1 I NTRODUCTION TO GRANT WRITING Dr. Teresa GammillMs. Sandy Williamson Assistant VP for Research Director, Research Fiscal Affairs September 19, 2013

S OURCES OF R ESEARCH I NFORMATION

I DEA F IRST OR O PPORTUNITY F IRST ? Opportunity Find funding opportunity Develop project in response to opportunity OR Idea Having an idea for a project Find funding source to match idea “There is no grantsmanship that will turn a bad idea into a good one, but there are many ways to disguise a good one.” -William Raub, former deputy director, NIH 3

4 F INDING F UNDING O PPORTUNITIES Agency web sites Electronic resources Contact with agencies and foundations Networking with colleagues Developing relationships with other institutions

5 F INDING FOUNDATION FUNDING Identify companies in state and region that have foundations Identify foundations funding research presented at state, regional, and national meetings Search journals for research in your area funded by foundations The Foundation Center

6 R ESEARCHING A FOUNDATION What is the mission of the foundation? What has the foundation funded previously? What are they interested in funding now? Are there geographic limitations? What is their normal level of funding?

7 R ESEARCHING A FOUNDATION Are proposals solicited? What is the submission process? How are funding decisions made? Who are the key contacts?

8 R ESEARCHING A FOUNDATION Contact the MSU Foundation ◦ Has the foundation funded anything at MSU? ◦ Is the foundation being solicited? ◦ What is the appropriate funding level? ◦ Does the MSU Foundation have a relationship with someone at the foundation?

9 N EXT STEPS … Develop white paper. ◦ Brief description of proposed research ◦ Rationale ◦ Qualifications of proposal and research team ◦ Budget

10 L OCAL F UNDING S OURCES ORED Website External Funding Listings Grant Writing Newsletter Fuller Grant Updates

11 ORED F UNDING 11

12 ORED F UNDING 12

13 ORED F UNDING 13

F EDERAL S OURCES Forecast of Funding Opportunities Department of Education FirstGov FirstGov for Nonprofits 14

F EDERAL S OURCES Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Federal government procurement opportunities Key government web sites SciTechResources.gov The Grantmanship Center Library of winning proposals Daily Federal Register announcements 15

16 F EDERAL S OURCES Granting Agencies Grants.gov Electronic alerts Announcements in last seven days Grant writing resources

17 C ALL FOR P ROPOSALS Different for different agencies and foundations Request for Application (RFA)… USDA Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)… NIH Program Solicitation (PS)… National Science Foundation Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)… Army/Dept. of Defense 17

18 C ALL FOR P ROPOSALS Read and re-read solicitation CAREFULLY! Highlight important components Number Funded Cost Share

19 RFP/FOA/BAA I NFORMATION Purpose of program Priorities of program Eligibility requirements Funding mechanism Grant Contract Cooperative Agreement

20 RFP/FOA/BAA I NFORMATION Cognizant Program Officer Total funds available Projected number of awards Cost sharing requirements Evaluation criteria for review process Review process mechanism Peer review Agency review 20

21 RFP/FOA/BAA I NFORMATION Preproposal/letter of intent Required or suggested Deadline Deadline for proposal submission (local time?) Submission process Deadline for review completion Sponsor’s award history Who has received funding for what types of activities Funding range 21

22 C ONTACT WITH A GENCY /F OUNDATION “The number one factor that leads to funding of proposals is contact with the program officer.” Dr. Kathie Olsen, Former Deputy Director The National Science Foundation 22

23 C ONTACT WITH A GENCY Contact appropriate program officer Set time for telephone appointment or Schedule a visit Send copy of concept paper prior to appointment (no more than two pages) 23

24 C ONTACT WITH A GENCY Listen carefully and take notes during the appointment. Take only as much time as necessary (A program officer’s time is valuable.) 24

25 P ROJECT T EAM Select project team carefully ! Determine expertise needed Consider personalities Agree to roles early on

