DISSERTATION FUNDING: A WORKSHOP CLA GRANTS Alexandra Brown, Ph.D., Grants Coordinator for Arts and Humanities Gayle Anderson, Fiscal Administration Dissertation Funding, Oct. 21, 2011

DEVELOPING A GRANT PROPOSAL REQUIRES A STRATEGY Work with your dissertation Advisor to determine that your Idea is:  Interesting  Innovative  Intellectually sound  Feasible  It must also be fundable

ALL THIS TAKES TIME… PLAN ACCORDINGLY

LOOK FOR THE RIGHT FUNDERS W e c a n h e l p ! !

 u/resources/ u/resources/  Databases  Navigate  u/cla_grants u/cla_grants  Proposal preparation  Writing Tips

 Register for a workshop   Databases they cover  COS  IRIS  SPIN  Foundation Directory online  More may be available through your department

 COS: US, Commonwealth, Foundations  SPIN: mainly US & Federal Funders  The IRIS database  Grants.gov: US federal funding  NSF, NIH, FIPSE

 Graduate School’s Fellowship Office External Funding: Financing/other.html

 The funder’s mission must be compatible with your project.  Read the guidelines, objectives, & Grant Proposal Guide.  Read the review criteria  Look at the funded grants  Develop a list of possible funders

PREPARE TO APPROACH FUNDERS  Prepare a one-page overview – explain why your project is important  Known background  Gap in knowledge/understanding/problem  Hypothesis/research question/project  Significance for your field & for society  Run it past colleagues—listen to critiques.  Refine your message.

 Federal Agencies: list program officers & their contact information.  Professional Organizations: if no program officer, stick to the guidelines. Consult with your dissertation advisor, other faculty, and other grad students.  Foundations: program officers? Or letters of inquiry?

 Tells reviewers…  Your idea is significant  You’ve researched it thoroughly  You’re the right investigator  Your methods are sound  The project is feasible  You will publish & disseminate your results  Is clear & easy to read!

 The Program Officer  The Review Panel General Scholarly Audience Not all in your area of expertise

 Descriptive title  Abstract or summary  Budget  Applicant’s credentials (CV & publications)  Narrative  Introduction: Key conceptual contributions upfront  Goals & Objectives  Background  Methods/Timetable/Work plan  Discussion/Significance  Bibliography

 Be Realistic  Make cost estimates COMPLETE and ACCURATE  Write a complete and DETAILED budget justification

 Keep your audience in mind  Write clearly and simply  Avoid jargon  Use active voice  Simplify text  Structure proposal clearly  Grab the readers attention at the outset

 Modesty is not a virtue in proposal writing  Stress the contributions of your work  Use the grant guidelines as a tool  Proofread, eliminate unnecessary words  Resources: University Writing Center  Collaborate Colleagues Professors

  Required for research on human subjects  Living people  Survey data  Human tissue samples  Categories of review  Exempt  Expedited  Full review

Thank you.