Developing Competitive Proposals

A Sampling of Success Rates High: The National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Program awarded 65 grants out of 249 applicants in FY 2005 (26 percent). Low: The U.S. Department of Education Fund for Improvement of Post-Secondary Education - 8% of preliminaries approved for final submission.

Getting Started Define your project Estimate your budgetary needs List your goals Matching your project to the funding opportunities Evaluate the Funding Source: –Eligibility –Priorities –Types of Support –Application Process –Past Awards

Use Your Resources Director of Grants The Internet –Community of Science ( –The Foundation Center (fdncenter.org)fdncenter.org – –Corporate web sites

Your Peers

Strategies for Success Start Early! Talk to the Sponsor/Program Officer Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite Follow the guidelines Don’t make mistakes (spelling, grammar, logical errors, etc.)

“Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.” -Sir Winston Churchill

Parts of a Proposal Title/Abstract Needs Statement Objectives Methods Budget & Budget Justification Evaluation Management Plan Personnel Institutional Capabilities Letters of Support Agency Forms

Title & Abstract Be intriguing Fit into the space provided Be understandable as a separate item from the rest of the proposal Reflect the content of the rest of the proposal Important elements: –Why the project is important –Objectives/Aims –A Concise Overview of Methods

Needs Statement Related to Agency mission Clearly defined Documented/concrete – use statistics Compelling/unique

Objectives Outcomes, not methods Specific statements Measurable/operational Realistic in Scope Logically ordered Terms defined

Methods Consistent with Objectives Reasonable in scope Describe activities Justify activities Include schedule of work/timeline

Budget & Budget Justification Consistent with Methods Consistent with Agency guidelines Consistent with applicable regulations Credible/realistic Approved by Administrators & KCTCS Indirect Costs (F&A)

Evaluation Related to Objectives Determine source of data and collection technique Analyze data Internal v. External Produce reports Impact on project

Writing Tips

Writing: Style Use proper grammar Use concrete evidence Be alert to audience and tone Avoid discipline- specific terminology and jargon Avoid redundancy Avoid unnecessary ‘big’ words

Writing: Structure Use explicit titles, headings, and subheadings throughout your proposal Use bulleted or numbered lists for series Use charts and diagrams to explain complex ideas Be consistent in the use of headings, fonts, and format Use white space to relieve the eye Use bold and italics to set off headings and important information

Writing: Editing & Revising Ask a peer to review your proposal for content Ask a peer to review for clarity and overall organization Check for logical, spelling, and grammatical errors Compare your final proposal version to the program guidelines Pay attention to page limits, font size, spacing requirements

Writing: Writer’s Block Make notes or an outline Start in the middle Talk about it Just write it

Writing: General Tips Read funded proposals Simplify your writing Obey the rules in the guidelines Start early, revise often, and submit before the deadline Use proper grammar and syntax

Why Proposals Get Rejected Failure to follow the guidelines Typos, omissions, inconsistencies, and other general errors Insufficient detail and lack of clarity Concerns about feasibility, resources, and qualifications Problem is vague, uninteresting, or unimportant

If you DIDN’T get funded Can you resubmit? Conduct further preliminary studies Keep up with the current literature Talk to the program officer Identify potential reviewers Volunteer to be a reviewer Explore other funding opportunities and experiences

If you DID get funded Maintain contact with your program officer Keep accurate and readily available project logs Publish results in a timely manner Provide reports by established deadlines Work within the fiscal guidelines Follow your proposal plan as you presented it

Top 10 Secrets to Getting a Proposal Rejected Immediately 10. Ask the Chrysler Foundation to fund your proposal sponsoring a Toyota Information Conference in Detroit. 9. Mail the proposal to the Program Officer’s home so they will know you do have access to that kind of information. 8. Tack an extra $25,000 to your budget in a line item with the heading, “Slush Fund” to give yourself some slack in case you run out of money.

Top 10 Secrets to Getting a Proposal Rejected Immediately 7. Tell the reviewers you can’t include any objectives because you haven’t done the research yet, but you’d be more than happy to add them to your final report. 6. Make clear in your problem statement that there really is no problem – you just find the topic interesting. 5. When the guidelines ask for the application forms to be in a certain order, completely ignore them because reviewers get bored when everything looks the same.

Top 10 Secrets to Getting a Proposal Rejected Immediately 4. Write in your proposal that you’re asking for 3 years of funding so you’ll be able to support your family until you get funded again, but you could actually do the project in 1 year if needed. 3. Submit your proposal to the same agency under 10 different titles at once with the hope that one of them will slip through. 2. Tell the reviewers that you’re not exactly sure how you’re going to do the research, but you’re confident it will fall into place once you get started.

Top 10 Secrets to Getting a Proposal Rejected Immediately 1. Include a picture of yourself and explain that your looks alone should be enough to get you funded.