Grant Writing Cheat Sheet

Office of Proposal Development

10/2012

Office of Proposal Development Resources and Services for Graduate Students

There are a variety of organizational, planning and funding search tools available at grantwriting.tufts.edu These resources include: 

Outlines: Our office has developed outlines for NIH R01 and NSF research proposals. These outlines provide a guide to the standard sections required for these proposals. We also offer for download project management checklists to facilitate delegation of tasks within a grant application and setting internal deadlines for completion.

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Templates: Templates for biographical sketches (NIH and NSF), NSF budget justifications, and NIH resources and major equipment pages are available on our website. Each template uses examples and detailed instructions for proper completion of the form. Many of these also include a blank downloadable template for completion by the investigator.

Our NIH templates are modeled on the SF424 forms for electronic submission, and do not use the form pages required for PHS 398 paper submission. If your application uses the PHS 398 forms, please use the templates provided by the NIH.

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Additional Resources: A curated list of links to assist in developing and submitting proposals is available in the ‘Additional Resources’ Section. There are specific links to both NSF and NIH proposals, as well as to general grantsmanship advice.

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Finding Funding: Tufts currently subscribes to four funding search opportunity databases, which may all be accessed through a Tufts-networked computer: Community of Science (COS), Illinois Researcher Information Service (IRIS), ResearchProfessional and GrantsNet. Accounts can be created using a tufts.edu email address, and emailed funding alerts can be set up. Links to each website, as well as guides to their use, can be found on our website.

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Proposal Development E-list: Through the Office of Proposal Development E-list, we send periodic announcements about presentations, workshops and other grant-related events. To subscribe, please send an email to proposaldevelopment@tufts.edu.

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Twitter: The Office of Proposal Development maintains a twitter feed, @TuftsOPD, and we regularly post links to grant-related resources and information, focusing primarily on NSF and NIH.

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10/2012

Aligning Your Projects With The Mission Statement Step 1: Read the mission statement Example 1: The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation, formerly The Charles A. Lindbergh Fund, was created in 1977, the 50th anniversary year of Charles Lindbergh's epic New York-to-Paris flight. It was originated by friends of the Lindberghs at The Explorers Club in New York City, with the resulting national effort which established the non-profit organization led by General James H. Doolittle and Astronaut Neil Armstrong.

Since its formation, the mission of the Foundation has been to improve the quality of life through a balance between technology and nature. The changing of the organization's name, which took place in 1994, honors Anne Morrow Lindbergh and recognizes that she and her husband shared the vision of this balance in their pioneering contributions in aviation, exploration, conservation, writing and philosophy.

The Foundation seeks to support present and future generations in working toward such a balance, that we may "...discern nature's essential wisdom and combine it with our scientific knowledge..."

(Charles A. Lindbergh) and "balance power over life with reverence for life" (Anne Morrow Lindbergh).

From one of their programs: Lindbergh Grants—Each year, grants are made in support of research or public education projects that further the concept of balance.

Example 2: National Institutes of Health Its mission is science in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability.

The goals of the agency are as follows: 1. foster fundamental creative discoveries, innovative research strategies, and their applications as a basis to advance significantly the Nation's capacity to protect and improve health; 2. develop, maintain, and renew scientific human and physical resources that will assure the Nation's capability to prevent disease; 3. expand the knowledge base in medical and associated sciences in order to enhance the Nation's economic well-being and ensure a continued high return on the public investment in research; and 4. exemplify and promote the highest level of scientific integrity, public accountability, and social responsibility in the conduct of science.

Step 2: Read the funding agency’s website beyond the mission statement Example 1: The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation Each year, The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation presents Lindbergh Grants to individuals whose proposed research or education projects will make important contributions toward

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improving the quality of life by balancing technological advancements and the preservation of our environment. Awarded in amounts up to $10,580 each (a symbolic figure representing the cost of the "Spirit of St. Louis" in 1927), the Grants are made in numerous areas of special interest to Charles and Anne Lindbergh, including aviation/aerospace, agriculture, arts and humanities, biomedical research and adaptive technology, conservation of natural resources, education, exploration, health and population sciences, intercultural communication, oceanography, waste disposal management, water resource management, and wildlife preservation.

Example 2: National Institutes of Health The NIH provides leadership and direction to programs designed to improve the health of the Nation by conducting and supporting research:  in the causes, diagnosis, prevention, and cure of human diseases;  in the processes of human growth and development;  in the biological effects of environmental contaminants;  in the understanding of mental, addictive and physical disorders; and  in directing programs for the collection, dissemination, and exchange of information in medicine and health, including the development and support of medical libraries and the training of medical librarians and other health information specialists.

Step 3: Find out what the agency or program has funded before

Step 4: Call your program officer!

Office of Proposal Development

10/2012

How to Deconstruct a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Initial Questions:    

When is the submission deadline? Does the due date allow sufficient time to develop a competitive application? What are the internal deadlines? Start internal approval process well in advance.

Is there an earlier deadline for a letter of intent (LOI) or pre-proposal?

Are you eligible to serve as the PI? Do you need to complete any registrations prior to submission? (eRA commons, Fastlane, CDMRP, Proposal Central, etc.)

Is this a limited submission funding opportunity (i.e. a limited number of applications from Tufts are allowed)? If so, see Limited Submissions.

Program Description:   

Does your research fit the funding agency’s research objectives?

Publications, reports, or workshops referenced by the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) are good sources for finding the agency’s vision for the program.

Are there help documents (i.e., outlines/templates) linked to the FOA?

Document Specs:     

What are the page limits?

What sections of the proposal are included within the page limit? What sections are excluded?

What are the allowable fonts and font sizes? Margin sizes? Spacing requirements?

Are headers and footers allowed and/or required?

What is the submission method (electronic or hard-copy)? If it’s a hard-copy submission, how many copies do you need to send and by what date/time must they be received?

Budget:           

What is the budget cap? Can your research (or an aspect of your research) be completed with the funds available?

How many awards do they expect to make (i.e., how competitive is this competition?)

Is there a cost-sharing requirement? If so, contact your Department Administrator to start the internal approval process.

Is there a minimum time commitment? (i.e., how many person-months?) NOTE: PIs cannot have zero time committed.

What forms/format does your budget require? For example, a modular budget form vs. a fully-itemized budget form at NIH. Does the agency require inclusion of any specific costs (e.g., travel costs to attend a required meeting)? Are there any normally allowable costs that are not allowed under this FOA? Is there a cap on the recovery of indirect costs (facilities and administrative (F&A) costs)? If the allowable F&A rate is below Tufts’ current F&A rate, please discuss this with your Department Administrator and start the internal approval process.

Are there caps or constraints on the allocation of specific funds or line items? (e.g., line item X must not exceed 10% of total direct costs).

What requirements are in place for sub-awards? If sub-awards will be requested, speak to your research administrator well in advance of your deadline.

What are the requirements for the budget justification?

Is there a salary cap?

Office of Proposal Development

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Narrative Structure: 

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Are there required sections of the proposal narrative that are standard to this funding agency/mechanism? If so refer to the agency’s proposal guidelines document for more information (NIH SF424 R&R, NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG)). It's important to familiarize yourself with these instructions, and to use them as a reference for each proposal. They are also a place to find rules regarding any significant changes to proposal format.

Are there required or suggested subheadings? Funding opportunity announcements often provide information regarding the structure of your proposal.

If there are not required subheadings, are there easily identifiable headings that can be gleaned from the review criteria (e.g., Significance, Goals, Broader Impacts, Evaluation)? NOTE: Required or suggested subheadings are sometimes found in agency instruction documents, i.e. NIH SF424 R&R, NSF GPG. Organize your proposal in the same format described or implied in the FOA Reflect the language the funding agency uses to describe the program and its mission (check the agency's website). Use these key words in your proposal.

Subject headings, graphics, bullets, and bolded statements using language similar to that used in the FOA can all be used to make the reviewers’ jobs easier as they assess how well the proposal meets review criteria.

Review Criteria:  

What are the review criteria? Are there any special/unusual review criteria?

It is particularly important to read the review criteria carefully when you respond to an RFA or Program Announcement (PA). Review criteria for “parent” or investigator-initiated announcements are typically found in agency submission regulations.

Special Sections Required:   

What sections other than the main narrative are required? (Examples include “Management Plan,” “Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan,” “Multi-PI Leadership Plan,” “Protection of Human Subjects.”)

Are there required letters of support/collaboration? (Start the process of acquiring these letters early!)

Are appendix materials or supplementary documents allowed? If so, become familiar with what materials will/will not be accepted.

If you have questions about the funding opportunity announcement:   

Contact your Research Administrator and proposaldevelopment@tufts.edu Some departments and schools have resources available to assist with grants.

It is not uncommon to find ambiguities or apparent contradictions within the FOA. If, after re-reading the announcement, you are still in doubt, ask questions! Contact the relevant program official with your specific question or concern and ask for clarification. Contacts are provided within the FOA. Ask early!

Some funders have a deadline for the submission of questions.

Office of Proposal Development

10/2012

STEPS FOR WRITING YOUR INTRODUCTION AND GOALS We recommend writing your goals first. If you don’t have goals that you can clearly articulate, it will be very difficult to write the rest of your proposal. Once you have clear goals, use them to organize the rest of the proposal.

Step 1. Frame the issue: Get your reviewer on the page, and start from the big picture.

