award period
• Award amount
• Abstract
• Contact principal investigators to learn more

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Funded AwardsBasic Science Research

• NSF http//www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/index.jsp

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Funded AwardsBiomedical and Public Health
Research

• CRISPhttp//crisp.cit.nih.gov/
• Public Health Service
• AHRQ
• CDCP
• FDA
• HRSA
• NIH
• SAMSHA

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Funded AwardsAgricultural Research

• USDA http//cris.csrees.usda.gov/

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Funded AwardsEducational Research

• U.S. Department of Educationhttp//wdcrobcolp01
  .ed.gov/CFAPPS/grantaward/start.cfm

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Funded AwardsHumanities Research

• NEH http//www.neh.gov/news/recentawards.html

32
Assess yourself

• Qualifications
• Education, training, expertise
• Resources
• Tangible and intangible
• Preliminary data
• Quantity and quality
• Available time
• To prepare application and to conduct project

33
Assess overall readiness

• Make the go / no go decision
• If its a go
• Begin preparing your application
• If its a no go
• Identify what you need to do to become
  competitive
• Refine idea
• Seek additional training
• Secure required resources
• Obtain additional preliminary data
• Postpone to a more favorable grant cycle

34
Identifyingfunding opportunities

35
Search for funding opportunities

• Consider all possible sources of funds
• Internal funds
• College and departmental funds
• Program to Enhance Scholarly and Creative
  Activities
• Mexican-American and U.S. Latino Research Center
• Race and Ethnic Studies Institute
• External funds
• Federal, state, and local agencies
• Private, corporate, and community foundations
• Professional organizations

36
Search for funding opportunities

• Articulate the topic and purpose of your proposed
  research project
• Ensures that your research agenda drives your
  funding search
• Enables you to conduct a more refined search

37
Search for funding opportunities

• Remain open-minded as you search
• Do consider collaborating with a colleague on an
  interdisciplinary project
• Do consider framing your research project in a
  new way
• Dont force your topic to fit a program for
  which it is obviously not appropriate

38
Search for funding opportunities

• Numerous resources are available to help you find
  the funding program that is most likely to
  support your research
• Campus resources
• Sponsor web sites
• Funding opportunity databases
• Set aside some time to explore resources
• Find and consistently use! the resources that
  work best for you

39
Make use of campus resources

• Talk to people!
• Colleagues
• Department head
• College research dean
• Program development staff
• TAMRF http//rf-web.tamu.edu/
• TEES http//trsweb.tamu.edu/
• TAES http//agtraining.tamu.edu/tookkit.htm

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Read sponsor web sites

• Federal, state, local agencies
• Private, corporate, community foundations
• Professional organizations

41
Search funding opportunity databases

• Become self-sufficient in conducting searches of
  funding opportunity databases
• Recognize that self-directed searches are the
  most productive
• Sign up for automatic funding alerts!

42
Find funding opportunitiesCommunity of Science

• Located at http//www.cos.com/
• Features
• International scope
• Includes opportunities from federal agencies,
  private foundations, and corporate sponsors
• Presents 24,000 records representing 400,000
  opportunities worth more than 33 billion
• Offers an automatic funding alert service

43
Community of Science
44
Community of Science

• Search by keyword, sponsor, or geographic region

45
Find funding opportunitiesGrants.gov

• Located at http//www.grants.gov
• Features
• National scope
• Includes opportunities from federal sponsors only
• Single point of contact for all 26 federal
  grant-making agencies
• Presents more than 900 grant programs
• Offers an automatic funding alert service

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Grants.gov
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Grants.gov

• Search by keyword, category, or agency

48
Find funding opportunitiesFoundation Center

• Located at http//www.fdncenter.org/
• Features
• Profiles of more than 75,000 foundations
• http//lnp.foundationcenter.org/finder.html
• Virtual training classroom
• http//fdncenter.org/learn/classroom/index.jhtml
• Philanthropy News Digest RFP Bulletin
• http//www.fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/

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Foundation Center
50
Philanthropy News Digest RFP Bulletin
51
Find funding opportunitiesInstitute of
International Education

• Located at http//www.iie.org/
• Features
• Includes opportunities from more than 200
  programs serving more than 20,000 individuals
• Administers the Fulbright Program
• http//www.iie.org/Template.cfm?sectionFulbright1
  
