Some Insights into Successful Grant Writing TONYA E. PERRY, PH.D. PROFESSOR & CHAIR DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK, PSYCHOLOGY & COUNSELING
New Faculty Workshop Series Research and Grant Opportunities Thursday, November 1, 2018
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Grant Award $1.92 Million The MSW Program has received a 4-year $1.92 Million grant award from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) through the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program.
Dr. Tonya Perry, Professor & Chairperson Principle Investigator
The AAMU BHWET Program will prepare MSW students to implement behavioral health interventions among vulnerable, medically underserved persons throughout communities in the North Alabama region and beyond.
Dr. Pamela Plummer, Assistant Professor Co-Principle Investigator
Funding Challenges
Most academic faculty are expected to bring in funding
In a tight fiscal environment, securing funding is harder than ever
Obtaining funding is particularly hard for new investigators without a funding track record
Grant Funding
Is a bridge to knowledge building, testing of interventions and preparation of future scholars
Brings you money
Brings you students and support for them
Brings your institution/organization money
Brings you credibility and respect
Brings you potential bargaining power
Presents a new set of challenges
Pitfalls Related to Grant Writing
We don’t apply
We work in isolation (alone and lonely)
We have little support
We aren’t persistent (apply, reapply)
We don’t have time (out of balance)
We have to attend to other more pressing, urgent matters
We fear rejection and the aftermaths of rejection (e.g., error = incompetency?)
We fear success and the aftermaths of success (e.g., burden of success?)
We sell ourselves short (not conveying our competencies and value) We give ourselves away, undervalue ourselves
We procrastinate and rush
Potential Barriers: HBCU-Based Faculty Do not apply Little/No experience with sponsored research including grant application development Limited awareness of range of research opportunities especially research training and career development opportunities Not in a research rich environment (e.g., mentors, colleagues, graduate students, equipment, space) Conflict between service, teaching and research
Cultivating Assets Know Thyself Support (e.g., social support, mentoring, coaching) Access (e.g., identifying opportunities, stepping through doors, and opening them) Attitude (e.g., persistence, open to constructive criticism, appreciative) Skills (e.g., writing, presenting self, methodology, research design, data analysis) Scholarship (e.g., publications)
Preparing Yourself to Seize Opportunities
Never submit an application without conferring with program/funding agency Know who will likely review your application Expect not to be funded the first time around; it’s not the norm at most federal agencies; BUT Be prepared to be funded the first time around Cultivate a strong support system that understands the process
Markers of Success in Academia
Publications
Peer-Reviewed and Scholarly Journals
Successful Grantsmanship Usual
rate of funding is only about 5-7% to 20-30% depending upon the agency, amount of funding available, agency priorities, discipline area…
How Do you Begin?
Identify the research problem, find out the current state of the research, and select an approach to solve it
Identify an agency or foundation which may support it or search for RFPs that the idea may fit under
Obtain a copy of the RFP and read it thoroughly, reread it, and then read it again
Where do you find out about funding opportunities?
Research and development office
Specific agency announcements
On-line databases
Consult with your department chair
Consult with your colleagues
Look at sources of support for published articles in your field
Internet searches
Published sources
What is the need? What have others done?
To stimulate creative thinking, Add ideas and then stretch!
What will it cost?
Why should I do it?
expected Outcomes?
My Proposal
What methods will I use?
Who will benefit?
How will I measure success?
What will future needs be?
Selling Yourself
You must sell yourself and idea to peers
Most agencies use a peer review system to decide on what proposals will be funded
Avoid overkill but do not be modest
Emphasize your particular expertise
You must be able to prove your own competence (curriculum vitae, publications, research funding history, awards, etc.)
Pay attention to all review criteria
•
Read evaluation criteria carefully; then reference them in the project narrative
•
Touch all the bases--not just the ones with which you’re comfortable
•
Reviewers will use the criteria to “score” your proposal
Consider the Reviewer... •
Many competitive programs utilize review panels (especially federal and state)
•
Most private foundations use staff to “screen” proposals for Program Director
•
The more competitive, the more reviewer(s) will look for reasons to reject proposals •
More than half (60%) of proposals are rejected outright on first reading because… •
Proposal did not match program
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Applicant did not follow directions New & Quick, Grantseeker’s Toolkit, 1998
How people respond to rejection
Some are destroyed and give up
Some may be bitter about the rejection
Some persist, but without learning anything in the process and end up stuck
Some reinvent themselves or create new opportunities
A reworked proposal has a significantly better chance of being funded
Final Advice
Study the proposal habits of the faculty around you who have been successful Co-write with more experienced colleagues and with trusted peers Look at the titles and summaries of the previous year’s proposals that were funded by an agency Get on a review panel – gives you perspective from the other side Expect not to get funded the first time around; most of us don’t Never, never give up!