Office of Sponsored Programs Pre-Award Basic Grant Writing Tamara Hatch, MBA, CRA, CPRA Interim Director – Sponsored Programs Pre-Award

PERFORMS 4 BASIC FUNCTIONS: SPONSORED PROGRAMS PERFORMS 4 BASIC FUNCTIONS: Distributes information concerning potential funding opportunities Reviews agency guidelines and assists with the overall proposal submission process (including budget development) Negotiates sponsor agreements, relationships and award terms and conditions Interprets and enforces the regulatory, contractual, and administrative requirements Sponsored programs - formed to provide a spectrum of support services to the university community To support external funding opportunities to promote creative scholarship, research, instruction and public service activities

What we will Cover Today Planning the Project How to find sponsors Drafting and polishing the proposal

Gain the Right Perspective Writing a successful proposal is not easy! There are lots of tips, tricks, and ideas for approaching grant writing. There is no “right” way to construct a proposal but there are things you can do to improve your chances.

Planning a Project Developing the Idea Formulate an idea problem, objectives, activities Define the problem What knowledge will the project yield? Identify the need Why is your project important? What is unique about your idea?

Planning a Project Measures & Applications Broader Impacts and Intellectual Merit How does the project have a larger impact on society? Sustainability: how will you keep it going once the grant or contract ends? Evaluation and Assessment What must you measure? How will you measure results?

Planning a Project: Outline Preserves the logic in the presentation Identifies the main ideas or goals Allows for ‘scaling’ the project (or proposal) Maintains continuity of the request Helps avoid getting off track Helps reduce omissions Assessment - Broader Impacts - Sustainability

Planning a Project: Aligning Your Project with a Funding Opportunity How do your proposed activities fit with the sponsor’s objectives? How does the proposal meet the stated goals of the solicitation? How are you and your team uniquely qualified to solve the problem without duplication of other efforts?

Continue Development State the obvious! Do your homework: If there is a known problem, reiterate it (the reviewers will already know) Do your homework: Know about other ideas or projects (lit review) Know what your sponsor has supported Review previously successful proposals

Planning a Project: Resources Timeline Team University Resources

Get Ready to Go Inform your Department Heads and/or Dean Disclose any resource needs that do not presently exist People (new hires) Space (long term rentals or leases) Equipment (to be purchased or accessed by special arrangement). Get concept approval/support before formal approval process begins

Search for Sponsors: Technical Publications/Websites Ask other successful researchers -(how/where did they start?) Use the Web : Funding agencies’ web sites Grants.gov (all Federal Agencies) Office of Sponsored Program (OSP) site: Grants Resource Center (http://www.aascu.org/grc/) (funded proposal library, search feature, articles) Monthly OSP Newsletter Technical Publications/Websites

Narrowing Funding Opportunities: Given your project plan and potential sponsors, further consider: Your skill level and available resources The type of organization you work for JMU = 501(c)3 Non-profit; State Agency; Institution of Higher Education (fiscal agent and eligibility) Awards go to an agency NOT to the Researcher Timeline for application and use of funds Expected award amount & duration

After Identifying a Funding Opportunity: Contact the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) Read the Sponsor’s guidelines! Learn about your sponsor and previously funded proposals All federally supported projects are publicly accessible For Foundations – search 990 forms Contact collaborator(s) to determine their interest and possible contributions

Writing the Proposal Speak to the SPONSOR Make sure your proposal fits their goals Use their language Capture reviewers’ attention Be excited about your project. It will show. Don’t ignore the opportunity for “extra points” if your idea meets a funding priority University/Industry collaborations? Use of students on the project? Underserved populations

Writing the Proposal General Components Title Page Table of Contents Abstract or Executive Summary (in layman’s terms) Literature Review (complete background) Narrative/Project Description/Statement of Work Budget and budget narrative Timeline Evaluation Plan Resumes/CVs Some May Require Logic Model – if complex, consider using a visual representation of your project to explain Data Management Plan

Writing the Proposal: Format Make the proposal easy for the reviewer to read DO’s Follow the required format exactly (fonts, margins) Use section headings and bullets Use sponsor’s buzz-words and language from their solicitation Always define acronyms on their first usage DON’Ts Avoid jargon and overuse of acronyms Don’t exceed maximum page limits Avoid excessive underlining or highlighting. It is distracting.

Writing the Proposal Narrative/Project Description Narrative/Project Description/Statement of Work - contents Introduction Statement of Problem Goals and objectives Significance Background Methodology – describe your approach Outcomes/Deliverables/Timeline Evaluation Plan -(how will overall impact of a funded project be measured?) Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Dissemination Plan

OSP HELP Budget Preparation – Session #2 (Oct 17) Financial presentation of your project – It is not an after-thought. Effective Budgets Demonstrate Reasonableness/Cost Feasibility Realistic Expectations Think in narrative terms “one month of my time” “travel to Dallas for 2 people for 3 days” OSP is here to assist with the budget

Other Budget Considerations Cost Share (or “Match”) Participant Support Costs Indirect Costs

Indirect Costs Also called Facilities and Administration (F&A) or “overhead” This is not “profit” for the institution. IDC is a method of recapturing actual costs that can't be directly attributed to your project (i.e. housekeeping, physical plant, libraries and use of grant accounting & financial services) Some of this recovery is returned to the department (30%) and the dean (10%) for discretionary use

Finishing the Proposal Complete necessary forms (this is where OSP can really assist) Sponsor’s Forms University Forms (Internal Approval Form & Cost Sharing Request Forms if applicable) Obtain formal Departmental & Dean approvals Submit final proposal and approvals to OSP for review and submission 5 business days before the sponsor’s deadline

Want More Information? Contact us directly: Office of Sponsored Programs jmu_grants@jmu.edu JMAC 6, Suite 26 (OSP) 568-6872 Website OSP https://www.jmu.edu/sponsoredprograms/index.shtml My Contact Info: Tamara Hatch, Interim Director OSP Pre-Award 568-2350 hatchtt@jmu.edu