Grants Development and Research
Donald Long
Coordinator, Grants and Contracts
PAC 515
dlong7@uis.edu
217-206-7409
University of Illinois at Springfield
Grant Search
– Resources
 Central Illinois Nonprofit Resource Center (CINRC)
http://library.uis.edu/findinfo/grants/index.html
Pamela M. Salela, Associate Professor, CINRC Coordinator
(psale2@uis.edu) (206-6783)
Affiliations
Foundation Center (http://foundationcenter.org)
Publications & Training
Reference Guide for Researchers
(http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/guides/research.html)
Donors Forum of Chicago (http://donorsforum.org)
Publications
Workshops (Chicago)
Lumpkin Family Foundation
GoodWorksConnect.org
Resources
– CINRC Databases (campus only)
 Foundation Director Online
http://fcomline.fdncenter.org/ipl.pl
 Foundation Grants to Individuals Online
http://gtionline.fdncenter.org/ipl.php
 Illinois Funding Source
http://ifs.donorsforum.org
– IRIS www.library.uiuc.edu/iris
Additional Resources
 Association list serves
 Grants.gov
– www.grants.gov
 National Science Foundation
– www.nsf.gov
 National Institute of Health
– http://nih.gov
 Council for Undergraduate Research
– www.cur.org
Additional Resources
 Kellogg Foundation Logic Model Development
Guide www.wkkf.org
 Grant Experts Nonprofit Website
– www.grantexperts.info
 US Dept. of Health & Human Services
– http://grants.nih.gov/grants/grant_tips.htm
 NSF Publications
– http://www.nsf.gov/publications/
 Thompson Publishing www.thompson.com
– Winning Strategies for Developing Proposals
and Managing Grants, 3rd Edition
Additional Resources
 U.S. Department of Justice
– www.justice.gov
 State and Government Websites
– www.ed.gov
 Large Companies/Businesses, Banks, Trusts,
& Investment Companies
– Often have Foundations
Grants and Contracts Office Services
 Identification of external funding sources
 Interpretation of sponsor guidelines and
requirements
 Assistance with all stages of proposal development
 Official submission of proposals to outside
sponsors, including electronic submissions
through grants.gov, Fastlane, etc.
 Assistance with protocols for research involving
human and/or animal subjects
 Assistance with intellectual property issues
 A webpage with links to relevant information, and
downloadable forms www.uis.edu/grants
TYPES OF FUNDING
Corporate Funding
 Corporations provide around 5% of total
private giving
 Various pockets
– In-kind, Sponsorship, Grants, Gifts
 Most follow strict giving guidelines
 Many link giving with talent acquisition
 Senior management may influence
 May allocate based upon market
Foundation Funding
 Foundations provide around 14% of total
private giving
 Fit their mission; Follow their guidelines
 Engage in pre-proposal discussions
 RFPs, Guidelines, Invitations
 Letters of Interest/Intent
 No assumptions
– Research each Foundation (4 general types)
– Be clear about your project
UIS Provost Funding
 Summer Competitive Scholarly Research
Grant Program (SCSRG)
 Strategic Academic Initiatives Grant (SAIG)
Program
 Scholarly Presentation Support Program
 Federal agency home pages (ed.gov)
 State agency home pages
www.uis.edu/academicaffairs/faculty/index.ht
ml
THE GRANT PROCESS
Ethics and Training
 Gain an understanding of
– Ethics policies and practices in your field of
study
– University requirements
– Sponsor requirements
 Training will be required for
– Human subjects
– Animal
– Bio-safety and medical
 Citi Training (Collaborative Institutional
Training Initiative)
https://www.citiprogram.org/Default.asp
Before You Begin
 Develop a clear set of goals and an ideal
timetable for your project
 Conduct a wide search for potential
funding sources
 Find research similar to your project
– Look for best-practices
– Speak with other professionals in your field
– Contact organizations who have already funded
your work
 Know your subject matter
Keep Going




Keep the end in mind
– What do you wish to accomplish
– Define your research question(s)
What steps do you need to take to accomplish
your objective
What data will you need to collect
– Develop a data collection plan
 How will you gather data
 Who needs to approve (internal/external
 How long will it take to collect
Budget
Suggestions for Success
 Establish a track record with peer reviewed
publications
 Do your research. Know current “best
practice” related to your grant topic
 Show institutional support
– List all available resources even if you haven’t
tapped into them yet
 Find collaborators
– Colleagues down the hall, at another campus
– Attend professional conferences
Source Reviews
 Read mission statements of potential funders
 Identify the funders priorities and what they
will and won’t support
 Identify eligibility requirements
 Look at titles & abstracts of previously funded
projects
 Look for application deadlines and cycles
 Contact the potential funding source via email
and/or phone to discuss potential submission
WRITING TIPS
FOR THE ENTIRE PROCESS
Writing Tips
 Follow directions
 Use simple and direct language
 Repeat the funder’s language back to them
 Include tables, flowcharts, and diagrams
 Use trend data to support your position
 Ask for reviewer comments
 Volunteer to serve as a proposal reviewer
Writing Tips Cont.
 Collect & read successful proposals
 Do not deviate from the guidelines
– Format is as important as content
 Communicate the intellectual significance
and broader impact of your project
– Sustainability is important
 Write a concise abstract
– Include required components
Writing Tips Cont.
