#ACPA13Money

Don’t Gamble With Funding Your ResearchMegan DrangstveitMichigan State University

Co-Sponsored:Standing Committee for Graduate Students and New Professionals (SCGSNP)Commission for Graduate and Professional Student Affairs (CGPSA)

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.Planet Hollywood, Sunset 5

IntroductionsMegan Drangstveitmdrangst@msu.edu

Doctoral StudentHigher, Adult & Lifelong Education

Graduate Assistant Institute for Research on Teaching & Learning

Program Description

Identifying and securing funding within higher education can mean the difference between a program continuing or ending, or a dissertation being completed on time, if at all. Understanding how to find appropriate funding opportunities, compose grant applications, and successfully secure funding for personal or organizational projects is a skill that can be helpful no matter your position. This session aims to assist higher education / student affairs practitioners and students in exploring the world of grants and external funding. #ACPA13Money

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the grant writing process – identify, understand, pursue.

2. Identify resources to find appropriate funding for dissertation, independent research, and/or projects.

Keywords• Graduate Students and New

Professionals• Professional Preparation

Professional Outcomes• Human and Organizational

Resources• Transforming Higher

Education

Today’s Plan

•Audience introductions

•Target proposals: Money, Eligibility, Fit, Time

•Finding funders

•Basics of grant proposals

•Resources

•Q&A

Audience Poll (think, pair, share)1. What are grants and how can they help me?

2. Who has grant experience (writing, reviewing, etc)?

3. What types of things are you hoping to fund?

4. Where would you expect to look for funding?

5. What assumptions do you have about the external funding process?

What role can grants (or other external funds) play in my career?•Grants can be used for training, travel, work buy-

outs, supplies, hourly staff, tuition, graduate assistantships.

• Funds can be used to complete a dissertation, create/sustain a program, or conduct small research projects.

• Funding agencies exist to advance research and/or practice within an area.

• Foundations are required to spend their funds.

•Start small, “earn” your way up to larger awards.

A littleplanning

An excitingidea

A support network

Why Not?

• If you’re seeking funding for your dissertation, you will do or have already done (most of) the work.

•Grant writing skills are valued no matter your role.

Turning your idea into a competitive grant proposal takes:

Target the proposal at the intersection where:

Money… is there research funding available?

Internal Funding External Funding

•Your department / college / program

•Research entities on campus (grant administration, other departments)

• Institution-wide opportunities

•Databases•Regional

foundations•Professional

organizations & associations

•Government entities

Eligibility …are you ready?

OR:

Research or Project GrantsTo fund project creation,

operation, and/or research activities

Think one step ahead!

Academic Funding

Eligibility…do you meet the sponsor’s requirements?

•Citizenship?

•Comprehensive exams and/or coursework complete?

•Dissertation proposal defense complete?

•Full-time employee vs. faculty member vs. student?

•Faculty advisor’s “OK”

Fit…does your project match the funder’s goals and priorities?Many sponsors have websites with helpful

information:•What are the sponsor’s goals and priorities?

What have they funded in the past?•What is their program focus?

population? method? Issue?•Who can I contact for information

for assistance, guidance, or advice?•What are the review criteria?•Do they have sample proposals?

Time... can a competitive proposal be written in the time available?•Start early.•Assess your timeline.▫When will you complete doctoral program

requirements? collect data? conduct analysis? write up?

▫Can your continue operations until funding would be received?

•Do you have time to complete the application?

•How long does it take for a decision? When will the funds become available?

•Can you reapply?

Target the proposal at the intersection where:

Finding funders

• It’s never too early or too late to start searching, but you will need to cut through the clutter and be a “smart searcher”

•To be successful, you will need to:

1. Search in the right places

•Start local. •Talk to faculty members, people on campus

with similar interests, supervisors, colleagues, those who work in grant-funded programs.

•Talk with your librarians.▫MSU Libraries, Jon Harrison▫http://staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/index.ht

m•Consider any on-campus funding search

resources.•Explore professional/academic associations.

MSU Libraries

MSU Libraries

Examples of grant-funded programs(at an institutional level)

1. Search in the right places

•Databases. Some may be available on your campus.▫Community of Science

▫SciVal Funding

▫Foundation Center Foundation Directory Online Professional Foundation Grants to Individuals Online

▫GrantSelect

▫GuideStar

1. Search in the right places

•Government databases & agencies▫Government databases (e.g. grants.gov)▫Government agencies (NSF, NIH, etc.)▫State governments

•Examples of other databases▫MSU IRTL:

http://education.msu.edu/irtl/grad/deadlines/▫MSU IRTL Resources page:

http://education.msu.edu/irtl/grad/search.asp

1. Search in the right places

Quick sharing:

•Talk with your neighbors about any resources for identifying funding opportunities you have used, expect to use, think exist, or doubt exist on your own campuses.

•Who can you identify as a possible resource / connection to learning more?

