Introduction
The (very) Big Picture
The most important piece of advice I ever got about grant-writing:
“Write the proposal like you actually want to get the grant.” (…or words to that effect…Tony Kroch, p.c.)
Introduction
Outline 1. Some basic advice about the grant-writing process, based on my own limited experience. 2. The SAS Dissertation Research Grant A little one. 3. The SAS Dissertation Completion Grant A bigger one. 4. The National Science Foundation’s International Research Fellowship Program The biggest I’ve done so far. The only external grant I’ll discuss (i.e. U.S. government rather than Penn)
Section 1
What “write it like you want it” means:
Be specific and clear: In budgets, in proposed activities. In expected results. Be enthusiastic and optimistic: Propose the most work you can possibly get done, without being wildly unrealistic. Be confident: if you’re not, no one will want to fund you.
You are constructing a narrative for a group of scientificallytrained scholars outside your field.
Tell a story in which they just happen to have the right amount of money with the a certain goal in mind, and you just happen to have a great project to achieve that goal.
If you can’t do this, maybe you’ve got the wrong grant.
Section 1
A few tips, in no particular order:
Link your proposal to other grant proposals: Grants you and collaborators have already received. Grants collaborators and other similar researchers have independently received for similar research. Other proposals/projects you are working on, which show a full research program. Proposals other researchers are submitting.
Cite other successful research: Related projects that you have done which yielded results. Related projects that others have done (more senior people) which yielded results.
Connect your project to other fields (interdisciplinary work is usually a plus) and potential broader impacts.
Section 2
SAS Dissertation Research Fellowship
Deadline: February 16th (2008), or thereabouts Type of P.I. eligible: senior graduate student, after defending their dissertation proposal Amount: generally, ≤ $5,000 Intended for: research related to an ongoing dissertation USUALLY, to fund travel and/or research expenses for research during the summer (not living expenses). …which can include lodging in the travelled-to location.
…which can include tuition for courses that will give you a needed skill for your research (I used it to fund travel to Iceland for Icelandic language study). LESS OFTEN, used to provide full tuition, stipend, etc. for the following academic year.
Section 2
SAS Dissertation Research Fellowship
Components: 1. 5-page “Dissertation Proposal” written for a scholar outside the field (i.e. scientifically-trained layperson), including a title and the name of your supervisor. 2. Specific statement of your intended activities for the research period. 3. Two letters of recommendation. 4. List of publications and presentations (CV). 5. Itemized budget.
Section 2
SAS Dissertation Research Fellowship
What the granters want to accomplish: They want SAS students to be successful and write good dissertations, because it makes them look good, etc. They want people to do interesting and impressive sounding things which they would not otherwise be able to do, because…see above… They want to avoid: funding people’s summer vacations, funding you to stay in Philly and do what you were going to do anyway.
Matching narrative you provide to the granters: You’ve found a great opportunity which fits into your research program and plan for the dissertation. It costs the right amount and takes up the right amount of time. YOU COULD NOT DO IT WITHOUT THE GRANT.
Section 3
SAS Dissertation Completion Fellowship
Deadline: February 9th (2008), or thereabouts Type of P.I. eligible: senior graduate student without funding for the following academic year. Amount: generally the same amount as the current SAS (Benjamin Franklin) stipend, though the applicant may:
…be given half a year at this rate …be waitlisted for a whole year and/or half a year
Intended for: one-year, non-renewable support to finish an ongoing dissertation.
Section 3
SAS Dissertation Completion Fellowship
Components: 1. 5-page “Dissertation Proposal” written for a scholar outside the field (i.e. scientifically-trained layperson), including a title and the name of your supervisor. 2. Specific statement of your intended activities for the research period. 3. Two letters of recommendation. 4. List of publications and presentations (CV). 5. A writing sample (chapter or chapters) from the actual dissertation.
Section 3
SAS Dissertation Research Fellowship
What the granters want to accomplish: They want SAS students to be successful and write good dissertations, because it makes them look good, etc. They want SAS students to FINISH THEIR DISSERTATIONS, and preferably soon. They want to avoid funding people who have wasted their time or will waste their time.
