1. Grants 101: Getting Started in Grantseeking and Grantwriting
Katherine McGraw, Ph.D.
October 24, 2012

2. What is a grant? What ISN’T it?
A grant is not a gift or “free money” – there are “strings” attached
A grant is not (usually) given to an individual, but to an organization, like a university, with an individual leading or directing the work that is funded.

3. Where do grants come from?
The US government, through the various departments and agencies (i.e., the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Education, etc.)
State and local governments
Private foundations (i.e., the Ford Foundation)
Corporations (i.e., Xerox or General Electric)
Organizations and Associations (i.e., the American Heart Association)

4. All grants are not the same.
Types of grants
Graduate fellowships (pre-doctoral, dissertation, post-doctoral) – many times awarded to an individual student
Research grants – major grants to a university that pay for a major research project conducted by faculty, students, postdocs, etc.
Training grants – grants to a university to train students about research
Equipment grants – grants to a university just to purchase a large piece of equipment
Program or Service grants – grants to a university or other non-profit organization to develop or carry out a program or conduct a project that serves a community (i.e, a tutoring project)

5. What’s the difference between a grant and a fellowship?
Fellowships…..
Fellowships are for students in postsecondary training at some level
Fellowships are often (although not always) awarded to individuals
Fellowship proposals/applications typically ask for information about the individual student as well as his/her research
Fellowships often are limited to paying student tuition and usually a stipend, but not always other expenses.
Grants….
Grants usually require the “principal investigator” or lead individual to be a faculty (or staff) member of the university, not a student.
Grants are almost always awarded to the institution, not the individual.
Grant proposals are almost entirely about the research or other project work to be conducted.
Grants can pay a variety of costs, depending on the grant.

6. How do I find a grant or fellowship?
1 - Define what you need the grant for – your research topic and what you need to pay for
2 - Use a search engine to find grants that fit your needs
Some search engines are:
- Illinois Researcher Information Service
COS Pivot (
Grants.gov (
3 - Once you find some possible sources, do your research
This means:
- read everything you can find about the grant opportunity
- contact the program officer at the granting agency or organization
- read about other grants that were given to see if your needs are similar

7. How do I find a grant or fellowship?
COS Pivot
Grants.gov
Foundation Center

8. How do I apply for a grant?
First steps:
Make sure you have a copy of all the guidelines and instructions – print them out!
Make sure you understand everything you need to submit and how/where/when to submit it (i.e., electronic vs. paper, how many copies, etc.)
Read the guidelines and instructions VERY carefully, and then read them again!
Ask questions – if you don’t understand the instructions, ask someone with more experience

9. How do I apply for a grant?
Things to look for in the grant guidelines:
Look for “guides” to putting the proposal together
Look for “key words” and repeat them in your proposal
Check all the guidelines for things like font size, page limitations, etc.
If you have questions, look for the program officer/agency contact, and contact him or her!

10. How do I apply for a grant?
Understand that grant seeking takes time!!!
Time for writing
Start planning AT LEAST 6-8 weeks prior to the deadline
Don’t underestimate the time needed for all the “non-writing” tasks
Time your grant application to get funding at the right time for your work.
For most government agencies, 6 months is a minimum review time.
Many deadlines, particularly fellowships, are in the fall.
I can’t say no one has ever gotten a proposal funded that was written in 1-2 weeks, but it is rare!
Note that as you get more experience with grant writing, you may be able to write faster, since you can use pre-written material.
Every grant requires CVs, forms, clearances, budget materials, etc. - don’t leave these to the last minute – they take longer than you think!
Review time: most agencies will give you a ballpark figure, but sometimes things happen and it takes longer.
The review period means that if you are applying for a grant or fellowship with a deadline in October, the SOONEST you would know about the outcome would be the next April. You might get your funding them, or in the case of a fellowship, in the fall.

11. What goes into a grant proposal?
A SAMPLE TEMPLATE
1. Title
2. Abstract/Project Summary
3. Project Narrative
a. Background Information/Statement of the Problem/Literature Review
b. Objectives/Aims/Research Questions
c. Methods/Procedures/Analysis
d. Administration
e. Evaluation

12. What goes into a grant proposal?
Most important is the Project Narrative – the description of your research – THIS is what will win or lose your grant
Follow the instructions EXACTLY
In most cases, you will need to have:
Discussion of background or preliminary data that you already know or have
A hypothesis or goal for your project
Specific aims or objectives that you will carry out
A plan for experiments or procedures
Discussion of what you expect to find, potential problems, and contingency plans

13. What goes into a grant proposal?
SAMPLE GUIDELINES :
“Project Narrative. This section should provide a clear description of the work to be undertaken and how you plan to accomplish it.
Relevance and Justification. This section should explain the relevance of the effort to the objectives
Project Activities and Schedule This section should identify the activities/tasks to be performed and provide a time for the accomplishment of the activities/tasks
Evaluation Phase: This section must include a plan and metrics to be used to assess the success of the project.
Facilities and Other Resources. Identify the facilities to be used at each performance site listed.
Equipment. List important items of equipment already available for this project”
Questions about how a response would be structured?