• Lists funding for U.S. citizens to study abroad
• http//www.studyabroadfunding.org/
• Lists funding for foreign nationals to study in
  the U.S.
• http//www.fundingusstudy.org/

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Institute of International Education
53
Find funding opportunitiesNational Graduate
Fellowship Programs

• Numerous graduate fellowship programs are
  available to support graduate students working in
  all disciplines
• Major graduate fellowships include the following
  
• American Association of University Women
  Fellowships
• American Council of Learned Societies Fellowships
• Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships
• GEM Fellowships
• Guggenheim Dissertation Fellowships
• Jacob Javits Fellowship Program
• National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate
  Fellowships
• NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
• Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowships

54
Find funding opportunitiesTravel Fellowships

• Departmental travel awards
• College travel awards
• Professional organizations
• Hayak Fund for Scholars
• https//www.theihs.org/subcategory.php/26.html?men
  uid4

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Break

• 1030 a.m. to 1045 a.m.

56
Fall 2008 Semester-LongCraft of Grant Writing
Workshop

• Applications available at http//opd.tamu.edu/
• Sept. 1 Applications due
• Sept. 3 Orientation session (9-12)
• Sept. 10 Kick-off meeting (9-12)

57
Selecting appropriate funding mechanisms

58
Select appropriate funding mechanisms

• Realize that funding mechanisms support research
  projects that vary in scope
• Project grants
• Program grants
• Center grants

59
Select appropriate funding mechanisms

• Realize that funding mechanisms support research
  projects that vary in purpose
• Full-scale research project grant
• Small-scale research project grant
• Preliminary studies research project grant
• Time-sensitive research project grant
• High-risk research project grant
• Instrumentation or equipment grant
• Career development grant
• Training grant
• Fellowship (graduate and professional)

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Analyzing funding agencies

61
Understand the research environment

• Be aware that research programs do not arise out
  of a vacuum
• Realize that research programs grow out of an
  evolving consensus among the national research
  community
• Note that understanding the underpinnings of a
  research program can help you frame the
  presentation of your proposed research project in
  a more compelling and competitive way

62
Learn about the funding agency

• Mission
• Culture
• Organizational structure
• Strategic plan
• Investment priorities
• Available budget
• Recently funded awards
• Current announcements

63
Learn about the funding agency

• Read the agency web site
• Talk with colleagues
• Contact the program manager
• Visit the agency
• Volunteer to serve on a review panel

64
Reading the proposal solicitation

65
Understand the types of applications

• Unsolicited applications
• Investigator-initiated
• There is not a specific proposal solicitation
• There is a program or general topic of interest
• Often have rolling deadlines
• Solicited applications
• Agency-initiated
• There is a specific proposal solicitation
• There is link to a specific agency initiative
• Often have one-time deadlines

66
Read the instructions

• Read the instructions!
• Read all of the instructions!
• Read all of the instructions carefully!
• Read all of the instructions carefully again!
• Agencys proposal preparation guide
• Programs proposal solicitation
• Solicitations supplemental instructions

67
Read the solicitation

• The solicitation provides important information
• Eligibility requirements
• Goals and objectives of program
• Type of funding mechanism supported
• Availability of funds
• Required proposal sections
• Peer review process and peer review criteria
• Due dates (for letter of intent, pre-proposal,
  proposal)
• Contact information

68
Analyze the solicitation

• The proposal solicitation is not
• A list of suggestions
• A menu or smorgasbord from which you can choose
  what to address
• The proposal solicitation is
• A non-negotiable list of proposal requirements
• A treasure map!

