TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

Grant Writing Advice & Tips

THE RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION IMPROVEMENT NETWORK

Presented by

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

Workshop Objectives

• Developing the Project Idea

• Finding Funding

• Proposal Guidelines

• Writing the Proposal

• Typical Proposal Components

• Preparing the Budget

• Submitting the Proposal

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

Developing the Project Idea

The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.

Linus Pauling

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

Idea Check

• Is this idea innovative?

• Have similar projects been proposed/funded (local, state,

national, global)?

• How does this idea differ from others?

• Why is this idea important?

• Will others support this idea?

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

Finding Funding

• Search agency, government, and organizational websites for

opportunities.

• Use an online search mechanism, i.e. COS.

• Contact (or be contacted by) funding agencies to learn of

opportunities.

Refer to: http://www.research.usf.edu/TRAIN/searchFor.asp

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

COS Services

• COS Funding Opportunities - provides the world’s largest listing of available

grants, fellowships, prizes and more.

• COS Funding Alert - delivers new and updated information about funding in

the user's area of interest via email.

• COS Expertise - provides tools for collecting and managing your

professional information, publicizing your work, and to find collaborators.

• COS Quick Form™ - generates formatted Curriculum Vitae (CV) and

BioSketch information.

• COS Profile™ - provides professional homepages:

http://myprofile.cos.com/YourUsername.

Refer to: http://www.cos.com/

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

Funding Check

• Who is this sponsor?

• What does this sponsor want?

• Does this idea match this sponsor’s goals and objectives?

• Am I an eligible applicant?

• Am I allowed to contact the Program Officer for additional

information?

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

• Get the program guidelines/application instructions.

• Read the guidelines carefully.

• Follow the instructions exactly, the guidelines may specify and detail the

format and sections to be included in the proposal; they may provide

evaluation criteria and the number of points of each criterion.

• Requests For Proposal (RFP) and Requests For Application (RFA) usually

require business/cost and technical sections that are independent of each

other.

• Failure to present a proposal in the required format can exclude it from

being reviewed or cause it to be rejected.

Proposal Application Guidelines

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

• Do the guidelines clearly state the submission instructions and deadlines?

• Do the guidelines list the funding goals, priorities, performance, and personnel requirements?

• Do the guidelines identify required proposal sections/components, topics to be addressed?

• Do the guidelines specify the proposal layout, e.g., font, margins, spacing, page limits, etc.

• Do the guidelines specify the budget limit?

• Do the guidelines provide information on the review criteria, scoring, and timetable?

• Do the guidelines provide information on whom to contact for additional guidance?

Guidelines Check

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

There are three basic concepts that underlie all successful proposals:

• A good idea.

• A good design.

• A well-written and complete proposal.

Having developed a good concept supported by a sound plan, the proposal

should include the components listed and described in the program guidelines.

Writing the Proposal

Refer to: http://www.research.usf.edu/TRAIN/propDev.asp

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

• Project Summary/Abstract

• Introduction of the Institution

• Problem Statement/Needs Assessment

• Project Objectives

• Project Methods or Design

• Project Evaluation

• Future Funding

• Curriculum Vitae/Biographical Sketch/Resume

• Current and Pending Support

• Facilities and Resources

• Project Budget and Justification

Typical Proposal Components

Proposal components may vary for each funding opportunity, refer to the sponsor guidelines.

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

“The Hook… first impressions mean a lot!”

• The Project Summary or Abstract is often the most important part

of your proposal.

• In some cases, it maybe the only part of the application that is

reviewed prior to a funding decision.

• Develop it last, so that all of the key points outlined in the proposal

are addressed.

• Keep it brief.

• Don’t use jargon.

Project Summary/Abstract

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

• A brief description of the problem or need that your proposal will

address.

• A short description of the proposed solution, project objectives,

methods, personnel, benefits to the community, etc. (address each

of the required items listed in the sponsor’s guidelines).

• An explanation of the proposed budget requirements and any plans

for future/sustained funding.

• A brief statement of why USF is best suited to carry out this

proposal.

Things to include in the Project Summary

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

• Gather information about the University and your

College/Department; most proposals require a description of an

institution’s history (past and present operations).

• Describe the institution’s goals, philosophy, track record with other

grantors, and any success stories.

• Cite the institution’s expertise, especially as it relates to the subject

of your proposal.

• Be sure to gear your information to the goals of the sponsor to

establish your institution’s credibility.

Introduction of the Institution

Refer to: General Information Blurb

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

• Proposal budgets are cost estimates detailing the funds necessary to carry out the described project.

• A carefully prepared budget can often identify weak areas in the proposal narrative.

• Most agencies provide their own specific budget forms; however, the basic categories apply to all agencies.

• A proposal budget should consist of direct and indirect (F&A) costs.

• Accurate and detailed budgets strengthen the overall proposal and increase the likelihood of funding.

