Grants, Grants, Grants

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Grants, Grants, GrantsBe Careful What You Wish
For

• Presented by
• Health Services Administration Program Director
• Mary Derby

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Why Am I Here?
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Why Are You Here?

• Write grants for your own organization
• Grant consultant
• Administrator supervising grants recruitment and
  administration
• What else?

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Goals

• Basic understanding of the grant planning process
• How to match ideas to funding sources
• How to prepare for grant Time Drainers
• Remember to WRITE
• Practical Pointers
• Dos and Donts

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The Proper Grant Mind Set

• There is no such thing as free money
• NeedIdeaFunding Source
• Money ? we should get some ? so lets come up
  with an idea

www.boston.com/.../2007/08/new_england_fou.html
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Tool Kit

• Solid and well-thought out idea
• Proper funding source
• Engaged Stakeholders
• Excellent writing, communication and
  organizational skills
• Relationship with Program Officer
• Time to plan, organize, write, review and submit

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Pre-Grant Process

• Idea/Topic/Timing
• Stakeholders with proper authority to approve
• How much?
• From who?
• Right team and collaborators

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Showstoppers

• You cannot get grant money to replace budgeted
  funds already spent or approved for spending
• Ineligibility
• Looming deadline
• Inadequate infrastructure
• Team not qualified for proposed work

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Need

• Why do you/your organization/your community need
  the funding?
• Who/what will it serve?
• What problem/challenge will it address?
• Why cant you pay for it?
• Why are YOU/YOUR ORGANIZATION/YOUR COMMUNITY
  worthy?

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Interview

• Stakeholders
• Project Director
• CFO or person in charge of the budget
• Previous grant recipients at organization
• See sample interview handout

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Timeline Assignments
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Grant Time Drainers

• Letters of Support
• Required Forms
• Review time if multiple stakeholders with
  approval authority
• Resumes/CVs in proper format if required
• Written material from other team members

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Stakeholders

• Know them all
• Understand each stakeholders role and authority
• Include if needed but should be able to show
  clear relevancy of each stakeholder
• If include a stakeholder, be sure time and budget
  allowances are appropriate

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Research
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WRITE!

• Start with
• Required sections (bolded)
• Bullet points of ideas
• Review criteria used by grant reviewer
• BUT WRITEDaily!

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Tell A Story
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Focus
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Building a Grant

• Requests for Proposal have lengthy, detailed
  instructions for required categories for the
  grant application
• Abstract
• Background and significance
• Problem Statement
• Goals Objectives
• Workplan
• Measurable Outcomes and Evaluation

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Abstract

• Write this last if possible but you may need to
  structure a draft of the abstract to distribute
  to stakeholders early in the process
• Usually limited words
• Succinct and engaging/compelling
• May sometimes be helpful if written by someone
  other than the primary grant writer

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Background and Significance

• Must research to complete this section
• Must be up-to-date so should be freshened with
  each application
• Lots of information available and research is
  important but can also be addictive! You may
  want to limit the amount of time you research.

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Problem Statement

• Is an inquiry-based curriculum using a culturally
  congruent web based videogame more effective than
  the standard science and health curriculum for
  the development of science concepts relating to
  the digestive system structure and function and
  the role of
• metabolism?

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Goals and Objectives
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Work plan
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Evaluation
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The Team

• Required in summary form but also documented as a
  resume or a Curriculum Vitae
• Many times have required formats for resumes and
  CVs
• Must notify team in advance to provide you with
  this information

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Resources

• Describe organization
• Resources relevant to completing the project
• team
• Physical plant
• Technology
• Clerical support
• Other things like marketing may be relevant but
  depends on the RFP

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Budget

• Any in-kind contributions?
• Does the RFP require matching funds?
• What is your indirect cost rate?
• How much detail do they want?
• 1 year?
• 2 year?

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Write to Replicate

• Many RFPs are similar and require similar
  categories of information
• Write these categories so that they can easily be
  replicated for numerous applications
• Examples of easily replicated categories
• Company resources and description
• Team description
• Background and significance

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Constructive Criticism

• Have a reviewer or reviewers willing to look
  through the application and provide constructive
  criticism
• Give them the material far enough in advance to
  incorporate their suggestions
• Dont ask unless you intend to take their review
  seriously or it will be the last time they do YOU
  a favor!

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Practical Pointers
Knoxville
Hardknoxville
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WRITE!

• Get in the habit of writing everydayeven if it
  is just bullet points of ideas or concepts
  beneath a couple of the mandatory headers
• Grant writers WRITEso dont put it off.
• Procrastination is the grant writers biggest enemy

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Deadlines

• ARE SERIOUS
• Granting agencies do not move deadlines or allow
  special treatment because of emergencies or
  catastrophic events
• If electronic submission, dont wait until the
  last minute in case of technical trouble
• If mailing a hard copy, be sure it is postmarked
  as required

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Letters of Support

• Write them yourself
• Email them to important stakeholders
• Ask them to review, edit as they see fit, sign,
  fax or email back and put a hard copy in the mail
• If extensive edits are expected, ask for a
  personal contact so it doesnt delay the process

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WRITE!
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Idea Match to RFP

• It is crucial that your idea and your need match
  the RFP you are applying to or the best written
  grant will not be funded
• See handout for a variety of granting agencies
  and foundations

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Stimulus and American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act
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Program OfficerBFF

• Contact the Program Officer or Topic Author prior
  to preparing the application to recruit
  affirmation of the concept prior to submission
• Once submitted, contact for status updates
• Contact more frequently if the review deadline
  has been missed

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WRITE!
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Dos

• TRY
• Give yourself enough time for entire process
• Create realistic timeline with assignments
• Control research time
• WRITE daily
• Be assertive
• If it doesnt feel right, it probably isnt.
• Have a Plan B (if possible) for written material
  required from other team members
• Apply each grant to more than one funding source

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Donts

• Find money then get an idea
• Use grant funding to pay grant writer
• Get paralyzed
• Not try (I knowa double negative!!)
• Blame others if you are responsible for grant
  writing and coordination
• Only apply once
• Ignore the issues of hot topics and timing

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Grant Submission

• Pay attention to
• deadline details
• Electronic?
• Mail Hard Copy?
• Postmark required?
• Keep your own copy
• as submitted
• Dont wait until last
• minute!

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Grant Review

• Know the projected dates
• Contact Program Officer if dates are not met as
  promised
• Be persistent
• Once you receive the review, dont be emotional.
  Use the opportunity to improve your grant writing
  skills.

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What Next?

• If not funded, take the review and use it to edit
  a more competitive application.
• Resubmit if recommended by the agency/foundation
• Try to recycle the application and submit to
  another appropriate funding source
• If funded, get prepared to manage the grant!!

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QUESTIONS!

• Mary.derby_at_usd.edu