Introduction to Grant Writing

Published on Nov 12, 2018

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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

Introduction to Grant Writing

Carolyn A Holmes, MScN, PhD
Photo by KJGarbutt

Presentation Topics

  • Funding Types and Sources
  • Generating Winning, Fundable Ideas
  • Critical Components of the Proposal
  • Tactics for Effective Grant Writing
  • Traps to Avoid
  • Keys to Long-term Successful Outcomes

What is Grant Writing?

Grant writing is the practice of completing an application process for a financial award from an institution (government, corporation, foundation)

Photo by Lukas Blazek

...And, knowing how to "plow" thru the proposal preparation process is a huge step forward.

Knowing how to plow through the proposal creation process is a big part of the success in grant writing.
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Who Gives Money?

  • Federal Government
  • State Governments
  • Private Foundations
  • Corporations

Federal
Check eligibility on Grants.Gov through an on-line application process
gives and takes away based on political agenda
much more complicated application process
they tell you what to do
fewer $ means fewer submissions  success rate increases
slow review process
State
They outsource work when budgets decrease
BUT - even when they have money they won’t tell you about it
Private Giving
Private Foundations
give out of goodness of their heart
advance a particular cause
$10 billion annually with $9 Billon to organizations other than universities
often fund geographically – look close to home first
Corporations
Search “Corporate grants for non-profits”
give for enlightened self-interest
want to enhance quality of life especially related to their products or services
helps improve community image, i.e., “Dow helps you do great things”
look at corporations close to home first – check where they fund, usually where plants and offices are located

Types of Funding

  • Grants
  • Contracts
  • Cooperative Agreements
Types of Funding
Grant - Assistance
No substantial involvement is anticipated between the sponsor and the recipient -- reports submitted, budget and progress
project conceived by investigator
funder only supports or assists -- and maintains oversight

Contracts
project conceived by agency or funder
must register with agency prior to any application (to be pre-qualified)
agency procures service
agency exercises direction or control
agency closely monitors progress and outcomes


Cooperative Agreement - Assistance
substantial involvement between sponsor and recipient
Contract - Procurement
acquire property or services for direct benefit or use of the funding source


How do you start?

  • Find a feasible funding source
  • Great idea? Track record?
  • Right team? Right skills?
  • Dedicated time to write?
  • Timelines work?
  • Able to secure other requirements?
WHERE DO YOU START?
Find funding source (match organizational capability to funders' needs)
Is it good institutional fit between funder and grantee?Does the funding agency share your goals?
Is the funding agency interested in the same populations?
Has the funding agency funded projects similar to yours?
Have they made awards to institutions similar to ours?

Do you have an idea to match their needs? goals?
Can you offer them a better mousetrap? Solve the problems they focus on better than others or better than in the past?

Do you have the people to get the job done?

Will your organization give a writer/grants coordinator time to get the job done?

Able to secure other requirements?
- letters of support
- consultants
- Collaborators?
- Matching funds or in-kind requirements?
- Documentation of past experience?

To plan the proposal -- Read the Guidelines -- Read them again.
Plan in detail – have an outline of the proposal with writers’ names attached / timelines
Read the guidelines again with narrative in mind



Components of a Winning Grant

  • Quality and appeal of the idea
  • Organizational eligibility
  • Right team w/ the right skills
  • Detailed, responsive plan
  • Budget matches the plan
  • Guidelines followed
  • Formatted correctly
  • And, a talk with the Program Officer
The Process
Idea - An idea is something that only exists in your mind.
Your task is to present the idea in a fundable proposal.
Take a vague idea and identify a specific problem or need associated with it.

Is it good institutional fit between funder and grantee?
Read the Guidelines -- Read them again
Contact the sponsor/ program officer to discuss your idea and plans

Plan in detail – have an outline of the proposal with writers’ names attached / timelines
Read the guidelines again with narrative in mind

85% of all successful grant seekers have had contact with the program officer

Remember that funders are people.
Pick up the phone and call (when appropriate) instead of relying solely on email. Foundation fundraising (like all fundraising) is about relationships. A real person will read your proposal, and foundation staff are often receptive to phone calls if they can help you submit a better proposal. It makes their job easier too!


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Writing the Proposal

Why aren't you writing a grant?

