GRANTSMANSHIP :The Basics

Nani Pybus, Ph.D.CoordinatorUniversity Center for Proposal Development

Oklahoma State Universityhttp://ucpd.okstate.edu

The Ancient Art of Begging for Money

What is Grantsmanship?

and why is it important?

Definitions Formal Grantsmanship . Noun. The skill or

practice of obtaining grants-in-aid, especially for research. First known use: 1961.

-- Oxford Dictionary

Informal Grantsmanship. Noun. Skills and

practices that are usually not taught, but that researchers & program directors are expected to have mastered fully and early in their careers.

-- Anonymous grant administrator

Feds to Foundations:Missions and Mandates

FEDERAL AGENCIES National Science Foundation National Institutes of Health United States Department of Agriculture United States Department of

Transportation U.S. Dept. of Human & Health Services National Endowment for the Humanities

STATE PROGRAMS OCAST (Oklahoma Center for the

Advancement of Science and Technology)

State Council for the Humanities EPSCoR

FOUNDATIONSHoward Hughes Medical InstituteAmerican Cancer SocietyBill & Melinda Gates FoundationAmerican Heart AssociationW.K. Kellogg Foundation

Foundations & Non-Profits

http://www.foundationcenter.org/

“Established in 1956, the Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. . . . The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank. . . It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level.”

Drilling Down Agency organizational

structure Agency policies &

programs Agency funding

mechanisms Program Officers

Department of TransportationMission

Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future. http://www.dot.gov/about

Department of AgricultureMission

USDA provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management.

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome

http://www.obpa.usda.gov/budsum/FY12budsum.pdf

Know Your Agency Visit agency websites, blogs, & twitters . . .

Official Blog of Secretary of Transportation http://

fastlane.dot.gov/2013/04/index.html

Look for abstracts or news items about projects similar to your proposal – find out which program funded them and how.

The Perfect Match: Agency Your Proposal

What is the Mission mandated for an agency or organization? What are their goals and how do they want to advance towards those goals?

Your proposed research, program, or project

must align with their goals and objectives.

You must convince reviewers that your work advances the funder’s objectives.

Mission Matching

Are you planning on asking the Rush Limbaugh Foundation to fund Feminists for the Spotted Owl?

hmm . . .

Mission Matching

For each funder, carefully study:o Mission Statement of the agencyo Purpose Statement of a programo Criteria set out in RFP o All applicable guidelines for

submission

Funder’s Money Funder’s Mission

Remember that the funder seeks to support programs or research that serves their mission and their organizational goals – first and foremost.

Always craft your proposals to reflect this reality.

Do Your Homework!

• Know yourself

• Know the opportunities

• Know the competition

Know Yourself What are your long-term goals? Do they

align with the funder’s?

Does the project represent an essential step that advances long-term goals or fills a clearly defined need?

Are you eligible? Can you and your team meet all the required criteria? Do you have the skills, experience, and resources needed?

Know the Opportunities

o Learn as much as you can about a potential funding agency and how its programs work.

o Ask colleagues familiar with the funder for input and opinions.

o Look at projects they have supported lately and/or leadership’s public statements regarding agency priorities. These change!!

Know the Competition

What are others doing in the same program area?

What agencies have demonstrated the most interest , most recently, in addressing the need you wish to fill?

Locate funded proposals to study.

Federally Funded Projects

Request a copy of a specific funded project proposal in your field of interest directly from the proposer. . . or

Submit a FOIA request to the funding agency for a specific funded proposal.

FOIA

The Freedom of Information Act . . . is a federal law that establishes the public'sright to obtain information from federal government agencies, subject to certain exemptions.

Instructions for submitting FOIA requests can be found at every federal agency website

FOIADept. of Transportation

http://www.dot.gov/foia/

Under the statute, all federal agencies are required to respond to a FOIA request within 20 business days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. This time period does not begin until the request is actually received by the FOIA office of the component of the Department of Transportation that maintains the records sought. An agency is not required to send out the releasable documents by the last business day; it can send you a letter informing you of its decision and then send you the documents within a reasonable time afterward.

