1. DISSERTATION FUNDING: A WORKSHOP CLA GRANTS Alexandra Brown, Ph.D., Grants Coordinator for Arts and Humanities (akbrown@umn.edu) Gayle Anderson, Fiscal Administration (ander104@umn.edu) Dissertation Funding, Oct. 21, 2011

2. 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

3. ALL THIS TAKES TIME… PLAN ACCORDINGLY

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

5.  http://grants.cla.umn.ed u/resources/ http://grants.cla.umn.ed u/resources/  Databases  Navigate  https://apps.cla.umn.ed u/cla_grants https://apps.cla.umn.ed u/cla_grants  Proposal preparation  Writing Tips

6.  Register for a workshop  http://www.lib.umn.edu/services/workshops/registration http://www.lib.umn.edu/services/workshops/registration  Databases they cover  COS  IRIS  SPIN  Foundation Directory online  More may be available through your department

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

8.  Graduate School’s Fellowship Office http://www.grad.umn.edu/fellowships/ External Funding: http://www.grad.umn.edu/prospective_students/ Financing/other.html

9.  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

10. 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.

11.  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?

12.  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!

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

14.  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

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

16.  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

17.  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 http://writing.umn.edu/sws/index.html  Collaborate Colleagues Professors

18.  www.irb.umn.edu www.irb.umn.edu  Required for research on human subjects  Living people  Survey data  Human tissue samples  Categories of review  Exempt  Expedited  Full review

19. Thank you.