  • Fear of Rejection???
  • Only 1 in 5 rejected for poor idea
  • Success is higher for 2nd submission
  • 3rd time ~1:1 wins per applications
  • A rejected proposal = $10,000 of free advice
Does fear of rejection keep you from writing a grant?
Reality - only one proposal in 5 is turned down because the idea wasn’t good enough
Reality - A rejected proposal is worth about $10,000 of free advice
Reality - the success rate is higher for proposals turned in a second time
Reality - the success rate on a third submission is almost 1:1

Think long term
Grant preparation process IS NOT a waste of time if you don’t win
Can’t get a grant unless you write one
Forces team to focus and get ideas in writing
Plan to have “boilerplate” paragraphs to use/ adapt over and over again (saves time)
If rejected, reviewers’ comments make the second proposal stronger
Photo by Steve Halama

Parts of a Grant Application

  • Title
  • Cover Page
  • Table of Contents
  • Abstract
  • Problem or Needs Statement
  • Goals and Objectives
The Title
The title is important
It should covey what the project is about
It is often used to assign review groups


Abstract
Should be able to stand alone
it may be all the reviewers read
Publishable quality
Clear, concise, one page, single space
Avoid 1st person
Do not refer to proposal in the abstract
Cover all key elements in order
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Problem or Needs Statement

  • Pressing need
  • Cite evidence -- describe current status
  • What must be solved to achieve...
  • Show knowledge of field and issues
  • Build your foundation/thesis statement
  • Describe impact/importance of results
The Problem or Needs Statement
The Problem Statement establishes a framework for the project’s goals, objectives, methods, and evaluation
Critically important, and often poorly written
Convince the funding source that you understand the need and can help them solve the problem
Prove the need by citing evidence & illustrate with graphs and charts
Demonstrate that the need is pressing, thet the problem is an important problem to be solved
How your project will address the problem and what gaps will it fill

Begin with a framing statement that shows how you are addressing the proposal guidelines

A Good Problem Statement Should:
Show that you understand the problem
Demonstrate that this is an important problem to solve,
Clearly describe the aspects of the problem that your project will address, and what gaps this will fill
Describe the theoretical or conceptual basis for your project and your knowledge of the issues surrounding your proposed project
Include statistical data, if appropriate
Demonstrate that your approach is creative or innovative
Describe how this project fits into theexisting goals of your organization
Questions to Ask, Things to Know
What significant needs are you trying to meet?
What is the current status of the needs?
Will this project help meet the need?
What really needs to be done?
What services will be delivered? To whom? By whom?
Is it possible to make some impact on the problem?
What gaps exist in the knowledge base?
What does the literature say about the significance of the problem, at a local, state, regional, national level?
Is there evidence that this project will lead to other significant studies?
What previous work has been done to meet this need? Was it effective?
What will be the impact of this study?
Documenting the Problem Statement
Rooted in factual information
must document that your initial statement is correct.
Show you know what’s going on in the field, what the basic issues are
Cite current literature
6-10 key references
1-2 of works should be yours

How would you document your problem statement?
Organizing and Writing the Needs Statement
Go from the foundational statement
Build your case with the data
Follow the guidelines
Tell your story and build your case drawing to a logical conclusion that leads into the project goals and objectives
Ending a Needs Statement
Emphasize the significance of the project
what will be the result
what impact will it have
will the impact continue
You might present you project as a model
Always address the priorities of the funding agency
Forecast the usefulness and importance of the results

Goals

  • Concise purpose(s) of project
  • "The goal of this project is to...."
  • Only 1 to 2 key goals
  • Each goal will have several objectives
  • Each objective will have action plans
The Goal
Both the goals and objectives should flow logically from the statement of need.
Goals convey the ultimate intent of the proposed project, the overarching philosophy,
A CONCISE STATEMENT OF THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT.
The opening statement of this section should begin with “the goal of this project is to…”
A Well Thought-Out Project:
Will have 1 or 2 goals PLUS several objectives related to the goals
many methodological steps to achieve each objective.

Objectives

  • Measureable
  • Actionable (verb: To ______)
  • Priority order
  • Include what, who, when and how much measured in what time frame
Objectives
The objectives state the essence of the proposed work in terms of what will be accomplished.

Break the goal down to specific measurable pieces, the outcomes of which can be measured to determine actual accomplishments.
Objectives
Objectives discuss who is going to do what, when they will do it, and how it will be measured.
Discuss desired end results of the project.
But not how those results will be accomplished.
They are action oriented and often begin with a verb.
Arrange them in priority order.
Is this an Objective?
If our goal is getting people from Indiana and Kentucky to interact to improve the economy.(goal).
To construct a bridge over the Ohio River.
“To improve trade (what) within five years (when) between residents of southern Indiana and northern Kentucky (who) as measured by each state’s economic development indicators related to interstate commerce (measure).”

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Winning Writing Style

  • Inform/persuade
  • Use correct terminology
  • Never 1st person
  • No jargon - 5 W's
  • Reputable data sources
  • Most current data

Writing Tips

  • Shorter words
  • Less complex words
  • Avoid redundancies
  • Replace bloated phrases with one word
  • Replace bloated phrases with 1 word
  • Avoid passive voice ("will be")
  • Look for "ing" endings in wording
Use Shorter Words
Instead of >> Use
Accordingly >> So
Facilitate>> Help
Immediately>> Now
Utilize>> Use
Expeditious>>fast

Use Less Complex Words
Instead of>> Use
Renumeration>> Pay
Enumerate>> count or list
Transformation >> change

Replace Redundant with Simple
Instead of>> Use
Stated requirements>> Requirements
Pre-planning
New innovations >> innovations
Data items >> data
End results >> results

Replace Bloated Phrases with One Word
Instead of
Until such time as>> until
Have a need for >> need
Make a decision to >> decide
Due to the fact that >> because


Passive Voice: the object of the action is cast as the subject, de-emphasizes the actor, highlights the object

Users surveys will be completed by the evaluator...
The evaluator will conduct users surveys to assess...

When to use it
When you don’t want to take responsibility
When you don’t want to assign responsibility
The actor is unknown, irrelevant, obvious, or unimportant




Technical Writing Issues

  • Page limit
  • Spacing/font/margins
  • Letters of support
  • Collaborators
  • Use graphics, charts, tables
  • Headings, subheads, bold, underline
  • Intro sentence sets tone for paragraph
  • Know due dates for all components

Page limit
Spacing, font specs, 1" margins
Page Numbering
Group Projects - Gant Chart
Make sure that all pages are not just solid text
- Use bulleted items
- Use graphics in methodology and needs sections
- Use headings and subheadings, bold and underline, no italics
Look at each introductory sentence of a paragraph, it is the most important part, it is all they may read: DOES IT TELL YOUR READER WHAT YOU WILL BE TELLING THEM IN THAT PARAGRAPH?
Use type faces with serifs, like Times, they are easier to read
Do not justify text

Know due dates for all components -- letter of intent, etc.
Due date - received or postmarked

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Parts of a Grant Application (cont.)

  • Methodology
  • Key Personnel
  • Budget & Budget Justification
  • Evaluation
  • Dissemination




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Methodology

  • How to accomplish plan
  • Task-specific, detailed
  • Logical flow of activities
  • Timeline/Org chart
  • Match to goals and objectives
  • Shows you know the "how to"
Methodology: The “How-to”
Plan of Action, Project Design, or Methodology
Usually, this is the area allotted the most points.
2:5 proposals are turned down because the methodology is unsound.
Often the most detailed and lengthy section
What specific activities will allow you to meet your objectives?
Task oriented, specific, detailed
Essential that you demonstrate all the steps necessary to complete project with each flowing logically from the previous to the next.

Questions for Methodology
Walk the reader through your project
Describe the activities as they relate to the objectives
Develop a time line and/or and organizational chart
How will the activities be conducted?
When?
How long?
Who?
Where?
What facilities?
If methodology is new or unique explain why it is better than that previously used

Key Personnel

  • Highlight expertise
  • Staff match skills to job
  • Describe job of no staff
  • Consider consultants
  • Responsibilities specified
  • Level of effort
Quality of Key Personnel
FUNDERS ASK: "Who Are these People, and Why Should we Give them our Money?"
This is where you demonstrate that you are the right organization and persons to do this project.
Convince the funding agency the you are capable of accomplishing what you say you can accomplish
Highlight the expertise of all key personnel
Include experience you have had managing other projects
Weak qualifications or inexperience in some cases can be compensated for by adding appropriate consultants. Include why you need consultants and how you chose them.
If you don’t identify a person, summarize the job description or qualifications required and how you will find that person
Indicate responsibilities of all, and level of effort.