2. Know relevant agencies

Links to specific orgs are in the Notes for this slide

3. Learn grant cycles.Sept: APA, AERA, & NSF

Oct: Fulbright, IRA, & Spencer

Nov: AAUW, SSRC, IRA, Ford, & AERA

Dec: AAUW & AAAS

June: NCES, AERA, Head Start

Jan: AIR, AERA, IRA, & APA

Feb: ETS, NSFApr: NCES

May: NCES & ACHE

“There is no amount of grantsmanship that will turn a bad idea into a good one, but there are many ways to disguise a good one.”

William Raubformer Deputy Director, NIH

What makes a grant proposal successful?•There is intense competition for a limited

amountof research funds. This video from the NIH highlights what resonates with grant reviewers, and includes tips for achieving success.

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAOGtr0pM6Q

What makes a grant proposal successful?• start early• contact with funding

sponsor• research matches

funding announcement • aligned with priorities of

sponsor• written with the review

process in mind• captures reviewers’

attention • well-organized,

engaging language

• clear focus• follows the instructions

precisely• applicant seeks outside

review before submitting• compelling idea that

advances the science• not too ambitious or

unrealistic• no typos, grammatical

errors• reasonable and accurate

budget• submitted on time

Writing a grant proposal can be considered an art…•“A successfully funded grant proposal is a▫ well-researched,▫ meticulously prepared, ▫ compelling, ▫ persuasively written presentation of your

work•aimed at individuals who decide whether

they want to select and support your research project” (Gant, 2010).

Gant, D. Grant Writing 101 [Articulate presentation]. Retrieved from the University of California at San Diego Conflict of Interest Office Web site: http://ocga2.ucsd.edu/eLearning/GW101/

Project Summary

•Title: clear, accurate, and succinct

•Abstract: likely the most important part of the grant proposal. This should be accessible to anyone reading it, and will likely be written last.

Draft a compelling narrative• “Agencies will not fund an idea not embedded in a

convincing pattern of narrative detail and performance specificity tightly mapped to funding agency objectives” (Cronan, 2007).

• The “hook” and the “compass paragraph” -- capture their attention. They may not read past the first paragraph.

• Succinct, organized, engaging language that immediately captures the reviewer's attention and makes your proposal stand out.

• Show your project is well-planned and feasible.• Avoid jargon, check spelling and punctuation.• Be selective and critical in literature review.

Cronan, M. Generic Strategies for Writing Competitive Proposals [PowerPoint presentation]. Retrieved Texas A&M University Office of Research & Graduate Studies Web site: http://opd.tamu.edu/

Support Materials

•Biographical Narrative: Share motivations, experiences, and future goals.

•Budget: Be reasonable and accurate. Meet the sponsor’s requirements. Use their required form/format.

•Letters of Recommendation / Support: Give concrete examples. Contextualize your research, project, and scholarly potential.

Some practical advice…

•Start early. Give yourself plenty of time to write a competitive proposal and revise, revise, revise.

•Build your intelligence about the sponsor. Connect your research/project interests with sponsor’s priorities and funding criteria. Be prepared when contacting a program officer for assistance, guidance, and/or advice.

Some practical advice…

•Follow the proposal instructions.▫answer ALL the questions▫stick to the format (font, margin, and page

limits) and structure requirements▫include a reasonable and accurate budget

that meets the sponsor’s requirements▫review any available rubrics

•Have many people review your materials – both within and external to your area.

Reviewers

•Keep in mind that the reviewers may not be in your same discipline / functional area.

•Write clearly in a way that is accessible to non-academics.

•Grab their attention right away – title, intro sentence, etc.

•Websites may provide information on past/current reviewers. Use this knowledge to inform your writing.

Reviewers

•Talk to colleagues about any past experiences as reviewers. What did they look for? What impressed them? What were basic mistakes they saw? How did they evaluate proposals with others from different specializations?

• If possible, take advantage of opportunities to serve as a reviewer for grants, awards, etc within your field.

Create Your Support Network

YouYou

Research Administrati

on Staff

Research Administrati

on Staff

Colleagues & Friends

Colleagues & Friends

Advisor / Superviso

r

Advisor / Superviso

r

Quick check in

•Can you name any experiences or responsibilities that have similar processes, tasks, or expectations?

•What related skills do you already possess?

•Does anyone want to share any of their experiences related to what was covered today?

Select resourcesCarlson, M., & O’Neal-McElrath, T. (2011). Winning grants step by

step, third edition. Jossey-Bass.Graduate & Postdoctoral Extramural Support (GRAPES)

Database:http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/asis/grapes/search.asp

Harrison, J. (2012). Grants and related resources. MSU Libraries. Reference Librarian Jon Harrison http://staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/index.htm

Kraicer, J. (1997). The art of grantsmanship. University of Toronto.

Michigan State University. (2012). Institute for Research on Teaching & Learning. http://education.msu.edu/irtl/grad/

Pzreworski, A., & Salomon, F. (1998). On the art of writing proposals. Brooklyn: Social Science Research Council. (free link)

Texas A&M University. (2006). The craft of grant writing.

Moving forward …

•What do you want to fund?•Where can you find funding?•Who can be part of your support

network?

Get started.

Find funders.

Prepare proposals.

Questions?

Megan Drangstveitmdrangst@msu.edu

Institute for Research on Teaching and LearningMichigan State University, College of Education

http://education.msu.edu/irtl/grad

Thank You!