Oklahoma State Regents
for Higher Education
Improving Our Future by Degrees
in
Oklahoma’s Second Century
TRENDS THAT ARE CHANGING
GRANTWRITING
Dr. Linda Mason
GRANT WRITING AND EXTERNAL
FUNDING ASSISTANCE
The world of grants is emerging and
changing rapidly!
In 1850, it was considered totally
inappropriate for government to fund
research! In 1950, the NSF was very
new, a new concept.
PROFESSION
Trend 1
Grantwriting has Become a
Distinct Profession
PROFESSION
One Indicator is Professional Associations
• NCURA (National Council for University
•
•
Research Administration)
SRA (Society for Research Administration,
International)
NORDP (National Organization of Research
Development Professionals)
• AAGP (American Association of Grant
Professionals)
PROFESSION
• Certification programs – CRA (Certified Research
Administrator)
• Courses offered in degrees
– Google: Where can I take a grant writing course? got 2,530,000 hits!!!
• Nonprofit management degree programs
– OCU MS in Nonprofit Management and Leadership, TCC – AA in
Community Services
– Google: Degrees in nonprofit management (6-2-10)
got 266,000 hits!!!!
• Research administration degree programs
- Google: Degrees in research administration (6-2-10) got 5,340,000 hits!
• Local and national grant trainers
• Grant training organizations
• Careers
Children today may grow up to become
grantwriters and research administrators.
OPPORTUNISTS
Trend 2
Opportunists Have Emerged
OPPORTUNISTS
• