Grant Writing and Proposal
Development: Getting Started
Savannah State University
Brenda D. Hayes, MSW, MPH, DSW
Research Assistant Prof., CHPM &
Director, Grant and Proposal Development
Office of Sponsored Research Administration
Morehouse School of Medicine
Atlanta, GA
September 1, 2011
Workshop Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will:
 Be better positioned to initiate, develop and
critique their proposals/grant applications
 Know the difference between FINER, SMART,
and GNOME mnemonics
 Understand the important connections between
well defined questions, hypotheses, goals,
aims/objectives and the methodology or
approach.
 Have some ideas about ways to evaluate the
projects
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In Language,
clarity is everything.
-Confucius
Chinese philosopher
551-479 BCE
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FAQs
What do all of those abbreviations
(RFP, RFA, CFP, RFI, FOA, NGA,
NOFA, etc.) mean?
 When should I start?
 Where do I look for funding?
 Are there better or best times to
search for FOAs?

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More FAQ:
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How can I write a proposal or build a
team when I spend all of my time doing
_____?
Where can I find examples of successful
grants?
I don’t know anything about budgets, so
who will help me?
Where can I get some help?
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Before you write a word:
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Conduct a personal assessment of your
readiness, capability and eligibility to
apply for grant funding
Assess, update and determine if your
literature review and your ideas are
comprehensive and timely
Assemble your team
Develop a time line
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Successful Applications
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Direct, concise, compelling,
convincing, capable and resourceful
Addresses a significant/important
problem
Explicit goals, measurable objectives
Comprehensive but succinct
background review
Methodology fits the problem
Appropriate funding mechanism
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Unsuccessful Applications
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Failure to follow
directions
Lack of new or
original ideas
Diffuse, superficial
or unfocused
research; lack of
clearly stated
hypothesis and
rationale
Lack of an overall
research goal;
uncertainty about
future directions
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Lack of knowledge
of relevant
literature
Questionable
reasoning in design
Lack of
demonstrated
experience in
methodology (lacks
details)
Format issues
Over-ambitious
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Getting Started
• What do you wish to
achieve?
• What specific
activities/services?
• Capability and Assets
• Previous Record
• Collaborators and
Partners
• Evaluation
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Goals
Objectives
Methodology
Organizational History
Network
Results oriented
Evidence of Impact
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Proposal Teamwork
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DEVELOPING THE IDEA MODEL
FOR PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
Goals of the
Organization
Initial Project
Idea
Assessing Capability
Assessing Need
For the Idea
Gathering Necessary
Data
Identifying Alternative
Approaches
Building Support
& Involvement
Selecting Funding
Source
Planning Proposal
Writing
Writing the
Proposal
Submitting the
Proposal
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This handout taken from
Getting Funded:
A Complete Guide To Proposal
Writing by Mary Hill, 1998.
Available from Continuing
Education Publication,
P.O. Box 1491, Portland, OR
97207
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Developing Your Idea(s)

Needs Assessment
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Evidence of the problem
Local, county, state, national
Capability Assessment
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Organizational
People
Past and present history
Resources (Funds, expertise, etc.)
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Develop Your Research Question
F=
Is it Feasible?
I = Is it interesting?
N = Is it Novel?
E = Is it Ethical?
R = Is it Realistic?*
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If this is a non-research proposal,
then
G
= Goals
N = Needs
O = Objectives
M = Methods
E = Evaluation
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Proposal Development and
Grant Seeking Overview
Plan the Proposal
Write the Proposal
Design the Evaluation
Develop the Budget
Identify Potential Funding
Sources
Revise as necessary
Submit the Proposal
Follow-Up
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Private Proposal Development Template
Project/Program
•Analogies
• Facts
• Statistics
• Experience
• Expert
• Example
•Organizational history
•Population Demographics
•Sites ?
•Program areas
Idea
•Staff time
•Collaborators/Partners
• Small Grants or Pilot Funds?
• Training?
History/Background
•Service/Training Opps with other orgs
•Previous partnerships
•Community Based Research
•Development Projects?
Need
•One page executive summary on the need for
project, competencies to address the need,
timetable for completion and funding request
Action Statement
•Prepared by Program or Organizational Staff
•Includes specific funding request and
justification for the amount, include in kind
amounts and other leveraged (or existing)
funding, shared portion of the budget?
Summary
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Morehouse School of Medicine:
Grants Language: Vocabulary