69
Analyze the solicitation

• Use information presented in the solicitation to
  help you develop a competitive proposal strategy
• Remember that a proposal is a persuasive sales
  document
• Emphasize hot buttons
• Echo language of announcement
• Include all required components
• Address all review criteria

70
Understanding the review process

71
Know the review criteria

• Realize that criteria vary from one agency and
  even one program to the next
• Identify the review criteria for your targeted
  agency, program, solicitation
• Understand how the agency defines each of the
  criteria
• Determine how the agency weights each of the
  criteria (if applicable)

72
Consider typical review criteria

• Investigator(s)
• Education, training, expertise, relevant
  experience, track record
• Environment
• Access to and suitability of facilities, support
  of institution
• Significance
• Importance of project to the field
• Approach
• Feasibility of methods
• Innovation
• Originality of research
• Budget
• Appropriateness of budget

73
Understand the review process

• Realize that the review process varies from one
  agency and even one program to the next
• Identify your targeted programs review process
• Merit review
• Typically external, but sometimes internal at
  mission agencies
• Administrative review
• Typically internal
• Note that most agencies rely on a combination of
  both merit and administrative reviews

74
Lunch

• 1200 p.m. to 1230 p.m.

75
Writing for reviewers

76
Think about your reviewers

• Remember that while your application will be
  submitted to an agency, it will be read by people
• Prepare your application with your reviewers in
  mind

77
Think about your reviewers

• Smart
• Accomplished
• Dedicated
• Conscientious
• Fair

78
Think about your reviewers

• Busy
• Overworked
• Tired
• Skeptical
• Probablynot as familiar with your topic as you
  are

79
Think about your reviewers

• Avoid writing sentences that are worthy of
  submission to the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest!

80
Think about your reviewers

• I know what youre thinking, punk, hissed Wordy
  Harry to his new editor, youre thinking, Did
  he use six superfluous adjectives or only five?
  and to tell the truth, I forgot myself in all
  this excitement but being as this is English,
  the most powerful language in the world, whose
  subtle nuances will blow your head clean off,
  youve got to ask yourself one question Do I
  feel loquacious? well, do you, punk?
• Stuart Vasepuru, runner-up 2006 Bulwer
  Lytton Fiction Contest

81
Think about your reviewers

• Distinguishing between innovations that emerge
  from empirical testing of concepts and
  pre-existing notions and practices currently
  embraced by businesses to distinguish themselves
  from competitors in a given local consumer market
  illustrates the extent to which competitive
  incentives to offer new and potentially
  innovative products may encourage such businesses
  to adopt practices from other markets, thereby
  avoiding costs associated with research and
  development of those new products.
• From Morrison and Russell, Grant
  Application Writers Workbook

82
Think about your reviewers

• We will use the previously designed data
  collection instrument, described in section B.3.1
  on page 16, and the statistical analysis, similar
  to that which is in the methods section of the
  reprint attached as appendix VI, to measure the
  extent to which our healthcare assessments
  approaches will be reflective of the community
  standards described in Section B.2.1 on page 5.
• From Morrison and Russell, Grant
  Application Writers Workbook

83
Write for your reviewers

• In language, clarity is everything.
• Confucius

84
Help your reviewers be your advocate

• Realize that the application is the only thing
  reviewers will have in hand in order to evaluate
  your idea
• Realize that when youre so close to your topic,
  its easy to assume that everyone else
  understands it as fully as you do

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86
Tell the story

• No matter what the genre, all writing is
  storytelling.
• Steven Taylor Goldsberry

87
Create reviewer-friendly text

• Divide the proposal into the required sections
• Place the sections in the required order
• Use parallel structure from one section to the
  next
• Incorporate logical paragraph breaks
• Open paragraphs with clear topic sentences
• Discuss important items first
• Avoid the use of inflated language
• Use declarative sentences
• Define potentially unfamiliar terms
• Spell out acronyms and abbreviations
• Employ appropriate style and usage
• Use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling
• Run a spell check and proofread the application

88
Create a reviewer-friendly format

• Observe page limitations
• For whole proposal
• For individual proposal sections
• Observe margin requirements
• Observe font and point size requirements
• Incorporate headings and subheadings
• Incorporate ample white space

89
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90

91
Create reviewer-friendly graphics

• Place graphics as close to the text they are
  meant to illustrate as possible
• Refer to graphics in the text
• Number and title all graphics
• Prepare a caption for all graphics
• Label axes and data points, as needed
• Provide a legend, as needed
• Make graphics large enough to be useful
• Provide color copies if color and/or color
  gradient is important

