1. Grant Writing and Budgeting David Allan with material borrowed from: Laura Rubin, Huron River Watershed Council and Michael Donahue, Great Lakes Commission

2. David Allan January 2006 Origin of your grant-writing You have an idea and are looking for a sponsor You’ve read an RFP (request for proposals) and believe that you have a project that fits In the end, may not be very different ‘curiosity-driven’ research and ‘mission- driven’ research: sponsors vary

3. David Allan January 2006 1 st Step: Project Idea Think it all out and know it thoroughly Be succinct; one sentence description Establish partnerships; contact them Leverage funds Estimate budget

4. David Allan January 2006 Research (don’t skip this step) What has been done? What do we know? Libraries for CDs and publications Web searches (web of science) List-serves Services Word of mouth Other similar project funding

5. David Allan January 2006 Research (don’t skip this step) Decide if it’s a good fit Who are they and what do they fund ? Search web (often list and describe previously funded projects) Know their region, focus, interests, people Look at trustees/board Timeline

6. David Allan January 2006 Contact Contact funder or “contact person” if allowed… Establish relationship with program officer Consider letter of inquiry IF ALLLOWED, do it IF NOT, don’t ever

7. David Allan January 2006 Read RFP or Guidelines Read thoroughly, a couple of times Follow it exactly in your writing Answer their questions Follow their format

8. David Allan January 2006 Write Proposal Use clear, concise language, be straightforward Follow their format Comply with every requirement Address criteria point-by-point Use the funder’s terminology Set clear goal/s and objectives and complimentary tasks Partnerships Make sure partners can deliver – substance, quality, time and funding

9. David Allan January 2006 Proposal components Usually specified in RFP, including length of sections Abstract is important – readers often skim Introduction: lays out the problem Proposed research Objectives and tasks Hypotheses and questions Methods/approach Products/expected outcome and timeline

10. David Allan January 2006 Be persuasive An RFP with very specific objectives… The competence and skills of your team Soundness of the work plan Your reliability: quality, on-time delivery Style: open, interactive, positive An open competition for novel work… Originality of the concepts Strong justification from literature review Prior accomplishments Methods primarily if novel

11. David Allan January 2006 Tips and Nuggets Establish relationships with funders and contacts Show them your excitement Be clear and simple; one sentence Persistence works

12. David Allan January 2006 “Words to Live By – Never, Ever ” Miss a deadline Ignore submittal requirements Let a typo get by Miscalculate a budget List partners you haven’t contacted

13. David Allan January 2006 Should you take money from: Exxon A tobacco company Playboy corporation Yes !!! Provided you have no disagreement with the objectives of the funding initiative and there are no restrictions on what you can report

14. David Allan January 2006 Resources for Grant Seekers Environmental funders http://www.fundsnetservices.com/environ.htm Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN) www.great-lakes.net/infocenter/news/funding.html University resources http://eelink.net/pages/Grants+-+General+Information http://www.research.umich.edu/era/grants_gov/ General web searches Agency contacts

15. David Allan January 2006 Budgeting Salary and fringe Contractual Equipment and Supplies Other Direct Indirect Inflation and unknowns

16. David Allan January 2006 “Budget for uncertainty” Anticipate the unanticipated in staffing, funding, travel and timeline Ask for what you really need – don’t “pad” or “lowball” but accommodate uncertainty Maximize cost-share and line up support quickly Make sure you can deliver on promises Develop a task/activity timeline for proposal development “back-costing”

17. David Allan January 2006 “Position yourself for the next step” Securing funds for one project opens doors to the next Use the project proposal to set up opportunities for further work

18. David Allan January 2006 “Don’t overlook the important elements” Budget in time and money for evaluation Provide for dissemination and publicity Keep your program officer informed, updated and involved Credit the funder whenever, however you can