Know the Signs

Grantsmanship Success What makes a proposal competitive?

An excellent first impression A convincing case for a critical need An innovative, credible response to that

need A well-articulated set of outcomes and

wider benefits to both the field and to society

A Project Director or Researcher with the right qualifications and the right environment to do the job

Grantsmanship Failure What makes a proposal non-competitive?

Failure to read the funder’s instructions Failure to understand the funder’s

instructions Failure to fully commit to the process Failure of preparation and doing the

‘homework’ Failure to develop a competitive concept Failure to present a well organized,

articulate, logical, and convincing set of goals, aims, outcomes

Getting Started

Getting Started

Read the Solicitation!o READ the Request for Proposal (RFP) o Then re-read it! o Keep re-reading as you write

Solicitations are written with precision to state clearly what the funder is looking for and why; how to construct the proposal and what criteria are essential.

Decoding the RFP

One of the most common mistakes is a proposal that did not follow the rules or understand instructions.

Be sure to note terminology and use the same language.

Outline the RFP

Identify every section required, in order.

For every criteria, assign headings and subheadings.

The outline will organize the proposal and be a checklist for completeness.

Construct the Proposal

Gap/Need Significance

Goal and ObjectivesWork Plan & ActivitiesExpected Outcomes

Impact of ProjectEvaluation

BudgetCV

Mind the Gap

Identify and describeclearly and succinctlythe need or gap in knowledge that exists.

Why is it importantto fill the gap or Identify a solution?

Fill the Gap

What is your idea or solution?

What is your project objective?It should be a clearly defined,measurable answer to thegap or need outlined above –not an open-ended activity.

What’s the Problem? Identify the root cause or problem that

has created a need (or an opportunity!) that your proposal will fill in a way that serves the funder’s mission.

The statement of need is the core of any program proposal – it MUST be compelling, convincing, specific, and as well written as possible.

Statement of Need Demonstrate that you have a thorough grasp

of your specific, unique problem or need; Show that addressing this problem is

important – not ONLY to your community but also to the broader society;

Prove that the need is immediate and why it MUST be addressed now;

Show how your project or work links with other organizations / activities in your community or region.

Answering the NeedWhat is the problem?What are the causes of the

problem?Who is affected? What is the

impact?What are the costs?What are best strategies or

solutions?What are the main

obstacles/issues?

Answering the NeedWhat solutions have been

considered?

What programs elsewhere might serve as models or templates?

What is your group’s experience and expertise in addressing this problem?

Goals & Objectives Long-term goal ≠ the goal of the proposal

A long-term goal aligns with a continuum of activities working towards a future endpoint

Goal of the proposal = to “fill the gap” identified

Have measurable goals (to build, to develop, to identify)

Outcomes & Output

Each aim should have a measurable outcome or expectation, or a definite endpoint.

Outcomes are specific, measurable alterations in knowledge or behaviors that result from project outputs

Outputs are quantifiable items or units of service resulting from the activities proposed.

Rationale & Significance

Rationale: What will become possible after the work is accomplished? Why do this project?

Significance: Why / how is the work important to advancing Mission? Justify the project.

Outline the ProposalProposer’s long-term goal(s)Gap in knowledge or Need Proposal goal/objective – to fill a specified gap

Rationale & Significance PI /team’s skills, expertise, ability to do the job well

Aim 1 Activities/OutcomesPitfalls/Problems

Aim 2 etc.

Limit Your Aims Have no more than 3 aims -- more

are viewed as unrealistic

Each aim should be measurable - do

not confuse aims with activities !!

Draft an overview

Draft a one page overview (aka white paper) based on your outline, with reference to the program’s key criteria

Share it with colleagues for honest input

to help you “get it right”

CommunicateProgram Officers (PO’s) represent a valuable resource. Always email first with a courteous note & ask if you may email your (well-edited) one pager and follow up with a call, if necessary. Some POs will bend overbackwards to be helpful;others may be less communicative.

