1. Applying for Grants and Fellowships: Advice for SLA Graduate Students (Fall 2017)
Christopher Rodning, Professor, Anthropology Kevin Gotham, Associate Dean, SLA Justin Wolfe, Associate Professor, History Allison Truitt, Associate Professor, Anthropology Mariana Craciun, Assistant Professor, Sociology

2. Why do universities want you to write grants?
High visibility for the university
Overhead or indirect costs help balance the university budget and pay for administration
Contributes to prestige and national ranking of the university

3. Why do you want to write grants?
Pay dissertation research costs: travel, data, funds for equipment, time to write
Raise your research visibility
Open doors to consulting, collaborative research, new research agendas, etc.
Increase opportunities for national & international presentations, and shaping public policy
Improve research and writing
Help you get a job and make tenure

4. Search For Funding
Your department/program is the best source for finding funding opportunities
Consult your mentors and peers for opportunities specific to your field of study; for example, fellowships provided by a discipline's professional association.
Check the SLA and OGPS websites
Howard Tilton Library: Funding and Grants Research Guide.
Attend your professional meetings
Pay attention to s from Kevin Gotham
See the sources at the end of this ppt

5. SLA Summer Merit Fellowship Award
Competitive grants that provide up to $5000 to support summer activities for completing terminal degrees 
SLA students may use funds for research expenses, equipment, and travel to support data collection, analysis, and performances 
The Award will not support tuition, workshops, or conferences, past credit card bills, food, rent
A summer stipend for writing and completing the dissertation is limited to $2500 
First and Second year Ph.D. students are ineligible   
Students who have received two Fellowship Awards in the past are ineligible

6. Proposal Development Strategies
Develop a long-term research agenda with clear goals (create a plan, not just a proposal)
What do you intend to do and why is your research important?
What work has already been done and how are you going to do your research (data collection and analysis)?
Conceive of the final product before writing the proposal(s)
Research multiple funders to identify their priorities and see if they fund projects similar to yours

7. Proposal Development Strategies
Familiarize yourself with funding sources and proposal guidelines
1. internal funding opportunities
Provost’s Office and OGPS
SLA website (Summer Merit Fellowship)
Your department or graduate program
2. external funding opportunities:
Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA)
Google: e.g., “humanities grants for graduate students”
Federal grants database (Grants.gov)

8. Proposal Development Strategies
Check:
eligibility
average size of awards
maximum amount available
previous awards
proposal requirements and format
deadlines
evaluation criteria and process

9. Proposal Development Strategies
A successful proposal is one that is thoughtfully planned, well prepared, and concisely packaged
Base the proposal on an interesting idea that fills a gap in scholarly knowledge
Survey the literature
Contact Investigators working on topic
Obtain preliminary data
Prepare a brief concept paper
Discuss with colleagues/mentors
Use concise, direct, and straightforward language (no jargon)

10. Proposal Development Strategies
Understand the importance of the abstract (first impression)
Write to the audience that will review your proposal
Explain the urgency and timeliness of your work
Provide evidence that you can successfully complete the project (don’t be over- or under-ambitious)
Read guidelines several times and follow directions completely
Explain the value-added nature of the research
Why should anyone care about your work?
Answer the “so what” question

11. Final Thoughts
Private foundations and government funders are looking to fund research that is bold, original, innovative, and transformative
Pay attention to the funding agency’s goals and review criteria as you craft your proposal
If possible, revise and resubmit if you get declined for funding
Be tenacious, persistent, and resilient

12. Sources
Grant Writing tips from the Chronicle of Higher Education. Nov. 6,
On the Art of Writing Proposals (SSRC).
Tips on Writing a Grant Proposal (EPA).
Writing Proposals for the Federal Government.
Writing Proposals for ACLS Fellowship Competitions.