Grant Writing
Dr. Linda Mason
Coordinator for Grant Writing
And External Funding Assistance
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
lmason@osrhe.edu
405-225-9486
www.okhighered.org/grant-opps/
The idea…
• “Imagining something may be the first
step in making it happen, but it takes the
real time and real efforts of real people to
learn things, to make things, turn
thoughts into deeds or visions into
inventions.”
– Fred “Mister” Rogers in The World According
to Mister Rogers: Important things to
Remember
What are your ideas?
Money is no object!!
In grants…
• You are writing to persuade people who have
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money to spend their money on your idea
You must sell your idea to the people who have
the money
Know what they want, what they expect, what
they want
How can your project make the funder’s agenda
look good?
Writing (holds people back)…
• If you can think, you can write
• Whatever you can imagine, you can create
• If you can’t write it, it hasn’t been thought
out well yet
• Strunk and White’s “Elements of Style”
• Websites available on writing, on writing
grants in particular
System level projects
• Link your project to a work plan
• Your idea must make sense within our
agency’s or system’s priorities
• Don’t go for money simply because it’s
there…there are repercussions!
• Item on work plan about percentage for
Communications support
• Staff support
Leveraging our assets
• Existing programs or services – where are
the gaps?
• Do your research – look around you
• Look at us from the outside, see what
others are doing
• What do we need to do that we’re not
doing?
– Example: Services to adult learners
Consider the entire institution’s role
• When you receive a grant, many will be
involved – purchasing, human resources,
fiscal, system research, as well as the unit
under which you operate your program
• Indirect costs are designed to cover the
majority of these; however…..
• If you are unsure --- ask! If you are sure
– ask!
The Big Picture:
Federal Discretionary Grant
Programs
Foundations
Corporate Grants
What is out there?
How do we find it?
How do we compete for funding?
Federal Agencies (26)
• U.S. Department of Education (ed.gov)
• National Science Foundation (nsf.gov)
• U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov)
• U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (os.dhhs.gov)
• National Institutes of Health (nih.gov)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (usda.gov)
• U.S. Department of Energy (energy.gov)
General tips for federal
programs
• Read the authorizing legislation to understand
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congressional intent for any program
(thomas.loc.gov)
Read any regulations established by negotiated
rulemaking (Federal register, or…)
Find out what the Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA) program goals are for any
program you apply to – align your goals with
their program goals
Use their own language back at them in your
proposal (but don’t be obvious about it)
Important websites
• Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education -
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www.okhighered.org/grant-opps/
Training Videos http://www.onenet.net/ops/streaming/brown_bag/brown_bag_index
.html
The Art of Grantsmanship http://www.hfsp.org/how/ArtofGrants.htm
The EPA Grant Writing Tutorial http://www.epa.gov/seahome/grants/src/msieopen.htm
The Foundation Center - http://fdncenter.org/
Writing Winning Proposals, the US Department of Energy http://www.leeric.lsu.edu/sample.pdf
Association of Fundraising Professionals - http://www.afpnet.org/
Helpful books
• Joseph Barbato and Danielle S. Furlich, Writing for a Good Cause: The Complete
Guide to Crafting Proposals and Other Persuasive Pieces for Nonprofits,
Simon and Shuster, 2000.
• David Bauer, The “How To” Grants Manual: Successful Grantseeking
Techniques for Obtaining Public and Private Grants, 3rd, Oryx Press, Phoenix,
AR, 1995.
• Alexis Carter Black, Getting Grants: The Complete Manual of Proposal
Development and Administration, Self-Counsel Press, Bellingham, WA, 2006.
• Bev Browning, Grant Writing for Dummies, 2nd., Wiley Publishing, Hoboken, NJ,
2005.
• Mim Carlson, Winning Grants Step by Step, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San
Francisco, 1995.
• Arlen Sue Fox and Ellen Karsh, The Only Grant-Writing Book You’ll Ever Need,
Publishers Group West, 2006.
• Kenneth Henson, Grant Writing in Higher Education: A Step-by-Step Guide,
Prentice Hall, 2003.
Background and Significance
or
Need Statement
Your first impression on funders
Data, data, data
• In your initial background (or “need” section,
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you MUST make your initial case to funders
In today’s environment, this means a compelling
case for funding backed by good data
Use our website; use your campus research and
information office; use national sources
(National Center for Education Statistics;
Postsecondary Education Opportunity, etc.)
Data, data, data
1-2-3
• 1 – Use statistical data from national or
state resource
• 2 – Use an expert’s statement
• 3 – Use an anecdote
What makes Oklahoma Unique in a
Funder’s Eyes
• Some examples
– Native American population both in K-12 and
in higher education
– Rural, underserved
– Strong higher education system governance
with relationship to private colleges
– Historical data system with student unit
record level data going back to the 70’s
– Very strong preparation system
– Brain Gain; EDGE; OneNet
Significance
• Why your idea is worth funding above all others
• Why your project can inform others in the nation
• Is there a successful project like yours
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somewhere else?
Do you have preliminary results?
Is your project replicable?
Look into the future – what would it mean for
the people of this state if your project succeeds
Proposed Project Plan
• What is your broad goal? (one sentence)
Proposed Project Plan
• What are your objectives?
– measurable
Proposed Project Plan
• What results do you expect?
– benchmarks
Proposed Project Plan
• Who will do what?
Proposed Project Plan
• Use charts to make the plan clear
Evaluation and Sustainability
• Evaluation should tie directly to your
measurable goal(s) and objectives
• You should be able to measure every one
– formatively and summatively
• Align your program’s goals with the
funder’s goals and measure accordingly
– e.g. GEAR UP
Formative Evaluation
• How will you check on your progress
during the project?
• How will you know to make changes for
improvement?
Summative Evaluation
• How will you report the final results?
• To whom will you disseminate the
information?
• What is the impact?
• How did you measure from the inside?
How did you measure from the outside?
• What recommendations do you have for
the next step?
Sustainability
• Your final persuasive section – not all
funders require this, but the majority do
• You have to make some reasonable
promise to the funders that this agency
will be able to sustain the activities after
the end of the project period
• Sometimes easy, sometimes hard…
• Flexibility – your institution takes it on,
your institution takes it on gradually,
another agency supports it in the future
Dissemination Plan
How will you share the results?
• State and national conferences
• Publications, i.e. journal articles, newsletters
• Web Sites
• Pod casts, Wikipedia, Blogs, Webinars
• Interactive Television; Videoconferences (OneNet)
• Commercial Television Ads or Public Service
Announcements
• News Releases, Newspaper Ads
• Community Organization Meetings
• School Classes
• Speakers’ Bureau
Need help?
Call or contact
Dr. Linda Mason
lmason@osrhe.edu
405-225-9486
Website: http://www.okhighered.org/grant-opps