92
Preparing the application

93
Before you begin . . .

• Make sure you have identified the following
• Goal
• Indicates the purpose for the project as a whole
• Should be aligned with the agencys mission
• Objectives
• Indicate the purpose for each specific part of
  your project
• Should be aligned with your overall goal
• Should be specific and measurable
• Rationale
• Indicates why you want to achieve your purpose
• Should be clear and logical
• Expected outcomes
• Indicate what will change as a result of your
  research(e.g., behavior, performance, process,
  produce)
• Should include both immediate and long-term
  outcomes

94
Before you begin . . .

• Talk with your program manager!
• Do your homework
• Make an appointment
• Listen to the response
• Request clarification
• Follow up

95
Prepare the application

• Generate text. . . . The goal is to get
  something down. On paper. . . . Whether youre
  a beginner or a seasoned professional, the
  process is the same. Get started with one word
  and add to it.
• Steven Taylor Goldsberry

96
Prepare the application

• Evaluation and assessment
• Research ethics
• References
• Biographical sketch
• Resources
• Grant support
• Supplementary materials

• Cover sheet
• Title
• Abstract
• Project summary / specific aims
• Significance
• Background
• Research and project design
• Project schedule
• Budget
• Budget justification

97
Cover Sheet

• Requires that you provide basic information about
  yourself, your institution, and your proposed
  research project
• Oftentimes offers you the opportunity to indicate
  if you are a new investigator

98
Title

• Used by agency administrators to route your
  proposal to the appropriate reviewers
• Should provide an accurate representation of
  your proposed project
• Should generate interest in and enthusiasm for
  your proposed project
• Should conform to agency requirements
• Program name
• Number of characters

99
Abstract

• Used by agency administrators to route your
  proposal to the appropriate reviewers
• Provides a concise overview of the proposed
  project
• Requires that you provide a great deal of
  information within a very limited amount of space
  
• Sometimes requires that you provide this
  information in a prescribed format
• Becomes public record if the project is funded

100
Project summary / specific aims

• Critically important
• Must provide a conceptual overview
• Must outline the project goals, objectives, and
  outcomes
• Must be clearly written
• Must grab the reviewers attention
• Must generate enthusiasm for the project
• Must be able to stand alone
• Often the only part of the proposal that all
  reviewers will have an opportunity to read

101
Project summary / specific aims
General
Introduction to the problem / need
Overall project goal
Individual project objectives
Project outcomes / benefits
Specific
102
First paragraph

• Introduce the project
• Relate the project to the agencys mission
• Educate the reviewer
• Summarize the important knowns
• Identify the gap in the knowledge and/or state
  the critical need
• Explain why the gap or need presents a problem
• Remember You must present a way to solve the
  problem or fill the need
• Adapted from David Morrison and Stephen
  Russell, Write Winning Grants

103
Second paragraph

• State your goal for the proposed research project
• Should support the agencys mission
• Present your central hypothesis or statement of
  need
• If presenting a central hypothesis, make sure you
  are presenting a real hypothesis one that can
  be tested not a predetermined conclusion
• Explain your rationale
• Should explain what it will be possible to
  accomplish when your research is complete
• Adapted from David Morrison and Stephen
  Russell, Write Winning Grants

104
Third paragraph

• Describe your qualifications
• Special training, expertise, and experience
• Quantity and quality of preliminary data
• Unique approach, technology
• Describe your research environment
• Collaborations and partnerships
• Access to research subjects
• Access to unique equipment and resources
• Adapted from David Morrison and Stephen
  Russell, Write Winning Grants

105
Fourth paragraph

• Delineate your objectives / specific aims
• Ensure that all objectives link back to and
  support your overall goal
• Provide a reasonable number of objectives
• Present objectives in a logical order
• Define a specific purpose, hypothesis and/or
  need, and expected outcome for each objective
• Make sure each objective can stand alone
• Make sure no objective is dependent on the
  successful outcome of another objective
• Adapted from David Morrison and Stephen
  Russell, Write Winning Grants

106
Fifth paragraph

• Reiterate the projects significance and
  innovation
• Fill a gap in the knowledge
• Advance the field
• Meet a need
• Provide an application
• Delineate the projects expected outcomes
• List specific deliverables
• Summarize the projects benefits
• Adapted from David Morrison and Stephen
  Russell, Write Winning Grants