Be Concise & Courteous

Don’t be a nag! Be specific and precise in your questions Do not dump unnecessary details about

your idea into the one pager white paper No jargon! Do your homework first

Building out the Proposal

Assembling Your Team Developing and planning a project is

often a team effort . . . BUT, the final proposal must reflect a

unified “voice” – it cannot be written by committee.

One person must be responsible for pulling together & vetting ideas, shaping the proposal, making last minute edits, and shepherding it out the door.

Assembling Your Team Assign “duties” and deadlines early in

the process! Someone must be the leader in

assembling the parts of a proposal. Only one person should communicate

with a program officer. Establish a timeline for meeting and

accomplishing goals for the process.

Make Time (not excuses)Successful proposal development

takes time.TIME to develop the ideasTIME to writeTIME to reviewTIME to get reviews from othersTIME to re-review

Grantwriting Resources GUIDE FOR WRITING A

FUNDING PROPOSAL http://www.learnerassociates.net/proposal/

TWELVE STEPS TO A WINNING RESEARCH PROPOSALhttp://xsrv.mm.cs.sunysb.edu/300/lectures/proposal.pdf

THE ART OF GRANTSMANSHIP

http://www.hfsp.org/funding/art-grantsmanship

Getting Funded: The Complete Guide to Writing Grant Proposals. Susan Howlett & Renee Bourque. 5th edition. Word & Raby Publishing, 2011.

Learn the Review ProcessFind out how the proposal will be reviewed. The more you understand about how the process works, the better your chances of success.

You will be writing to theReviewers – you need to know who they will be!

The ReviewersDo not assume:

That reviewers of your proposal will be as enthused about your idea as you are.

That reviewers will all have the same

degree of familiarity with your focus field.

That reviewers will have time to carefully read every line of your proposal.

Write to the Reviewers Reviewers are typically from various

backgrounds within a field - most may not be experts in your specific field of research, operations, or expertise.

Therefore, a proposal must be written so that it is easily reviewed and understandable to an educated lay reader to the extent possible.

Do not assume familiarity with environment, context, or specific challenges – describe these conditions succinctly, but in detail.

Never Assume. . . that all reviewers will be familiar with special terms or jargon you may take for granted!

Even specialists and experts don’t have the mental energy to spend remembering what unusual terms or acronyms mean.

Make the reviewer’s life easy – keep it simple and straightforward.

Writing to Win

Re-read the RFPAlways check back on the

instructions as you write! This ensures that no criteria or

instructions, however minor, are being overlooked.

Don’t Do This!

Be too ambitious – over-promising and under-estimating time and resources required are cited as one of the most common pitfalls of proposals. Keep scope within limits.

Be internally focused – align your rationale and focus on the funder’s mission and wider society, not your group’s internal issues.

Don’t Do This!

Be careless about details – make sure a specific need is carefully discussed and detailed, do not spend time talking about “general” issues or problems.

Ex: Don’t talk about how bridges are crumbling all over -- why does a particular bridge need to be replaced urgently?

Don’t Do This! Ignore RFP directions about how to

frame narrative sections.

Example: Most RFPs state that an abstract or summary must be written in the third person.

Don’t Do This! Be inconsistent in discussing goals, aims, and

outcomes.

Be casual about who is impacted: Don’t say “everyone” will be served by a project – who exactly will benefit? How? Why? To what extent?

Be careless about syncing budget and proposed activities. Make sure your budget matches what you say will be done and based on actual costs.

Be Confident!

o Use confident terminology; avoid weak words like: if, hope, try, believe, might, could or should, may, etc..

Better to say: We expect to demonstrate.

o Use several paragraphs per page Keep each paragraph focused on a

key idea

Be Active , Not Passive

o We will build a new bridge and employ approximately 20 engineers.

instead of

o A new bridge will be built (by whom?!) and 20 engineers will be employed (by whom?!)

Use Your Space Use all the space allotted for a

grant.