Example: Substance abuse among homeless youth is twice the rate seen in school youth.

Step 2. Specify the problem.

Example: The risk behaviors associated with substance abuse have long-term health consequences, including HIV. A majority of homeless youth, however, does not receive substance abuse treatment.

Only 30 percent of homeless youth utilize even basic shelter services.

Step 3. Give long-term objectives.

Example: Our long-term goal is to increase participation in substance abuse treatment in this population as a way to address the multiple problems these youth face.

Step 4. Give your specific plans.

Example: We have three goals to implement and test this approach.

Goal 1. We will create a manual based upon the Community Reinforcement Approach to guide individual therapy.

Goal 2. We will recruit and randomize a cohort of homeless youth who will receive either standard social services, or therapy based upon the Community Reinforcement Approach along with HIV intervention.

Goal 3. The efficacy of CRA and HIV intervention tailored for homeless youth will be evaluated and documented three and six months after treatment.

Step 5. Summarize the rationale for each of your specific plans.

Example: Our experience with homeless adults demonstrates that using approaches that create a community, with community norms of desired behaviors, has a more immediate impact on the development of sobriety and the reduction of risk behaviors.

Step 6. Tell them the payoff.

Example: By using the evaluation to modify the manual, we expect to create a transportable model for effective intervention with homeless youth.

FORMATTING YOUR GOALS We recommend that you format your goals in the following way to make it very easy for your reviewers to get the essential points of your proposal. Hooking them right from the beginning is essential!

Goal 1: We will create a manual based upon the Community Reinforcement Approach to guide individual therapy.

Rationale: Our experience with homeless adults demonstrates that using approaches that create a community, with community norms of desired behaviors, has a more immediate impact on the development of sobriety and the reduction of risk behaviors.

Office of Proposal Development

10/2012 How to Write an Effective Letter of Support

(Resource can be found at http://grantwriting.tufts.edu/?pid=19&c=39) We recommend that you offer to draft a letter of support for your consultant(s)/collaborator(s) to ensure that all deadlines are met.

By providing a draft letter of support, you ensure two things: 1. That the letter of support will contain all of the information you need 2. That you will get the letter back from your consultant(s)/collaborator(s) in a timely fashion (assuming you give them enough lead time! We suggest 2-3 weeks) Drafting your own letters of support also serves another important purpose. It can give both parties an early warning of unrealistic expectations. It is a vehicle for negotiating exactly what services, reagents, or expertise will be provided to support your work.

The goals of a letter of support are to:    

Specify what the consultant(s)/collaborator(s) will contribute to the research Convince the reviewer that the consultant(s)/collaborator(s) will fulfill the request Convey enthusiasm for the work Lend credibility to your proposal

As long as your letter demonstrates specifically what your collaborator(s) will be contributing to the project, there is no right or wrong way to draft a strong letter of support. One format that you might consider follows.

Example Letter of Support Format: Letters of support should be:    

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Unique and written from the point of view of your collaborator(s) or consultant(s) Printed on institutional letterhead and signed by the appropriate party (someone authorized to make the commitment of support) Addressed either to the PI of the proposal or to the granting agency – check the guidelines of the specific grant Address any specific guidelines (e.g., particular assurances) required by the funding agency or the university, as outlined in the request for applications (RFA) or as requested by your research administrator Follow any other guidelines (e.g., page limits) required by the funding agency

First Paragraph (1-3 sentences)  

Statement of support for the project/research – use words that convey enthusiasm Identify the research project by name/title

Examples: “I am pleased to support your research proposal titled xxx.”

“Your proposal to do xxx has my enthusiastic support.”

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Body Paragraphs (1-3 paragraphs, or more as necessary)   

If applicable, state how the goals/research of the collaborator(s)/consultant(s) are well-aligned with the goals of the proposed research. What is the collaborator’s motivation to work with you?

State as specifically as possible the role of the consultant(s)/collaborator(s) in the project State why this collaborator/consultant is the appropriate person/organization/lab to perform the work o What is their relevant experience/expertise? Have they previously worked on a similar project?

Do they have a successful track record? o Do they have specialized equipment or reagents? Other resources?

*If you have worked with this collaborator before, be sure to say so! It demonstrates that a productive relationship has already been established.

Last Paragraph (1-3 sentences) 

Include a cordial closing. The level of formality should be determined by the level of personal relationship between the PI and the collaborator/consultant. If you know each other very well, it can be less formal.

Examples: "I look forward to collaborating with you on this work."

"Best of luck with your grant application."

Office of Proposal Development

10/2012 Writing Concisely for Grant Proposals

Concrete Strategies for More (and Better) Information in Less Space Strategies for Clarity 1. Make a list of your logical progression. Turn that list into prose. Use concrete examples. Leave out everything that’s unnecessary.

