Debi Vought, M'S'

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Debi Vought, M.S. Senior Program Associate North
Carolina Society of Research Administrators March
6 - 8, 2006 Greensboro, NC
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Foundations

• General Information
• BWF Information
• Mission and Strategy
• Program Areas/Award Programs
• Information for BWF Applicants
• Tips for Working with Foundations
• Pre-Award
• Post-Award
• Proposal Writing
• Want to Know More?

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Foundations General Information
What are foundations?
IRS-sanctioned, non-profit, non-governmental
organizations
Different types
Public Foundations Community Public
Charities
Private Foundations Company-sponsored
Operating (HHMI) Independent (BWF)
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Foundations General Information

• Exist to help society, to influence policy, and
  to
• support programs/projects that are aligned
• to their mission and values
• Required by law to give away 5 of their
• investment income
• Can choose the beneficiaries of their
  philanthropy
• Can determine their own giving criteria and
  areas
• of interest

Uniquely qualified to initiate thought and
action, experiment with new and untried
ventures, dissent from prevailing attitudes,
and act quickly and flexibly. 1965 Treasury
Report
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Ten Largest U.S. Foundations by Asset Size

• Foundation Assets (U.S. )
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 28.8
  billion
• The Ford Foundation 10.7 billion
• J. Paul Getty Trust 9.6 billion
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 9.0
  billion
• Lilly Endowment Inc. 8.6 billion
• W. K. Kellogg Foundation 7.3 billion
• The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation 6.5
  billion
• The David and Lucile Packard Foundation 5.3
  billion
• The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation 5.3
  billion
• Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation 5.0
  billion
• Ranked by the market value of their assets as
  of February 1, 2005 Source The Foundation
  Center website (http//fdncenter.org/research/tren
  ds/analysis/top100assets.html)

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Top U.S. Foundations Awarding Medical Research
Grants - 2003

• Amount of
• Foundation (U.S. )
  Grants
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
  235,764,355 11
• Donald W. Reynolds Foundation
  54,513,104 7
• The Starr Foundation 31,810,000
  13
• The Whitaker Foundation 25,413,415
  112
• The Dana Foundation 18,866,866 41
• Burroughs Wellcome Fund 17,935,462 45
• Avon Foundation 17,018,443 16
• Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation 15,032,532
  1
• The Flinn Foundation 15,025,000 2
• The Abramson Family Foundation 13,667,023
  9
• Based on grants of 10,000 or more awarded by a
  national sample of 1010 larger U.S.
  foundations.Source JAMA 2005 2941333-1342

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• Mission
• To advance biomedical science
• by supporting research and education

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• Grantmaking Strategies
• To invest in the career development
• of outstanding young scientists
• To advance fields in the
• basic biomedical sciences that are
• undervalued or underfunded

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About BWF . . .
Independent private foundation Endowment of
700 million Award 30 million annually in US
Canada 85 of our grants are made through
competitive peer-reviewed award programs
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Program Areas Deadlines

• Interfaces in Science May 1
• Translational Research September 1
• Basic Biomedical Sciences October 1
• Infectious Disease November 1
• Science Education April 10

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Award Programs
Grants Awarded by Focus Area FY 2005
Total Grants Awarded 34.2 M
Millions of dollars
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Award Programs
Applicants vs. Awards by Focus Area FY 2005
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Info for Applicants
Grants are made . . .

• Primarily to degree-granting institutions on
  behalf of researchers, who must be . . .

• Nominated by their institution

• Citizens or permanent residents of the US or
  Canada

• Secondarily to non-profit organizations
  conducting activities to improve the environment
  for science

An exception is made for Interfaces in Science
program
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Info for Applicants
The Selection Process
Application by Nominated Candidates
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Applications to BWF
through proposalCENTRAL

• Web-based system developed and run by Research
  and Management Systems (RAMS)

• Shared by 22 non-profit grantmaking organizations

• gt 140 grant programs offered throughout the year

• Links grant writing tips
• tips for first-time grant writers
• suggestions for creating a persuasive narrative

https//v2.ramscompany.com/
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Tips for Working with Foundations
Pre-Award

• Do your homework research, research,
  research
• web searches
• use The Foundation Directory
• who funds people like your investigator?
• Avoid fishing expeditions

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Tips for Working with Foundations
Pre-Award

• Read and follow program guidelines (FAQs)
• Read and follow application instructions
• Call the foundation with any all questions
• Build a relationship with a foundation contact
• Provide clear contact information
• Start early

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Tips for Working with Foundations
Post-Award

• Read the grantee agreement
• File reports on time
• use the correct version of any required forms
• Provide clear contact information
• Notify the foundation when institutional
• contacts change
• Call the foundation with any all questions
• Build a relationship with a foundation contact

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Characteristics of a Good Proposal 1

• Neat, well organized and easy to read
• Responsive to the program announcement
• Fresh insight into an important problem
• Writing that communicates the enthusiasm
• and commitment of the researcher
• Evidence that the PI knows the field
• Convincing preliminary data
• A feasible work plan that is supported by an
• appropriate budget

1 Source Porter, R., (2005 ). What Do Grant
Reviewers Really Want, Anyway?, The Journal of
Research Administration, 46(2), 47-55
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Common Mistakes in Proposal Writing 1

• Writing that is vague and unfocussed
• An incomplete response to the program
• announcement
• Writer doesnt understand the state of the art
• Project is too ambitious too global in scope
• Research plan is vague
• PI lacks proven competence to do the research
• Mistakes in speling and grammer
• Starting too late

1 Source Porter, R., (2005 ). What Do Grant
Reviewers Really Want, Anyway?, The Journal of
Research Administration, 46(2), 47-55
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Lessons Learned in Proposal Writing 1

• Study, study, study the program call and
• instructions
• Make your proposal easy to read
• Start much earlier than you think you have to
• Make sure you know what has already been done
• Write in an accessible way that can be
• understood by a diverse group
• Have your proposal reviewed in house by an
• established, well-funded researcher

1 Source Porter, R., (2005 ). What Do Grant
Reviewers Really Want, Anyway?, The Journal of
Research Administration, 46(2), 47-55
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Want to Know More?
Websites
Council on Foundations www.cof.org The
Foundation Center www.fdncenter.org Grantm
akers in Health www.gih.org Grantsnet
www.grantsnet.org Chronicle of
Philanthropy www.philanthropy.com Philanthr
opy Journal www.pj.org Foundation News
Commentary www.cof.org Burroughs Wellcome
Fund www.bwfund.org