If the limit is 15 pages, do not turn in 12. If you have skimped on criteria, you will have no excuse and the reviewers will assume you just didn’t care enough.

And etc. . . Do not use “etc.” in grant

proposals.

Either specify or end with a general reference to “similar instances.”

First ImpressionsEven before reviewers begin to read a proposal, the review process has already begun. Reviewers see and assess a few immediate criteria:

Title

Presentation

Formatting

First ImpressionsPoor initial impressions can be hard to overcome – so take time to focus on a few key elements

Title – this should be both descriptive and interesting, even catchy - it should capture the reviewer’s interest and positively incline him/her towards the proposal.

Don’t settle on a title until the end of your proposal writing – when it has all come together.

First ImpressionsReviewer – Friendly

Presentation

This phrase refers to a document that is easily and quickly read with optimal comprehension. This is achieved by a variety of stylistic and format techniques, many of which are incorporated quite specifically in the rules for submission provided by funding agencies.

Second (final?) ImpressionsA proposal that is quickly and easily read, with optimal comprehension, is reviewer-friendly and thus more competitive than one full of dense text, jargon, tiny font, and no subheadings.

Why?

This is your reviewer

Presentation

Size matters! Read the RFP carefully.

Arial 10 font may be “allowed” as a “minimum” size, but that does NOT mean it is the optimal size.

Reviewers much prefer 12 font TNR or Arial

Presentationo Use headers that key to the RFP

criteria

MAIN SECTION Subsection

Sub-subheading

o Do not overuse Bolding, CAPITALS, or redundancies LIKE THIS.

Presentationo White space enables reviewers to

easily find essential criteria and form a holistic idea of your proposal – and of your grasp of the issues.

o Do not justify right margin – it is easier to read quickly when text is not justified.

Presentation

o Never let a grant go out the door looking like a product of “scissors and glue.”

o Blend all sections into one unified proposal.

Presentation

Visuals - Do not rely on color to distinguish your graphics! Make sure they are readable in black and white.

o color printers are not always available to reviewers

o some reviewers are colorblind!

Worth a Thousand Words?Charts, maps, andother graphics are good ONLY if and when they addinformative value.

Legends that fall………………………………….on the next page!

o Do not let legends fall on different pages than their graphs! Reviewers will have no time or interest in flipping back and forth to figure out a visual.

Do not make fonts teeny tiny either

Grammar & Mechanics

Spelling is Important!!

o Using the correct word in the correct way is very important!!

A principal is not a principleRationale is not rational

Led is not leadData are plural, datum is singular

Proofreed, proofried, profere

o Challenge buddies in the English department to find mistakes!

o Always strive for perfection.

o Rewrite as often as you can stand it to improve clarity, eliminate repetitions, refine style, and sharpen logic.

Grammar ResourcesThe only book you’ll ever really need to craft a well-written grant is the brief but brilliant,

Strunk & White’s Elements of Style.

This book provides guidance on grammar, spelling, syntax, common errors, and what to watch out for most often.

Reviewer’s Checklist

Is the title interesting? Informative?Who is this from?What is their institution or affiliation?What is the basic idea? Is this what

the rfp asked for? Is this proposal easy to read,

understand, and get excited about?

Standard Evaluation Checklist

Significance – how important is this proposal?

Applicant(s) – how well prepared and qualified are the applicants? Do they have experience?

Approach – how well organized/planned is this?

Environment – how many resources and what kind of facilities will be available to support this plan?

Innovation – how unique or imaginative is it?

Best of All . . .

Ask knowledgeable colleagues, mentors,and friends to review your proposal and to provide feedback and editing advice.

Last Steps . . . Submit PLAN to submit EARLY – Allow plenty of time for

submission glitches and electronic meltdowns. Life happens.

Don’t lose sight of details at the end. Check one

more time. Make sure your package is complete!!

Send it.

Relax . . . win or lose, you’ve got a proposal template for the future. If you get reviewer notes back, even better!