ROADMAP:
Develop a Winning
Program Proposal
Gerry Cherry, MA, CRA
University of Central Oklahoma
gcherry@uco.edu, gcherry2@cox.net
Starting Your Trip
Learn from the RFP
What does the funder support?
What does the funder expect?
What resources are available now?
1. Institutional Support
2. Institutional Commitment
What is the Application Process?
What is the Selection Process?
Who you gonna call?
On the Road
Answers in RFP
Example: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/
Funder: Open Society Institute
Mechanism: The new fellowship will provide
Eligibility: journalists, activists, academics,
and other professionals
Funding: stipend & networking
Activities: while they work on
Open Society-themed projects....
Map Your Route
Project
Purpose
Goal: What you intend to
accomplish.
Objectives: How you get there
(steps)
Detour
Budget – How much
money do we need?
vs
Plan- What are we going
to do?
Point of Interest
Measurable
Objectives
How do you know it’s working?
How will you know when you
reach your goal? Or you don’t?
Measurable
Objectives
Point of Interest
Measurable Objectives
Use numbers and percentages.
Example (not measurable):
Increase pass rates on licensure exams for
nursing program graduates.
Example (measurable)
By September 2010 increase the licensure
exam pass rates of PU nursing program
graduates by a minimum of 10% compared
to 2007 pass rate. (baseline data)
Plan your trip
Outline a Plan for Each Year
Annual objectives are destination
strategies toward your goal.
If you meet your annual objectives,
you will meet the grant objectives.
Evaluate as you go.
Through Street
Example
1. Identify participant pilot group, August.
2. Purchase 50% of equipment and
supplies by September 30.
3. Complete pilot exam preparation
curriculum by September 30.
4. Pilot curriculum with participants, Nov. &
Dec.
5. Students take practice exams,
December.
Example, cont’d
6. Evaluate the first iteration, comparing results
to baseline figures.
7. Modify the curriculum based on evaluation.
8. Pilot modified exam preparation curriculum
next January and February.
9. Students take practice exams in April.
10. Compare pilot data with exam pass rates for
individual and group success, following
January.
Road Sign
Need Section
This is the hook, the section that shows
reviewers your Roadmap.
State what is “too high” or “too low”
Example: the percentage of freshmen
students who fail core courses is too high.
When you state the problem this way, the
objectives become clear. “To decrease the
percentage of freshmen students who fail
four core courses from 42% to 30%.”
Roadside Assistance
Need (Project Description)
Use their headings
Bad data is good data
You need the $ but you’re a
very good investment
State your institutional, local,
state, and regional successes.
Mapping the Cost
Budget and Narrative
All expenses have to be justified
and related to the objectives.
Every budget item must be
explained, down to how many reams
of paper you will buy with THEIR
money, and why you need to buy the
paper.
Mapping the Cost
Budget and Narrative
Explain the numbers.
Example:
15 doohickeys per participant
at $10/each doohickey
x 10 experiments/year
x 10 participants = $15,000
Mapping the Benefit
Evaluation
Pre and Post surveys are a small part.
Qualitative and Quantitative
Formative and Summative
Progress Charted from Baseline Data
Short-term results
Long-term effects
Mapping the Benefit
1. What do stakeholders want to know?
2. What do you want to know?
3. What other requirements are there?
4. What questions should I ask?
5. What is the Best Way to Collect
Information?
6. What kind of information has been
collected before and is already available?
7. What instruments/methods will I use?
Did it work?
Mapping the Benefit
8. Constraints (e.g., time, money,
permission, distance)?
9. Assessment instruments available:
practical and realistic?
reliable and valid?
10. What instruments need to be created?
11. What is the timeline and who is
responsible?
12. What knowledge will be needed to
analyze the data?
Adapted from: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (1998).
University of Washington, Office of Educational Assessment
End of this Road
Submission
Electronic—Make sure you have fulfilled
all your responsibilities for online
submission at least two weeks before
the deadline.
Submit early, electronically or not.
Deadlines are posted at least 30 days in
advance. If you wait until the deadline
date, you might miss it.
End of this Road
Submission
The Voice of Experience: Keep your
proposal at least one page shorter than the
maximum allowed.
Check off the components of your proposal
as they are completed.
Make sure your font, margins, type size are
within required parameters.
Resist the urge to change a major
component at the last minute.
NOW –
The Road Not Taken – Yet!
The Research Grant
How is it different?
How is it the same?
