Maybe there’s a grant for that… PowerPoint Adapted From: Teresa Evans, Ph.D. Career Development Coordinator Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences UTHSCSA June 24, 2014

First things First What activity or equipment do you long to provide for your students, if only the funds were available? Could a grant provide the necessary financial support for you, your students, or your school? Why would your idea matter to someone else so they would be willing to pay to support your idea?

Grant Writing is an Investment Before writing the grant: Get permission from your principal AND department chair Identify school or district protocols regarding grants Writing the grant: Likely to be a lag time between proposal and award (don’t spend $ before it is awarded) The larger the grant, the greater the time commitment During and after the grant: Keep the funder informed through progress reports Essential for continued funding

How’s Your Aim? Develop a specific aim (your big idea) What activities are you planning? What do you hope to achieve? How will you measure the success?

Zooming in on the Target NETWORK! Find others who have successfully submitted a grant Mentoring is key Use resources like VBTA colleagues C3 Event workshops

You have to Play by the Rules GET the guidelines READ the guidelines FOLLOW the guidelines READ the guidelines

Following the Guidelines You must follow the guidelines exactly. Respond to all sections. Adhere to any format restrictions. Topics must be covered in order presented in guidelines. Use headings that correspond to the guidelines.

Find the Mission Statement READ the mission statement FOLLOW the mission statement This is your new mantra Does your idea fit the mission statement USE the mission statement

Possible Parts of a Grant Application Cover Page Table of Contents Abstract Problem or Needs Statement Goals and Objectives Methodology Quality of Key Personnel Evaluation Dissemination References Cited Budget & Narrative Vitae Appendices Forms, Certifications and Assurances

How to psych out your reviewers – Part I Clear and Concise Tell a Story Scannability Make sure that all pages are not just solid text Use bulleted items

How to psych out your reviewers – Part 2 Use graphics in methodology and needs sections Use headings and subheadings, bold, underline or italics (BE CONSISTENT) Look at each introductory sentence of a paragraph, it is the most important part, it is all they may read Use type faces with serifs, like Times, they are easier to read Do not justify

Editing A fine balance to establish clarity

Editing your Grant After you have finished your draft: set it aside for a day revise Have someone else read it Can they explain what the project is about? Guest Editor Clear and concise No jargon No first person

14 Reasons Why Proposals Fail – Part 1 1. Deadline not met 2. Guidelines not followed 3. Nothing intriguing 4. Did not meet priorities 5. Not complete 6. Poor literature review 7. Appeared beyond the capacity of PI

14 Reasons Why Proposals Fail – Part 2 8. Appeared beyond capacity of PI 9. Methodology weak 10. Unrealistic budget 11. Cost greater than benefit 12. Highly partisan 13. Poorly written 14. Mechanical defects

Remember Get Read Follow The Guidelines The Mission Statement

The Biggest Mistake of All Not completing a grant application!

Examples of places to search for grants Federal Government grants.gov State Government District Foundation Local Agencies Southwest Research Institute Websites GrantsAlert.com

Examples for smaller grants Lowes - Dollar General Literacy Foundation Target Grants for Education We Are Teachers - Donors Choose -

PowerPoint Adapted From: Teresa Evans, Ph.D. Career Development Coordinator Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences UTHSCSA June 24, 2014