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Budget

  • Match budget to methods
  • Realistic - no inflated #
  • Direct and indirect costs
  • Match or Cost-share?
  • Do the Math--check it twice!
The Budget
Do the Math!
Too many times proposal writers pour their blood, sweat, and tears into a beautifully crafted narrative, and the budget is an afterthought. Big mistake! The project budget is another opportunity to tell your story and demonstrate your credibility. Many funders tell us that the budget is often the first thing they look at. Everything in your budget should be reflected in the narrative. The last thing you want is a budget that raises more questions than it answers.

A restatement in dollar terms of the methods section - no surprises
Realistic, don’t inflate

Two parts to a budget
the budget form (often supplied) which breaks the budget into specific categories
a budget narrative that explains how you arrived at these figures and why you need the money

Two Types of Costs
Direct and Indirect
Direct Costs
Costs that show who and what is needed to complete each task
Indirect Costs are expenses of doing business that are not readily identified with a particular grant, contract, project function or activity, but are necessary for the general operation of the organization and the conduct of activities it performs.
often call Facilities and Administrative (F&A) or General and Administrative (G&A) Costs
For government grants the Indirect Rate is negotiated with Cognizant Auditing Agency.
For foundations, the rate is often specified by funder.

Cost Share or Match
Funders like to see that the institution is putting funds into a project as well.
Match - A 50% match for a $100,000 grant is $50,000
A 50% Cost Share of the total project cost where the funder puts up $100,000 is $100,000 because it is 50% of $200,000.

Budget Justification

  • Put in same order as budget form
  • Is item in referenced in narrative?
  • Are all incurred costs in narrative included in budget?
  • Are all expenses allowed by sponsor?
  • Are expenses REASONABLE, ALLOWABLE, and ALLOCABLE ?
The Budget
Do the Math!


The Grants Office must be involved in this portion of proposal development.
A restatement in dollar terms of the methods section - no surprises
Realistic, don’t inflate
Two parts to a budget
the budget form which breaks the budget into specific categories
a budget narrative that explains how you arrived at these figures and why you need the money
Two Types of Costs
Direct and Indirect
Direct Costs
Costs that can be identified specifically with a particular sponsored project, an instructional activity, or any other institutional activity; or that can be directly assigned to such activities relatively easily with a high degree of accuracy.
Indirect or Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Costs
Costs that are incurred for common or joint objectives, and, therefore, cannot be identified readily and specifically with a particular sponsored project, an instructional activity, or any other institutional activity.
Indirect Rate is negotiated with Cognizant Auditing Agency

Cost Share or Match
Funders like to see that the institution is putting funds into a project as well.
Match - A 50% match for a $100,000 grant is $50,000
A 50% Cost Share of the total project cost where the funder puts up $100,000 is $100,000 because it is 50% of $200,000.
Costing Principles
Like costs must be treated the same
you can’t give a private foundation a better deal than you would give the federal government

Evaluation

  • What is required?
  • Does funder supply the tools or evaluator?
  • Ties directly to objectives
  • Do you need to budget an outside evaluation consultant?

Dissemination

  • Generalizable findings
  • Enabling others to use your model, information, or strategies
  • How you will do this at the end of the grant
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Parts of a Grant Application (cont.)

  • References Cited
  • Resumes/Vitae
  • Appendices
  • Forms, Certifications and Assurances
  • FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES!!!

References Cited
Budget & Narrative
Vitae
Appendices
Forms, Certifications and Assurances
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Start writing no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.
~ Louis L'Amour

Reasons Why Proposals Fail

  • Deadlines not met
  • Mechanical defects
  • Nothing new/intriguing
  • No match to funder's needs
  • Costs do not match methods
  • Poorly written/incomplete/weak
14 Reasons Why Proposals Fail
Deadline not met
Guidelines not followed
Nothing intriguing
Did not meet priorities
Not complete
Poor literature review
Appeared beyond capacity of PI
Methodology weak
Unrealistic budget
Cost greater than benefit
Highly partisan
Poorly written
Mechanical defects
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You cannot win the lottery if you don't have a ticket!!

Photo by PeWu

Untitled Slide

The Fatal Mistake

The Biggest Mistake of All
Is to not write a proposal. It is absolutely fatal.
So - Go ahead and “Buy a Ticket!”
The End