Grant Writing and Proposal Development: Getting Started Savannah State University Brenda D. Hayes, MSW, MPH, DSW Research Assistant Prof., CHPM & Director, Grant and Proposal Development Office of Sponsored Research Administration Morehouse School of Medicine Atlanta, GA September 1, 2011

Workshop Objectives By the end of the session, participants will:  Be better positioned to initiate, develop and critique their proposals/grant applications  Know the difference between FINER, SMART, and GNOME mnemonics  Understand the important connections between well defined questions, hypotheses, goals, aims/objectives and the methodology or approach.  Have some ideas about ways to evaluate the projects 2Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

In Language, clarity is everything. - Confucius Chinese philosopher BCE 3Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

FAQs  What do all of those abbreviations (RFP, RFA, CFP, RFI, FOA, NGA, NOFA, etc.) mean?  When should I start?  Where do I look for funding?  Are there better or best times to search for FOAs? 4Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

More FAQ:  How can I write a proposal or build a team when I spend all of my time doing _____?  Where can I find examples of successful grants?  I don’t know anything about budgets, so who will help me?  Where can I get some help? 5Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

 Conduct a personal assessment of your readiness, capability and eligibility to apply for grant funding  Assess, update and determine if your literature review and your ideas are comprehensive and timely  Assemble your team  Develop a time line 6 Before you write a word: Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

Successful Applications  Direct, concise, compelling, convincing, capable and resourceful  Addresses a significant/important problem  Explicit goals, measurable objectives  Comprehensive but succinct background review  Methodology fits the problem  Appropriate funding mechanism Morehouse School of Medicine 20117

Unsuccessful Applications  Failure to follow directions  Lack of new or original ideas  Diffuse, superficial or unfocused research; lack of clearly stated hypothesis and rationale  Lack of an overall research goal; uncertainty about future directions  Lack of knowledge of relevant literature  Questionable reasoning in design  Lack of demonstrated experience in methodology (lacks details)  Format issues  Over-ambitious Morehouse School of Medicine 20118

Getting Started What do you wish to achieve? What specific activities/services? Capability and Assets Previous Record Collaborators and Partners Evaluation 9 Goals Objectives Methodology Organizational History Network Results oriented Evidence of Impact Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

10 Proposal Teamwork Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

11 Goals of the Organization Initial Project Idea Assessing Capability Assessing Need For the Idea Submitting the Proposal Planning Proposal Writing Writing the Proposal Identifying Alternative Approaches DEVELOPING THE IDEA MODEL FOR PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT Selecting Funding Source Gathering Necessary Data Building Support & Involvement This handout taken from Getting Funded: A Complete Guide To Proposal Writing by Mary Hill, Available from Continuing Education Publication, P.O. Box 1491, Portland, OR Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

Developing Your Idea(s)  Needs Assessment Evidence of the problem Local, county, state, national  Capability Assessment Organizational People Past and present history Resources (Funds, expertise, etc.) 12Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

Develop Your Research Question  F= Is it Feasible?  I = Is it interesting?  N = Is it Novel?  E = Is it Ethical?  R = Is it Realistic?* 13Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

If this is a non-research proposal, then  G = Goals  N = Needs  O = Objectives  M = Methods  E = Evaluation 14Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

15 Proposal Development and Grant Seeking Overview  Plan the Proposal  Write the Proposal  Design the Evaluation  Develop the Budget  Identify Potential Funding Sources  Revise as necessary  Submit the Proposal  Follow-Up Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

Private Proposal Development Template Project/Program History/Background Analogies Facts Statistics Experience Expert Example Need Action Statement Summary Idea Organizational history Population Demographics Sites ? Program areas Staff time Collaborators/Partners Small Grants or Pilot Funds? Training? Service/Training Opps with other orgs Previous partnerships Community Based Research Development Projects? One page executive summary on the need for project, competencies to address the need, timetable for completion and funding request Prepared by Program or Organizational Staff Includes specific funding request and justification for the amount, include in kind amounts and other leveraged (or existing) funding, shared portion of the budget? Morehouse School of Medicine: 16

Grants Language: Vocabulary  Objectives can be  Process/Formative  Outcomes/Impact/Summative  SMART is an acronym (mnemonic)  Specific  Measurable  Achievable  Realistic  Timely 17Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

Proposal (Exec.) Summary or Letter Of Intent (LOI)  At the Beginning of the Proposal  1 Sentence on Credibility  1 Sentence on Problem  1 Sentence on Objectives  1 Sentence on Methods  Funds: Requested or On Hand  Should be: Brief, specific and to the point  This can also fit an “abstract” Morehouse School of Medicine

Proposal Introduction  Identifies the Grant Applicant  States the Purpose and/or Goal  Describes Your Programs  Describes Your Clients, Target Population, Focus  States Your Achievements  Establishes Your Credibility  Documents Credibility  Keep it Brief 19Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