Matching narrative you provide to the granters: You have been making progress on the thesis, and everything could have been done on time if everything had gone as planned. However, it did not go as planned, but that’s a good thing! The project became bigger, the results are more impressive, and next year will let you solidify these gains by doing X,Y,Z.
NSF International Research Fellowship Section 4 Program (IRFP)
Deadline: 2nd Tuesday in September annually (Sept. 14, 2010) Type of P.I. eligible: Will have received Ph.D. by the beginning of the proposed project. Cannot have received Ph.D. more than 2 years prior. U.S. citizen or permanent resident proposing collaboration with researchers abroad.
Amount: generally $57,000 - $200,000
Depending a lot on the host location. Depending on duration (9 months to 24 months).
Depending on expenses for travel, equipment, etc.
Intended for: U.S. postdoctoral researchers to do original research abroad, in collaboration with a foreign host institution and researchers abroad.
NSF International Research Fellowship Section 4 Program (IRFP)
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf06582/nsf06582.html
Major Components (see website for complete list): 1. 1-page Project Summary. 2. 7-page Detailed Project Description, with 3 pages for charts, figures, etc. 3. Two letters of recommendation. 4. Invitation letter from a senior researcher 5. Biographical Sketch of the applicant (CV). 6. References Cited. 7. Detailed Budget Breakdown. 8. Project Timeline
NSF International Research Fellowship Section 4 Program (IRFP)
What the granters want to accomplish: “What
is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?” “What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?” Create new international ties, solidify existing ones, which are expected to continue after the project. Allow U.S. researchers to learn from outside resources, and show other countries how valuable U.S. researchers are. Use this knowledge to advance your field and related fields,
NSF International Research Fellowship Section 4 Program (IRFP)
Matching narrative you provide to the granters: A
project with broad impact in many fields, based on good previous research. An ideal host institution and country to collaborate with. The project cannot get done ANYWHERE ELSE! – The location abroad is essential to the project. You already have a relationship with the host institution and have every reason to expect that relationship to deepen and continue. The collaboration fits into a general pattern/program of collaboration with the country in question; i.e., the U.S. already clearly wants a relationship with this country.
NSF International Research Fellowship Section 4 Program (IRFP)
My Project:
Evolution of Language Systems: a comparative study of grammatical change in Icelandic and English
Timeline: 18 months at the University of Iceland
Including periodic visits back to the U.S. to consult with colleagues and present results.
NSF International Research Fellowship Section 4 Program (IRFP)
Detailed project description If
you are also requesting a re-entry component, it must be included within the seven-page limit. I did not.
Detailed
justification for conducting the research abroad.
In
my case, research conducted on speakers of Icelandic needs to be in Iceland. (For that matter, gaining proficiency in the language myself needs to be in Iceland.)
Identification University
of the collaborating host(s).
of Iceland, Dr. Höskuldur Þráinsson
NSF International Research Fellowship Section 4 Program (IRFP)
Detailed project description, cont. Clear
relationship between your proposed research and the current research efforts at the host institution. U.
of Ice. has ongoing projects, already funded by Iceland, on Icelandic dialectal variation, the history and evolution of Icelandic, computational methods for building and searching databases to answer these questions. I had already participated in 2 NSF-funded workshops on these issues and the comparative study of Icelandic and English. Description
of facilities and any other evidence of the suitability of the foreign collaborator(s) and site(s). As
I said above, there are only ~350,000 Icelanders. Experts on the Icelandic language and library materials.
NSF International Research Fellowship Section 4 Program (IRFP)
Detailed project description, cont., cont. Explanation
of your long-term career goals and the role of this postdoctoral experience in achieving them, including future plans for collaborative activities. All
of the researchers involved, including myself, have other related projects which will continue afterwards. We will start new ones together, and I gave some examples. There are already some ideas kicking around for grants to continue where the current projects leave off.
Conclusions
It’s alright to be optimistic and forceful; have the courage of your own convictions, or the granters won’t believe you. Set
out a clear, specific plan. Don’t hedge in your writing. Frequently, being more forceful and confident is also clearer.
The real goal is to be clear to a scientifically-trained lay audience. Tell
them what you need clearly and simply, and tell them why it’s in their interest to give it to you.