1. Grant Proposal Writing My top 10 Don’ts No!

2. Top 10 Don’ts 10 Don’t wait until the last minute.

3. Top 10 Don’ts 9. Don’t ignore or undervalue the boring parts:  management plan  education & outreach  project evaluation, etc. This is boring and it isn’t my area of expertise. Who will care anyway if I omit it?

4. 8. Don’t ignore any instructions in the RFP. Request for Proposals Instructions Do this Do that Mail to Email to Sections required Page limits Margin & font sizes Etc. Top 10 Don’ts

5. 7. Don’t lie. Don’t plagiarize. Top 10 Don’ts

6. 6. Don’t promise something that you can’t deliver. I sure hope I can do this. Well, miracles do happen! Top 10 Don’ts

7. 5. Don’t try to cram everything but the kitchen sink into your proposal. Top 10 Don’ts

8. 4. Don’t ever say “it is obvious” or “it is apparent.” Assume that nothing is obvious or apparent. It is obvious that….. Top 10 Don’ts

9. 3. Don’t have any misspelled words or grammatical errors Dictionary

10. Top 10 Don’ts 2. Don’t ignore the reviewers’ comments

11. Top 10 Don’ts 1. Don’t give up! You can’t win if you don’t enter!

12. My top 10 Do’s

13. Top 10 Do’s 10. Do develop a good idea that someone will want to fund

14. Top 10 Do’s 9. Do start early & allow enough time to write a good proposal

15. Top 10 Do’s 8. Do ask for and use available help: Program Officers Colleagues University resources Reviewer comments Prior awardees

16. Top 10 Do’s 7. Do learn to accept criticism. Do use constructive criticism wisely. That idiot doesn’t know anything!!!!! Now that’s a good idea. I’ll try that.

17. To 10 Do’s 6. Do understand about “goals,” “objectives,” and “activities.” Activities The “to do” list Chronological order Objectives What you want to achieve in the sort-term Immediate results from your project Goals Long-term changes or contributions of your project. The BIG PICTURE things

18. Top 10 Do’s 5. Do understand the goals of the funding agency. NSF’s goals Your project

19. Top 10 Do’s 4. Do show your passion.

20. To 10 Do’s 3. Do sell yourself and your product.

21. 2.Do make your proposal as easy and as pleasant to read as possible for the reviewers:  well-organized  1 st person and direct sentences  pleasing to the eye: lots of white space; use diagrams, tables, and pictures but keep them simple  read it aloud and have others critically read it  make your abstract as good as it can be  Highlight the review criteria so reviewers don’t miss them

22. This Not this

23. To 10 Do’s 1. Be an optimist!