Background and Significance  Did I provide sufficient background information to set the stage?  Does my review reflect a thorough understanding of the field or area?  Are there gaps in knowledge?  Is the proposed work innovative?  Will it increase knowledge?  Is the proposal novel? Morehouse School of Medicine

21 Theoretical Considerations  Basic Sciences  Biomedical Approaches  Clinical and Translational Approaches  Public Health  Health Belief Models  Trans-theoretical  Behavioral Sciences  Bio-Psychosocial  Social Ecological Approaches  Social Determinants of Health Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

A Social-Ecological Framework: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force 22Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

Bio-Psycho-Social Theories 23Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

Methodology  Do you have any preliminary data?  Must include details about specific activities  One or More activity for Each Objective  Specify Who will do them When they will be done How will they be accomplished How long will each activity take or occur Morehouse School of Medicine

Measurement  Should Be in Terms of Data Used To Establish Need  Select Objectives That Show Project Influenced the Same Measures need -- poor reading performance objective -- should not relate to attendance but to reading performance Morehouse School of Medicine

Activities: (Experiments, interventions, etc.)  Explanations about how the project will reach the stated objectives  Necessary to the Success of the Project  Undertake Only Those That Will Move the Project Toward Realization of the Objectives  Fully Describe all of the activities in the Proposal Morehouse School of Medicine

EVALUATION Can reflect:  Structure  Process  Outcomes  Impact  A platform or partnership for the next project Morehouse School of Medicine

EVALUATION  Include an evaluation plan  Specifically discuss what you intend to deliver, based on your objectives  There should be some measurement involved, e.g., number of participants served, brochures developed, contacts made, presentations given, etc.  It is ok to include an evaluator but…. Morehouse School of Medicine

Results and Conclusions  Make sure that there is a consistent and coherent flow  Consider where you started  Is the theory you suggested evident in your conclusions?  Did you identify any constraints or limitations?  What are the next steps? Morehouse School of Medicine

General Tips and Comments  Take sufficient time to prepare a good abstract, LOI, or concept paper  Avoid jargon and acronyms  Always include a budget and budget justification  Be careful when you cut and paste: assure uniformity of font size and type Morehouse School of Medicine

More tips…  You must reflect an adequate and comprehensive literature review, use relevant and current references and citations  Make sure that the expected study outcome (s) fit the design, e.g., looking for a change in behavior based on a retrospective chart analysis, causation, associations, etc.  Background and significance vs. preliminary studies ??? Morehouse School of Medicine

Some proposals faculty could consider: (ENHANCEMENT PROPOSALS)  Student Access and Success  Curricula Revisions and Workforce Development  Partnerships  Technology and Distance Education  Professional Development Morehouse School of Medicine

Add student researchers:  Include them in your budget  Provide them with mentoring  Models for student success (alums?)  NSF, RIMI, MARC, etc.  Explore other ways to include students in your research efforts Morehouse School of Medicine

Morehouse School of Medicine And So We Begin Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. -Goethe

John W. Cresswell. Research Design: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1994 Arlene Fink. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From Paper to the Internet. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, William Gerin (Ed.) Writing the NIH Grant Proposal: a Step-By-Step Guide (2nd Ed.) Los Angeles: Sage Publications, Lawrence F. Locke, Waneen Wyrick Spirduso and Stephen J. Silverman. Proposals that Work: A Guide for Planning Dissertations and Grant Proposals. (4th Ed.) Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, Jeremy T. Miner and Lynn E. Miner. Models of Proposal Planning & Writing. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, Writing Grant Proposals That Win. Edited by Deborah Ward. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Otto O. Yang. Guide to Effective Grant Writing: How to Write an Effective NIH Grant Application New York, N.Y.: Springer Science & Business Media, Inc., References Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

References ●Hayes, Brenda D. Grant Writing for Community-Based Health Disparities Research and Services: The Role of Academic /Community Partnerships. In: Wallace, B.C.(editor) Toward Equity in Health: A New Global Approach to Health Disparities. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Co., ●Ockene JK, Edgerton EA, Teutsch SM, Marion LN, Miller T, Genevro JL, Loveland-Cherry CJ, Fielding JE, Briss PA. Integrating evidence-based clinical and community strategies to improve health. Am J Prev Med 2007;32: ●Lusk, S.L. Developing an Outstanding Grant Application. Western Journal of Nursing Research. 2004; 26(3), Morehouse School of Medicine 2011

Master of Public Health Program NyThea Campbell Tolbert, MPH Academic Support Specialist Phone: Fax:

Graduate Education in Biomedical Sciences Programs Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences M.S. in Biomedical Research M.S. in Biomedical Technology M.S. in Clinical Research Post baccalaureate Certificate in Biomedical Science Contact for program information: Douglas F. Paulsen, Ph.D. Associate Dean for Graduate Studies

Thank You! Questions and Comments