14. What goes into a grant proposal?
SAMPLE GUIDELINES
“SIGNIFICANCE: If the aims of the application are achieved, will scientific knowledge be advanced? Will there be a significant impact of these studies on the concepts or methods that contribute to the reduction of health disparities?
APPROACH: Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses of data adequately developed, well integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative methods/approaches?
INNOVATION: Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or methods and are the aims original and innovative?
INVESTIGATOR: Is the investigator appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work?
ENVIRONMENT: Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success?”

15. What goes into a grant proposal?
Creating a budget
Follow the instructions for what you can and can’t include
Work out a budget that addresses everything you say you plan to do
If there is a limit on how much you can request, you may need to scale back your project
Keep in mind that everything in your budget has to be a justifiable expense
Things like personal expenses, entertaining, etc. are almost always off-limits
Items like international travel usually need to be well-justified

16. What goes into a grant proposal?
Creating a budget
For fellowships, the entire budget will go to support YOU
For grants to an institution to support your research, the institution has infrastructure costs that make research possible
To compensate the institution, organizations (usually) allow the institution to budget a portion of the grant for its “indirect” costs.
Each institution has a rate negotiated with the federal government – Howard’s is currently 48%
For comparison – Harvard’s current rate is 68%; University of Michigan’s is 55.5%

17. What goes into a grant proposal?
Indirect Costs (also called “overhead”; “F&A”)
If the sponsor says they will fund a maximum grant of $150,000, here’s how you calculate the indirect cost:
TOTAL of salaries, supplies, etc. = $100,000
48% of that total = $48,000 is Indirect Cost
Your budget - $148,000 - is within the sponsor’s maximum
When constructing your budget, determine what you need first to do your research, then calculate how much the indirect costs will add.
You’ll know whether your project needs to be scaled back or whether you need to request a contribution from your institution or another partner.

18. How do I apply for a grant?
Other parts of a grant proposal:
Cover pages or forms
Abstract
CV (yourself and others who will work on the project)
Letters of reference or support
Budget narrative
Appendices of various kinds

19. How do I submit a grant proposal?
Follow the institutional procedures – at Howard, contact Research Administrative Services (RAS) to be sure you have everything required
Make sure you have all the required forms, signed by the right people in the right places
Check, recheck, and check again for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Follow all the directions (page limits, numbers of copies, etc.)
Your institution will have a process you need to follow for most grant submissions. Someone in your graduate school should be able to direct you.
Have someone else, preferably both someone in your discipline and someone as a generalist, read your proposal
Proposals can be returned without review if they don’t meet all the criteria.

20. What if my proposal is not funded?
Don’t give up!
Request and review the reviewers’ comments
Address the comments in your new proposal
Many proposals are not funded on the first try and are successful on the next try.
These may come automatically, or you may need to request them. Find out the process for doing so.
In some cases (NIH) you may need to specifically indicate where you have made changes to address reviewers’ concerns, but in most cases you can just revise and submit a new proposal.
In either case, don’t ignore the reviewers’ comments. Even if you have new reviewers (you probably will) the same things will likely come up again. If you feel the reviewers’ point was not valid, you may not change your proposal, but you may need to explain what you are doing in a clearer or more convincing way.

21. What happens after you submit a proposal?
Is it responsive?
Yes – then it goes to a review panel
NO – The proposal will be returned to you UNREAD!
Who reads it?
Usually a panel of 2 or more reviewers
Similar, but not identical, disciplines or research areas to yours
How do you find out if you are funded?
Some grants can take 6 months to be reviewed
The organization may give you a target date
What if your proposal is rejected?
Find out why – reviewers’ comments
Revise and resubmit as long as you’re eligible

22. Some General Tips for Grantwriting
Always Write to Your Audience
Be Persuasive
Make Life Easy for Your Reviewers
Edit, Edit, Edit
Follow Directions
Check and Recheck for Errors
Divide the Document Up
Use Bullets and Lists
Use Short Sentences
If Writing is Not Your Forte, Ask For Help

23. Questions? Katie McGraw
Director of Government, Corporate, and Foundation Relations
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
THANK YOU!