College of Social & Behavioral Sciences:SBSRI Grant Writing Workshop

Basic Components of the Proposal:

Introduction

Problem Need

Goals & Objectives

Methods

A Brief Review of . . . .

• Introduction• Problem/Need• Goals• Objectives

In order to develop a thorough Project Design & Methodology, you need to fully understand the key concepts in outlining problem need, goals and objectives, including product and process objective.

Introduction• The lead-in that assists the reader to follow the

logic of the proposal. You must include these items:– Nature of what follows (is this a preapplication,

proposal, etc.)– Specific parts of the funder’s offering you are

addressing (priorities, absolute priorities)– Time period for funding– Total amount required and amount requested– Describe the main activity (what project will do and

type of program; Special Demonstration Program, Field Initiated Research, etc.)

– Describe target population– Described your agency applying for funds and how it

qualified (HBC, HSI, Non-Profit 501c3)

Special Features to the Introduction• You might want to include background material as

to why your agency decided to apply to conduct this project. If there are special features, include them.

• Example: Department of Justice grant focusing on reducing youth crime and advocating staying in school– City of XYZ reports a crime rate in youth; low school

retention rates– University faculty (PI) and researchers have conducted

extensive research projects examining crime rates, youth offenders in conjunction with high school retention rates

Writing the Introduction

• The Introduction is generally the “first” component seen by the reviewers, however, it is best written after you have done most of the application narrative, or as a brief outline in the initial grant writing process.

• It is easier to be succinct after you have had practice writing about the proposed program.

(Broad) Problem/Need

• Funding agencies expect you to state the broad problem you are addressing with your project. If you plan a program to tell researchers about adult education, you will need to know the broad problems with adult education.

• Example: a project that focuses on adult education in the local area will address both the local problem, as well as the national problem and how the local population is posited within national averages for adult education.

Writing the Problem• Sample suggestions:

– Describe the problem first– Provide statistics or other support to show the

significance of the problem– Specify and document the problem locally– Introduce your target population in the problem by

stating who is affected, especially if some groups are more targeted than others. Describe location, numbers and demographics relevant to those you will serve.

– Provide baseline data results, if available, if you plan on showing a reduction in a broad problem

– Contrast the national with the local incidence of the problem, if relevant

– Consider a “needs assessment” as part of the project if data is not available

Contributing Problems

• Conduct a literature review of the field to document contributing problems (make sure citations are reliable and well documented)

• Show the significance and correlation to your proposed field of study

• Suggestion: demonstrate the major points in the text by presenting the actual data of your population in a table form

Intermediary Problems• There are certain fields (education, social sciences,

health, and similar fields) in which the behavior of individuals, institutions, as well as agencies contribute to the problem.

• Suggestion: determine if it is possible to make a claim that behaviors in these fields, if changed, could help ameliorate the broad problem.

• If so, it might be possible to indicate that with a major commitment to the concept, other changes may follow (beliefs, attitudes, or knowledge).

Significance of the Project• Establish the significance of your problem by

showing national relevance, the severity for the target population, and the benefits if solved.

• Example: in community based projects using a “community assessment” will help establish how the proposed participants consider the problem significant.

• Example: in historical museum projects using a “collections assessment” will help establish the condition of the collections which illustrates the significance if the object were destroyed or contaminated.

Recommendations

• Remember: the problem is never that your program does not exist, but rather that the method you are trying to establish will help find solutions to the problem.

• Sample:• Don’t say that there are no parenting programs for

training young mothers . . .• Do say that young mothers lack knowledge and/or

skills in how to become better parents.

Overview of the Problem

• Broad problem: main reason for the project

• Contributing problem: show the theoretical connection to the causes of the broad problem

• Intermediary problem: show theoretical connection to the contributing problem, if applicable

Goals & Objectives

• GOALS: happen AFTER the life of the grant

• OBJECTIVES: happen DURING the life of the grant (expected accomplishments and promises you make to the funding agency)

• ACTIVITIES: when you commit yourself to project objectives, you commit to carrying out activities to bring them about

Long-Range Goals

• Desired changes in the broad problem brought about, but not until after the project period is ended.

• This terminology separates goals from objectives by noting whether results can be observed by the end of the project period.

• If you do not expect to see changes within the project time frame, you have a GOAL.

Writing Statement of Goals

• In order to achieve a logical flow in your project design, it is advisable to write the section on goals and objectives in parallel with the section on problem/needs.

• In writing the goals section, indicate why expectation of achieving the GOAL is outside the project’s prescribed time frame.

• GOALS are then stated in terms of the decline of the broad problem in the target population.

Project Objectives

• Project objectives are expected changes and end results you plan to accomplish within the designated funding period. They can be recorded as:

– Changes in status or behaviors or institutional functioning;

– Presence of something that was not there before, such as a facility (establish a law clinic)

Project vs. Process Objectives

• Project: end results that affect the problems directly

• Process: things that must be produced or accomplished to make the project objective possible (has to do with functioning of the project)

• Suggestion: review these objectives in relation to your Outcomes Measurement Chart (handout) that appears in the Evaluation section of the grant application

Objective Schematic1. Goals (beyond project time frame)

2. Project Objectives

Broad / Main

Behavioral / Administrative

Intermediary / Educational

3. Process Objectives

Products

Milestones

SAMPLE ILLUSTRATION• Goal: Accelerated decline in child mortality between

Hispanic children and other groups

• Project Objective: by the end of the project period, 16 months after participating in hospital infant care program and discharged from the local hospital, the mortality rates will be 10% lower than mortality rates for comparable infants discharged in the period preceding the start of the education program (stress “preceding” to avoid undue burden)

• Process Objective: by the end of the first six months, bilingual (English/Spanish) video tapes of the infant child care program will be ready for use and approved by a review committee including representative of the target parent population (stress including the “voices” of the participants).

Methods

• The activities you commit to bring about are the methods you will use to reach your objectives.

• The methods you identify for reaching the project objectives are generally the central activities of the project

• The description of your methods is the central component of your proposal. Therefore, it is critical to maintain a good understanding of goals, objectives and activities.

Methods for Project Objectives

• Here is where you state clearly what is going to be delivered: content, form, sequencing, numbers to be served, and target population characteristics, as well as the number of periods/cycles of the basic program covered in the project period. In a research project, the method is your research design.

Methods for Process Objectives

• Each process objective requires a method statement. Here is where you will describe how you are going to reach your outreach target and how you will design project protocol [curriculum, obtain board approval, or design the interview protocol].

• Always check with your Human Subjects Protection Office for latest requirements in designing project design, consent, assent and permission forms, as well as site consent forms.

Justification of your Methods• In presenting your project methods, you are

making an implicit hypothesis that by using your given methods you will accomplish a given objectives.

• Justify your choice by drawing on your field of literature. Also show alternative methods and why you selected your proposed method vs. other methods (note if something has failed elsewhere and why). You may need to note that the issues you are addressing have never been addressed before. At all cost, demonstrate that you know the relevant options presented in your literature review.

Writing the Methods Section

• Suggestions: (you will decide on the final format according to the layout of your application and grant guidelines)

• Refer to handouts for:– Research design– Institutional design– Programmatic design

Points to Consider . . .

• When drafting, place each objective on an index card with its method. Create a card for each step of the method. Arrange the cards in time sequence.

• See that each milestone and product is also represented, with the steps for these. Check your time sequencing to make sure it is consistent with your overall design plan and funding period.

Points to Consider . . .

• Try not to confuse process objectives with methods:

– Process objectives: refers to a time at which something will be achieved, an end point

– Method: refers to a process over time that gets you to that end point

Articulating the Components• Schematic Layout of Basic Components:

• The process of designing the project requires an articulation of the problem, objectives, and methods.– Problems: reason project is undertaken

– Objectives: how they relate to the problems

– Methods: theoretical statements alongside the goal/objective statements and see how they relate

– The broad statement of method is really your hypothesis of what major methodological approach will achieve your ultimate goal.

– Assign corresponding numbers for reviewers to follow.

Basic Schematic Project LayoutPROBLEMS OBJECTIVES METHODSBroad Problem: slowing of decline in infant mortality; continued high rate for Hispanics vs. other populations

Goals/Objective:

Accelerated decline in infant mortality; parity in Hispanics vs. other populations

1. By 16 months post discharge: gains in survival rates for infants discharged from hospital whose caregivers receive pre/post discharge training and clinic care

Theoretical Statement:

The project offers a method to reduce the morbidity and mortality among graduates of infant intensive care units, with emphasis on poverty and minority families. It should reduce mortality and morbidity and thereby, the infant mortality rate.

An educational project helps young mothers become better parents.

Designing Project Instruments

• See Human Subjects Protection web site for instructions on designing consent and assent forms, and Project Approval Form

• Vpr2.admin.arizona.edu/human_subjects/manual4.htm

UA / HS Project Approval Form

• You will need to outline your objectives and methods in order to complete this form to submit to Human Subject Protection Office.

• Some of the items requested include: purpose and objectives, brief rationale and background, description of population, description of methodology and procedures, data, benefits, costs, risks

Future Workshops

• November 14: Testing and Criteria (Evaluation)

• November 27: Developing a budget