Wordy: These two protocols produce different effects that are important and that need to be taken fully into account when studies of the outcomes following these two particular interventions are conducted.

Concise: When comparing efficacies of these interventions, side effects must be considered.

2. Eliminate empty phrases where appropriate. See Table 1 for a Quick Reference Guide.

3. Eliminate empty sentences, i.e., vague sentences that don’t convey any new information.

Before: We have assembled a multidisciplinary team with the appropriate skills to improve the likelihood of success; these include a bioinformatician, a molecular biologist, a pathologist, and an expert in animal models. In addition, the environment, in terms of cores and intellectual support, is conducive to successful completion of the project.

After: Our multidisciplinary team has the necessary expertise in bioinformatics, molecular biology, animal models and pathology (see biographical sketches), in the setting of a Cancer Center with excellent core facilities and intellectual interaction (see Facilities and Resources).

4. Eliminate “throat-clearing sentence,” or those empty sentences that occur in introductions or at the beginnings of paragraphs.

Throat-clearing: Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death.

Better: Glucose metabolism plays a key role in heart function, both at the myocardial level and through hormonal consequences of “metabolic syndrome.”

Strategies for Strong, Active Prose 1. Always choose concrete over pretty.

Pretty: We will put the project to the test by studying factors that have some opportunity of enhancement of its various facets to lead to a successful working partnership.

Concrete: Project evaluation will include a pre- and post-questionnaire of participants with questions specifically designed to measure their perceptions of the effectiveness of the community partnership (Objectives 1 and 2). (Examples from Highline Community College grant site).

2. Avoid forms of to be where appropriate.

With ‘to be’: A key component of this proposal is the development of inquiry-based experiments that are integrated into all of our lab offerings.

Better: As a key component of this proposed project, we will develop inquiry-based experiments and integrate them into all lab offerings.

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3. Avoid there and it + to be at the beginning of sentences wherever possible.

With ‘there’: Because of the large amounts of data generated by biomedical research, there is a growing need for professionals trained in bioinformatics.

Better: Professionals trained in bioinformatics are increasingly needed to analyze the large amounts of data generated by biomedical research.

With ‘it’: It is the norm at Tufts that undergraduates are mentored by a network of faculty members in addition to graduate students and post-docs.

Better: At Tufts, a network of faculty members, graduate students and post-docs mentor undergraduates. or At Tufts, undergraduates are typically mentored by a network of faculty members, graduate students, and post-docs.

4. Avoid overusing the noun form of verbs by evaluating the appropriateness of words ending in –tion.

With noun form: Universities should provide an environment in which students become active participants in the generation of new knowledge.

Better: Universities should provide an environment in which students actively generate new knowledge.

Additional Tips 1. Formatting tricks (reducing white space between and around paragraphs, auto-hyphenation, and reducing font size) should be used in moderation.

2. Clear writing with concrete examples and engaging prose will lead to greater success.

Unclear and wordy: When addressing issues of a complex nature, it may not be necessary to compile every portion of the issue into a single sentence; in fact, brevity and linear presentation may benefit both the writer and the reviewer to assure clarity of communication.

Clear and concise: Complex issues can be presented clearly by using a brief, linear style. Most reviewers are intelligent people who are also over-committed. A straightforward presentation helps the reviewer understand your project easily and to review your application on merit.

Resources for Writing 1. For more information on the new forms and page limits, see NIH’s “Restructured Application Forms and Instructions for Submissions for FY2011 Funding” site: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOTOD-09-149.html 2. For additional tips on writing for NIH, see NIH’s “Writing Your Application” site: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/writing_application.htm 3. For general writing tips and strategies, see Purdue’s OWL site: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ 4. The Office of Proposal Development’s website has a number of resources, including templates, outlines, and links: http://grantwriting.tufts.edu

Office of Proposal Development Table 1. Eliminating Empty Phrases: A Quick Reference Concise Wordy - in the neighborhood of - as regards - in reference to about - with regard to - concerning the matter of - where _____ is concerned agreed - both agreed although, though - in spite of the fact that always - at all times

because, since, why

before by

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because of the fact that by virtue of the fact that owing/due to the fact that for the reason that in light of the fact that the reason for considering the fact that on the grounds that this is why

prior to by means of have the ability to is able to can has the opportunity to has the capacity for experience previous experience for for the purpose of in fact as a matter of fact along the lines of like in the nature of it is possible that there is a chance that may, might, could it could happen that the possibility exists for it is crucial that it is necessary that there is a need/necessity for must, should it is important that cannot be avoided at the present time now, currently at this point in time until until such time as on the occasion of in a situation in which when under circumstances in which These examples are primarily from Purdue’s OWL site, found at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/572/04/ -

10/2012