Preparing the Budget

Refer to: TRAIN® Presentation, Preparing Project Budgets

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

Project Costs

Projected costs for federal and federal flow-through projects must be prepared with

great care and conform to the policies as prescribed in Circular OMB A-21 in

conjunction with the Cost Accounting Standards and applicable USF policies.

OMB A-21 identifies allowable direct and indirect cost categories and establishes

standards for consistency in the treatment of costs for institutional accounting, the

A-21 regulations apply to grants, contracts, and other types of awards accepted by

the university.

To learn more about Cost Accounting Standards, refer to the online training module:http://www.research.usf.edu/training/PI_Awareness/pia_fcp.htm

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

“... those costs that can be identified specifically with and relate directly to a particular sponsored project…”

“…those that are incurred for common or joint objectives [of the university] and, therefore, cannot be identified specifically with a particular sponsored project..."

Facilities & Administrative (F&A) Costs

Direct Costs

Direct Costs vs. Indirect Costs[Facilities & Administrative (F&A) Costs]

The cost of a sponsored agreement comprises the allowable direct costs,

plus the associated F&A costs.

Refer to: TRAIN® Presentation, Understanding F&A

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

• Have I addressed ALL of the required sections/components, topics as detailed in the sponsor’s guidelines?

• Have I organized my information as prescribed in the guidelines?

• Have I used the proper layout (font, margins, spacing) and kept within the page limits?

• Have I tailored my proposal to align with the sponsor’s goals and objectives?

• Have I used brief, concise, easy to understand language, free of jargon?

• Have I used active rather than passive verbs, proper grammar and correct spelling?

• Have I kept within the budget limits and justified ALL costs?

• Have I adequately demonstrated why THIS proposal should be funded?

• Have others reviewed my proposal for errors and general readability?

Writing Check

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

The PI must submit the proposal package to the Division of Sponsored Research (DSR) by the internal deadline date as listed in the Proposal Submission Guidelines: http://www.research.usf.edu/files/sr/proposal_submission_guidelines.doc .

Internal deadlines have been established to prevent potential disqualification of submissions by allowing time for DSR to review each proposal package for the following:

• Ensure compliance requirements are identified for:

– Human/animal subject use.

– Research safety and hazardous materials management.

– Conflict of interest issues.

– Adequate facilities.

• Verify that the budget is reasonable for the research proposal and that costs are allowable.

• Ensure that the budgeted costs are consistent with institutional practices.

• Identify sponsor restrictions and cost sharing requirements.

• Check that the application is complete and the required format is used.

Submitting the Proposal Package

Refer to: http://www.research.usf.edu/TRAIN/propSubmiss.asp

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

Prior to submitting the proposal package to DSR, the Principal Investigator (PI) must ensure that the Internal Form, used for official approval to seek funding, is fully completed, that the appropriate supporting documentation (i.e., Conflict of Interest, proposal abstract, proposed project budget) is attached, and that all necessary approvals have been obtained.

• Must be completed and signed online

• Ensures key compliance issues are identified and reviewed by PI, department and college.

– Includes signatures from the PI, Department Chair, Dean/Director and the VP (if applicable).

– Investigator is responsible for obtaining these signatures.

• Must accompany all proposals submitted to DSR.

– Includes all competing renewals and supplemental proposals.

• Collects critical information to be entered into DSR database for monitoring and reporting.

The Internal Form

Refer to: TRAIN®, Internal Form Instructions

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

• USF personnel do NOT need to register with Grants.gov to search for grant opportunities!

• Grants.gov usernames and passwords are only required for grant submissions.

• ONLY the Division of Sponsored Research (DSR) has the delegated the authority to provide the institutional signature on behalf of the University and submit grants.

• Depending on the agency or program, you may be required to convert the attachments to PDF.

- Use the proper versions of Adobe (8.1.1 or newer).

- Use file names without spaces or special characters (50 characters or less).

- Be sure to follow any naming conventions as prescribed in the guidelines.

•

About Grants.gov

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

Submission Check

• Have I reviewed the submission instructions as outlined in the application guidelines?

• Have I confirmed the Funding Opportunity Number and CFDA Number?

• Have I completed and included ALL of the required forms and attachments?

• Have I used the proper version of Adobe (8.1.1 or newer)?

• Have I allowed appropriate time for corrections to be made, if necessary?

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

Good Luck!

And remember…”if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!”

Many unsuccessful proposals are improved upon and funded the

second time around.

• Ask for the reviewers' comments, the comments provide insight to the proposal’s weak areas.

• The revised proposal can be submitted for the next funding cycle.

TRAIN® at the University of South Florida

Presented By…

THE RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION IMPROVEMENT NETWORK

Checkout our information online: http://www.research.usf.edu/TRAIN/

…or send email to: TRAIN@research.usf.edu