26 S PONSORED P ROGRAMS Contact Sponsored Programs administrators at the beginning of the proposal process. RFP and submission deadline Special rules and regulations, allowable costs Internal approval sheet (IAS) IAS should document departmental/unit distribution of F & A (Facilities & Administrative cost or indirect) and cost sharing commitments Budget for preliminary review Subcontracts Final submission of proposal 26

27 R EGULATORY C OMPLIANCE Contact regulatory compliance to determine procedure for involving human subjects or animals in research. Approval is required with submission in most cases 118 Designation

28 E XPORT C ONTROL Contact Neil Lewis in the Research Security Office for information Example: An issue when traveling to foreign country and taking a laptop Can be an issue with doing collaborative research with other countries Can be an issue when using foreign nationals including graduate students on projects 28

29 T HE P ROPOSAL Determine content of proposal from RFP Typical proposal content Abstract/Project Summary Project description Qualifications of personnel Current and pending support Budget Budget explanation References

30 E LEMENTS OF AN NSF P ROPOSAL Newer requirements: Data Management Plan Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training

31 D ATA M ANAGEMENT P LAN R ESOURCES NSF Data Management Plan FAQ Guide to DMP preparation for NSF proposals Examples of DMPs Templates for creating DMPs

32 P OSTDOC M ENTORING P LAN R ESOURCES NSF Grant Proposal Guide Guidelines for enhancing the postdoctoral experience Example Sample annual review

33 R ESPONSIBLE C ONDUCT OF R ESEARCH Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research Ethics is required by federal funding agencies of project personnel who are being supported by the federal funding. Project personnel must choose and complete at least one of the training options to be a participating member of the funded project. 1. CITI 2. Credit Courses 3. Supplemental Training + CITI

34 T HE P ROPOSAL Budget Develop from project narrative. Do not include costs that do not directly benefit the completion of the statement of work. Request funds allowed under various categories and in amounts required by the scope of work Usually requires a budget for each year and a cumulative budget 34

35 E XAMPLE OF P ROPOSAL B UDGET 35

36 E XAMPLE OF P ROPOSAL B UDGET – C ONT ’ D 36

37 EXAMPLE OF PROPOSAL BUDGET – CONT’D

P ROPOSAL B UDGET C ONTINUED - 9 month vs. 12 month - Raises -Fringe rates -“Student” workers during periods of non-enrollment - Tuition increases - Travel – include details. - Equipment – items costing $5K or more - F&A rates - MTDC Cost sharing budget

B EFORE S UBMITTING Get advice Ask someone who has served on a review panel to assess the proposal Have someone unfamiliar with the project to review the proposal Proof carefully Read and re-read 39

40 S UBMITTING THE P ROPOSAL Only Sponsored Programs Administration has the authority to submit the proposal on behalf of the university. Communicate with SPA program administrator to determine deadline for submission to SPA. Method of submission Paper copies Date - postmark or arrival Number of copies Include correct delivery address (not post office box) 40

41 S UBMITTING THE P ROPOSAL Method of submission Electronic submission Register with agency well in advance of deadline Sponsored Programs must have access to submit Giving SPA access well in advance of deadline allows administrator to check budget, review allowable costs, review subcontracts, review checklist for missing items

42 S UBMITTING THE P ROPOSAL Method of submission Electronic submission When proposal is completed, request that Sponsored Programs submit the proposal Call administrator and follow with request for written confirmation from PI that proposal is ready to be submitted

W HAT I F Y OU A RE F UNDED ? Read the award letter carefully Pay attention to requirements for continuation funding or renewal Pay close attention to the terms and conditions related to re-budgeting and changes in effort Conduct the project as closely to the stated proposal as possible. Consult program officer about changes. Produce - your reputation for future funding depends on it. 43

W HAT I F Y OU A RE NOT F UNDED ? Do not be discouraged if not funded on the first submission Study reviewers’ comments carefully Consult with program officer Resubmit after discussions with program officer about reviewers’ comments 44

Q UESTIONS ? More Information: