Title: Proposal Writing Workshop New College of Florida
1Proposal Writing WorkshopNew College of Florida
- Janet Stocks. Associate Academic Dean
- Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, OH
2Introductions and Goals
- Name
- Discipline
- Research interest
- History of grants?
- Expectations for this workshop
3Janet 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)
4Workshop 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
5Workshop 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
6Basics 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
7Basics 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
8Funding 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
9Working with your Research Programs and Services
Office
- Jeanne Ware and Nicole van der Berg
- Resources
- Requirements
10What 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
11What are funding agencies looking for?
- Credentials of investigator
- Resources of institution
- Assessment
- Dissemination
- Sustainability
12Building 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
13Break
14The 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
15The proposal as narrative rhetorical needs
- Exposition
- Clarity
- Conciseness
- Coherence
- Persuasion
- Organization
- Logical bridges
- Credentialing
- Accuracy
16The proposal as narrative structure
- Overview / abstract
- Literature review
- Identification of research question
- Methods
- Pilot data / Preliminary Work
- Credentials of investigators
- Budget
- Supporting documents
-
17The proposal as narrative writing strategies
- Outline
- Outline
- Outline
- Peer review
- Specialist
- Generalist
- Reviewers (resubmission)
- Multiple Drafts
18Involving 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
19Involving 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
20Submitting 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
21Questions / Discussion
22Lunch
23Divisional Workshops
24Your research plans
- Topic / research question
- Thoughts on funding sources
- Previous work in this area?
- Previous grants?
25Your local experts
- Successful grant-writers from New College share
their experiences and advice
26Creating 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
27The 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
28Benefits 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
29The 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
30What 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?
31What 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?
32How 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
33How 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
34Pair 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
35Break
36Budgets 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
37Budgets 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
38Typical expenses
- Personnel costs salaries, wages and fringe
benefits - Equipment (non-consumable instrumentation)
- Supplies (consumables)
- Consultants / subcontractors
- Travel
- Dissemination costs
- Assessment
- Other?
39Details 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
40Budget 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
41What 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.
42Questions / wrap up