107
Background

• Demonstrate your familiarity with the field
• Contextualize the proposed project
• Nature of the problem
• Extent of the problem
• Significance of the problem
• Provide a literature review and a description of
  your preliminary studies

108
Literature review

• Cite only that literature which is directly
  relevant to the proposed project
• Provide a critical evaluation of the literature
  you cite
• Situate your proposed research project in the
  field

109
Preliminary studies

• Provide an account only of the preliminary
  studies relevant to the proposed research project
• Determine how much preliminary data to include
• Present the results in a logical order
• Demonstrate how the preliminary results relate to
  the proposed project
• Consider illustrating the results with graphics

110
Project description

• Organize the project description around the
  overall project goal and objectives
• Try to devote an equal number of pages to each
  of the objectives
• Use parallel structure to outline each of the
  objectives

111
Project description

• 1. Title of objective
• 1.1 Introduction to objective
• Hypothesis / statement of need
• Rationale
• 1.2 Approach to objective
• Theory
• Methodology
• Experimental design
• Experiment / task 1, etc.
• 1.3 Anticipated problems and solutions
• 1.4 Expected outcomes

112
Project schedule

• Indicate the anticipated start date
• Delineate the key milestones
• Incorporate the agency and program requirements

113
Budget

• Understand typical budget categories
• Direct costs
• Personnel
• Equipment
• Materials
• Travel
• Indirect costs

114
Budget

• Adhere to agency and program requirements
• Include only allowable costs
• Request what you need to complete the project
• Make sure the budget reflects the research
  projects objectives, scope, and duration
• Base budget on real costs
• Remember that reviewers know what things cost
• Factor in both direct and indirect costs
• Factor in cost escalations for multi-year
  projects

115
Budget justification

• Provide a clear, appropriately detailed, and
  persuasive explanation of why each budget request
  is needed
• Ensure that the budget numbers mentioned in the
  proposal narrative, the budget, and the budget
  justification are consistent

116
Project evaluation and assessment

• Kinds of evaluation plans
• Formative
• Takes place during the project
• Often qualitative
• Summative
• Takes place at the end of the project
• Often quantitative

117
Research ethics

• Address all relevant ethical issues regarding
  inclusion of human and animal subjects and use of
  hazardous materials, select agents, or rDNA
• Justify use of human and animal subjects and or
  hazardous materials, select agents, or rDNA
• Demonstrate that potential benefits outweigh
  potential risks
• Delineate training procedures
• Explain safeguards from potential risks
• Discuss reporting procedures

118
Biographical sketch

• Emphasize qualifications relevant to the proposed
  project
• Ability to conduct project
• Ability to manage project
• Adhere to agencys formatting requirements
• Use the required form (if applicable) or follow
  the required format
• Stay within prescribed page limits
• Include the required headings
• Place information in the required order
• If you are collaborating
• Format your colleagues resumes like your own

119
Biographical sketch

• Name
• Title
• Institutional affiliation
• Education
• Professional appointments
• Publications
• Grant awards
• Collaborators
• Co-authors, co-editors, advisors, advisees

120
Resources

• Demonstrate that it is feasible to conduct the
  proposed research project at your institution
• Demonstrate that you are part of an
  intellectually stimulating and supportive
  research environment

121
Resources

• Laboratory
• Clinical
• Animal
• Computer
• Office
• Other

122
Grant support

• Show that you have a clear research agenda
• Show that you have been productive on past
  projects
• Demonstrate that you have sufficient time to
  conduct and manage the proposed research project
• Demonstrate that there is no overlap between one
  of your already funded projects and your
  proposed research project

123
Grant support

• Principal investigator
• Contract number
• Sponsoring agency
• Project start and end dates
• Project role
• Project title
• Project summary

124
Supplementary materials

• Verify that supplementary materials are accepted
• Avoid using supplementary materials to circumvent
  page limitations
• Include only supplementary materials that support
  the application
• Offprints of publications, manuscripts, abstracts
• Clinical protocols or informed consent documents
• Samples of surveys, questionnaires, or data
  collection instruments
• Samples of curricula
• Photographs, graphics, or other media
• Other materials, as required
• Letters of support or other endorsements

125
Break

• 230 p.m. to 245 p.m.