 Use a logic model (W.K.Kellogg Foundation
Logic Model Foundation Guide)
http://www.wisconsin.edu/edi/grants/Kellog
g_Logic_Model.pdf
Your Planned Work
Trip Planning
Resources/
Inputs
Activities
• Holiday
flight
schedules
• Family
schedules
• Frequent
flyer
holiday
options
• Holiday
weather
• Create
family
schedule
• Get
holiday
flight info
• Get
tickets
• Arrange
ground
transport
Your Intended Results
Trip Results
Outputs
• Tickets
for all
family
members
• Frequent
flyer miles
used
Money
•
saved
Outcomes
Impact
• Family
members
enjoy
vacation
• Continued
good
family
relations
Writing Tips Cont.
 Proofread
– First time through for flow of thought
– Second time through for continuity
– Third time through for errors
 (Do a spell check, make sure acronyms are
supported, verify tense is used correctly)
 Don’t assume that reviewers who read your proposal
are experts in your field
 Have someone not familiar with your work
or writing read your proposal
DO NOT
Go over number of pages allotted
Forget about the formatting requirements
 Pad your budget with items that cannot be
justified
 Wait until the last minute to submit the
application
DO NOT Cont.
 Send the same proposal to multiple funders
 Assume that reviewers are experts in your
field
 Get discouraged!!
DEVELOPING THE BUDGET
Budget Information
 Budget
– Prepare a detailed and justifiable budget
– Prepare a budget narrative for each item
– Budget should reflect your program design,
management plan, and evaluation plan
– Check for match requirements and include
verification of ability to provide the match, if
required
 If in doubt
– Talk to the staff at the funding agency
Planning Collection of Data
 Ask this question: “Who will collect what,
when, and from where?
 Understand required tasks
 Identify staff assignments
 Clearly understand time needed to complete
tasks
 Organize resources to boost efficiency
 Minimize errors and delays
When Should You Develop Your Data
Collection Plan
 Data collection plan, evaluation plan, and
budget go hand-in-hand.
 Develop the “first-draft” of your data
collection plan while developing your
project proposal.
 Make revisions of your data collection plan
as needed during the project proposal
stage.
 You’d rather make changes prior to funding
as opposed to after a contract has been
signed.
Include in the Budget
 Personnel
– Faculty and staff normally as a % of time
– GAs at monthly rate
– Students and hourly workers
 Fringe Benefits
– Faculty and staff (54.13% of salary)
– Students and hourly workers (0.17% to 7.82%)
 Travel
– State travel rates and regulations apply
 Equipment
– Threshold varies depending on sponsor
Include in the Budget Cont.
 Supplies
– Must be specific for the project
– At times can include computers & software
 Printing/Mailing/Duplicating
 Contractual
– Outside entities contributing to the project
 Indirect
– State and non-profits grants - 10%
– Federal grants - 44.1%
University Rates
 Grants Website
– www.uis.edu/grants/proposals/rates.html
– www.uis.edu/grants/proposals/policies.ht
ml#budget
 OBFS Website
– http://www.obfs.uillinois.edu/cms/One.as
px?portalId=909965&pageId=913330
General Principles to Follow
 Inflate costs in multi-year budgets
 Be realistic, but estimate a bit high
 Indirect costs are real costs to the
University and are not normally waived
GETTING FUNDED
To Get Funded
 Reviewers need convincing
– Reviewers may not be experts
– Show benefits beyond the classroom
– A new way of solving a problem- Innovation
– Data supports your idea
– ‘Intend’ vs. ‘will’
 Rejection is okay?
– The national success rate is…
– Reviewer notes are your map to success
Grant Awards
 Official notice is always in writing from the
funding agency
– Will include:
 Award number
 Amount of Award
 Date of the Award
 Critical information about the award
– Additional attachments
 Compliance regulations
 Reporting requirements
 Conditions of acceptance
 Changes necessary in the budget, evaluation plan,
personnel, etc. that must be completed and evidence
of compliance submitted before the grant can begin
Grant Awards
 Award notifications
– Are legally binding contracts
– Include funder’s expectations and assurances
 Look for at least 3 key tools
1. Official Notification
2. The conditions or laws governing the acceptance
of the award
3. The program guidelines
Funded Grants at UIS
 Contact Grants and Contracts Office
– Routing and approval procedures
– Chart of accounts
– Audit requirements
– Point of contact/budget manager
 Make note of the funding year
– Expenditures cannot begin before the first day of
authorized funding and cannot go beyond the
last day (some exceptions)
 Review the award notice with the
application, plan for implementation,
personnel needs, and budget against
changes presented with award notification
UIS Requirements for Proposals &
Awards
 All proposals submitted to external
sponsors by UIS faculty, staff and students
require internal approval using the UIS
Internal Clearance Form.
 All awards must be officially accepted by
the campus, and must be signed by the
proper authority.
MANAGING YOUR GRANT
Management Components
 Who
– Is involved with the project
– Oversee daily operations
– Ensure compliance with rules and regulations
– Fiscal oversight
 Develop a management plan
– Include:
 Data collection plan
 Reporting requirements/timelines (internal and
external)
• Program, monthly, quarterly, mid-year, evaluation, subcontract, final)
 Formative and summative evaluation plan
 Roles and responsibility of personnel
 Research requirements (human subjects, animal, bio-
safety, progress reports, drafts, approvals,
supervisors/sponsors, etc.)
Management Components
 Budget
– Amendment regulations/requirements
 Internal and sponsor
 Allowable expenses
 Verification of audit record requirements
 Budget Closeout
 Termination of Project
– Storage of documentation
 Security, where, for how long
• Budget, IRB, Animal, Bio-safety
 Who is responsible
 Disposition of equipment
– Publication requirements
THANK YOU!
Contact Information
Donald Long
Coordinator, Grants and Contracts
PAC 515
dlong7@uis.edu
217-206-7409
Website: www.uis.edu/grants