THE WHOLE STORY
BUDGET
BUDGET
JUSTIFICATION
EVALUATION
THE STORY
INSTITUTIONALIZATION
DISSEMINATION
NSF MERIT REVIEW CRITERIA
INTELLECTUAL MERIT
• DOES IT ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE?
• HOW QUALIFIED IS THE PROPOSER?
• DOES IT EXPLORE CREATIVE CONCEPTS?
• HOW WELL IS IT ORGANIZED?
• ARE THE NEEDED RESOURCES AVAILABLE?
BROADER IMPACT
• DOES IT PROMOTE TEACHING AND LEARNING?
• DOES IT INCLUDE PARTICIPATION OF OTHERS?
• WILL THE RESULTS BE BROADLY
DISSEMINATED?
• HOW WILL SOCIETY BENEFIT?
Criterion 1: What is the
intellectual merit of the activity?
Potential Considerations:
• How important is the proposed activity to
advancing knowledge and understanding within
the field or across different fields?
• How well qualified are the team members to
conduct the project? Is it well organized?
• To what extent does the proposed activity
suggest and explore creative, original, or
potentially transformative concepts?
• How well conceived and organized is the
proposed activity?
• Is there sufficient access to resources?
Why is it Unique? –
How is it Novel?
Who makes up the
Interdisciplinary Team?
Criterion 2: What are the broader
impacts of the proposed activity?
Potential Considerations:
•How well does the activity advance discovery
and understanding while promoting teaching,
training, and learning?
•How does the activity include participation of
underrepresented minority groups?
•To what extent will it enhance infrastructure?
•Will the results be disseminated broadly?
•What may be the benefits of the activity to
society?
PROPOSAL REVIEW
Principal investigators should address the
following elements in their proposal.
• Integration of Research and Education
One of the principal strategies in support of NSF
goals is to foster integration of research and
education in funded projects through the
programs, projects, and activities at academic
and research institutions.
• Integrating Diversity into NSF Projects
Broadening opportunities and enabling the
participation of all citizens is essential to the
health and vitality of science and engineering.
The Parts (NSF)
A. Project Summary
B. Project Description
1. Objective and Significance
2. Background
3. Preliminary Results
4. Research Plan
5. [Conclusions]
6. Broader Social Impact and
Educational Outreach
7. Results of Prior NSF Finding
Before we begin!
READ THE RFP or
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
FONTS THAT CAN BE USED
PRINT SIZE
PAGE LIMIT
Project Summary
• Stand alone – This may be the only thing
that most of the panel reads.
• Read the guidelines
– Tells you what should be in it.
– Word or character limit is often included.
Objectives & Significance
• HIT THEM IN THE FACE!
• Include why you want to do the study
and why it’s important.
• HYPOTHESIS DRIVEN! !!!!!!!!!!!
• Goals
– The activities you are going to do to
test the hypothesis
– Not more than 3-4 (Maybe 5). Don’t
try to do everything!
Background
• The state of knowledge at the current
time.
• Make sure that the literature survey is
complete. (Literature cited is not
included in page limit).
Preliminary Results
• Important
• What you have done at the current
time
• Include enough data to be convincing
but summarize.
• Cite your papers!
– Especially if they acknowledge a former
or current grant from the agency.
Research Plan
• Follow your “Goals” from the
introduction
• Provide enough detail that a person not
in the field understands the procedures
• What do you expect (hypothesis)?
• What do you do if you don’t get the
results you expect?
• What are the potential pitfalls?
Broader Social Impact and
Educational Outreach
• VERY IMPORTANT !
50% OF THE EVALUATION GOES TO THIS!
• Saying you will publish is not enough!
• Saying you will include underrepresented
diversity groups is not enough!
• Come of with new and innovative activities!
– New class - Maybe for High School
Teachers
– Skype to public school children from your
field site to get them involved.
– Work with a local museum to prepare an
exhibit of your work.
Facilities Statement
• What resources do you have?
• Can you do the project with what you
have?
• If you can’t, you need to think about what
you need and include it in the budget.
Budget
Must be reasonable for what you want to do
– Not enough is as bad as too much!
– If you need a piece of equipment, include
it.
– If you need to contract something out be
sure to include costs
Don’t forget
– Fringe benefits
– Travel
– Publication costs.
Budget Justification
•
•
•
•
•
•
Important!
What is everyone going to do?
Why do you need what you need?
Why do you need the travel funds?
What rate will travel be reimbursed?
Work with your grants office!!!!
THANK YOU