126
Fall 2008 Craft of Grant Writing Workshop

• Applications available at http//opd.tamu.edu/
• Sept. 1 Applications due
• Sept. 3 Orientation session (9-12)
• Sept. 10 Kick-off meeting (9-12)

127
Vetting, editing, and proofreading the application

128
Create multiple drafts

• You will have to write and put away or burn a
  lot of material before you are comfortable in
  this medium. You might as well start now and get
  the necessary work done. For I believe that
  eventually quantity will make for quality.
• Ray Bradbury

129
Revise your application

• Anne Lamott refers to the first draft as the
  down draft and the second as the up draft,
  because you get it down then fix it up.
• Steven Taylor Goldsberry

130
Ask colleagues to vet your application

• Identify colleagues to review the application
• Provide reviewers with the information they need
• Give reviewers ample time to read the application
• Review, evaluate, and incorporate feedback

131
Recognize fatal flaws

• Reviewers receive so many proposals that they
  often look for a fatal flaw, i.e., a reason not
  to fund a proposal
• Failing to present a good, original, and
  significant idea
• Failing to propose a reasonable amount of work
  for the award time
• Failing to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of
  the literature
• Failing to provide sufficient preliminary data
• Failing to develop independent, stand-alone
  objectives
• Failing to delineate a focused approach
• Failing to demonstrate outcomes and future
  directions
• Failing to provide a reasonable budget
• Failing to protect the safety of laboratory
  workers and/or animals
• Failing to follow instructions
• Adapted from David Morrison and Stephen
  Russell, Write Winning Grants

132
Edit your application

• Set aside the instructions and application for a
  few days
• Re-read the instructions and application
• Ensure that you have included all required
  sections
• Confirm that you have placed sections in the
  required order
• Verify that you have addressed all review
  criteria
• Ask yourself if you have told the story of
  your proposed research project in the most
  clear, compelling, and convincing way possible

133
Proofread your application

• Check for errors
• Facts
• Spelling
• Punctuation
• Grammar
• Usage
• Style
• Run a spell check

134
Route and submit your application

• Allow ample time to route your application for
  institutional approvals
• Know the exact date and time that your
  application is due
• Know how your proposal should be submitted
• By mail
• Postmark date vs. receipt date
• Number of copies
• Binding requirements
• Electronically
• Web site or e-mail address
• File requirements

135
Wait for news

• And wait . . .
• And wait . . .
• And wait . . .

136
Receive review comments

• Many agencies will send you the individual
  reviews and/or a summary statement
• Reviews can give you a good sense of whether or
  not your proposed research project is likely to
  be funded
• Dont celebrate or despair over your reviews
  until you receive official word from the agency

137
Receive review comments

• If your proposal is funded . . .
• Celebrate!

138
Receive review comments

• If your proposal is not funded . . .
• Deal with rejection

139
Deal with rejection

• We have read your manuscript with boundless
  delight. If we were to publish your paper, it
  would be impossible for us to publish any work of
  lower standard. And as it is unthinkable that in
  the next thousand years we shall see its equal,
  we are, to our regret, compelled to return your
  divine composition, and to beg you a thousand
  times to overlook our short sight and timidity.
• Rejection slip from a Chinese economic journal

140
Revising and resubmitting the application

141
Revise and resubmit your application

• Never give in, never give in, never, never,
  never, never in nothing, great or small, large
  or petty never give in except to convictions or
  honor and good sense.
• Winston Churchill

142
Revise and resubmit your application

• Respect the views of reviewers
• Review the reviews
• Decide whether or not you have a viable project
• If you dont, revise the idea or come up with a
  new one
• If you do, revise and resubmit the application

143
Meet performance expectations

• Remember that when agencies and foundations fund
  your research project, they expect to see results
• Realize that productivity on one project affects
  your ability to be awarded funding for additional
  projects in the future

144
Evaluation

• Please take a moment to complete the evaluation.
  We value your feedback.

145
Fall 2008 Craft of Grant Writing Workshop

• Applications available at http//opd.tamu.edu/
• Sept. 1 Applications due
• Sept. 3 Orientation session (9-12)
• Sept. 10 Kick-off meeting (9-12)

146
Craft of Grant Writing

• Thank you,
• and good luck with your application!