Objectives can be


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Process/Formative
Outcomes/Impact/Summative
SMART is an acronym (mnemonic)
 Specific
 Measurable
 Achievable
 Realistic
 Timely
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Proposal (Exec.) Summary or
Letter Of Intent (LOI)
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At the Beginning of the Proposal
1 Sentence on Credibility
1 Sentence on Problem
1 Sentence on Objectives
1 Sentence on Methods
Funds: Requested or On Hand
Should be: Brief, specific and to the
point
This can also fit an “abstract”
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Proposal Introduction
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Identifies the Grant Applicant
States the Purpose and/or Goal
Describes Your Programs
Describes Your Clients, Target
Population, Focus
States Your Achievements
Establishes Your Credibility
Documents Credibility
Keep it Brief
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Background and Significance
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Did I provide sufficient background
information to set the stage?
Does my review reflect a thorough
understanding of the field or area?
Are there gaps in knowledge?
Is the proposed work innovative?
Will it increase knowledge?
Is the proposal novel?
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Theoretical Considerations
Basic Sciences
Biomedical Approaches
Clinical and Translational Approaches
Public Health
Health Belief Models
Trans-theoretical
Behavioral Sciences
Bio-Psychosocial
Social Ecological Approaches
Social Determinants of Health
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A Social-Ecological Framework: U.S.
Preventive Services Task Force
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Bio-Psycho-Social Theories
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Methodology
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Do you have any preliminary data?
Must include details about specific
activities
One or More activity for Each
Objective
Specify
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Who will do them
When they will be done
How will they be accomplished
How long will each activity take or occur
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Measurement
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Should Be in Terms of Data Used To
Establish Need
Select Objectives That Show Project
Influenced the Same Measures


need -- poor reading performance
objective -- should not relate to
attendance but to reading performance
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Activities:
(Experiments, interventions, etc.)
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Explanations about how the project will
reach the stated objectives
Necessary to the Success of the Project
Undertake Only Those That Will Move
the Project Toward Realization of the
Objectives
Fully Describe all of the activities in the
Proposal
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EVALUATION
Can reflect:
 Structure
 Process
 Outcomes
 Impact
 A platform or partnership for the
next project
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EVALUATION
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Include an evaluation plan
Specifically discuss what you intend
to deliver, based on your objectives
There should be some
measurement involved, e.g.,
number of participants served,
brochures developed, contacts
made, presentations given, etc.
It is ok to include an evaluator
but….
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Results and Conclusions
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Make sure that there is a consistent
and coherent flow
Consider where you started
Is the theory you suggested evident
in your conclusions?
Did you identify any constraints or
limitations?
What are the next steps?
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General Tips and Comments
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Take sufficient time to prepare a
good abstract, LOI, or concept
paper
Avoid jargon and acronyms
Always include a budget and budget
justification
Be careful when you cut and paste:
assure uniformity of font size and
type
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More tips…
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You must reflect an adequate and
comprehensive literature review,
use relevant and current references
and citations
Make sure that the expected study
outcome (s) fit the design, e.g.,
looking for a change in behavior
based on a retrospective chart
analysis, causation, associations,
etc.
Background and significance vs.
preliminary
studies ???
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Some proposals faculty could
consider:
(ENHANCEMENT PROPOSALS)
 Student Access and Success
 Curricula Revisions and Workforce
Development
 Partnerships
 Technology and Distance Education
 Professional Development
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Add student researchers:
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Include them in your budget
Provide them with mentoring
Models for student success (alums?)
NSF, RIMI, MARC, etc.
Explore other ways to include
students in your research efforts
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And So We Begin
Knowing is not enough; we must
apply.
Willing is not enough; we must
do.
-Goethe
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References
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John W. Cresswell. Research Design: Qualitative and
Quantitative Approaches. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage
Publications, 1994
Arlene Fink. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From
Paper to the Internet. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage
Publications, 1998.
William Gerin (Ed.) Writing the NIH Grant Proposal: a
Step-By-Step Guide (2nd Ed.) Los Angeles: Sage
Publications, 2011.
Lawrence F. Locke, Waneen Wyrick Spirduso and Stephen J.
Silverman. Proposals that Work: A Guide for Planning
Dissertations and Grant Proposals. (4th Ed.) Thousand Oaks,
Calif.: Sage Publications, 2000.
Jeremy T. Miner and Lynn E. Miner. Models of Proposal Planning
& Writing. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2005.
Writing Grant Proposals That Win. Edited by Deborah Ward.
Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2006.
Otto O. Yang. Guide to Effective Grant Writing: How to
Write an Effective NIH Grant Application New York, N.Y.:
Springer Science & Business Media, Inc., 2005
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References
● Hayes, Brenda D. Grant Writing for Community-Based
Health Disparities Research and Services: The Role of
Academic /Community Partnerships. In: Wallace,
B.C.(editor) Toward Equity in Health: A New Global
Approach to Health Disparities. New York, NY: Springer
Publishing Co., 2008.
● Ockene JK, Edgerton EA, Teutsch SM, Marion LN, Miller T,
Genevro JL, Loveland-Cherry CJ, Fielding JE, Briss PA.
Integrating evidence-based clinical and community strategies to
improve health. Am J Prev Med 2007;32:244-252.
● Lusk, S.L. Developing an Outstanding Grant Application. Western
Journal of Nursing Research. 2004; 26(3), 367-373.
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Master of Public Health Program
NyThea Campbell Tolbert, MPH
Academic Support Specialist
Phone: 404-752-1957
Fax: 404-752-1051
Email: ntolbert@msm.edu
Graduate Education in Biomedical Sciences Programs
Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences
M.S. in Biomedical Research
M.S. in Biomedical Technology
M.S. in Clinical Research (Jali@msm.edu)
Post baccalaureate Certificate in Biomedical Science
Contact for program information:
Douglas F. Paulsen, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies
dpaulsen@msm.edu
Thank You!
Questions and Comments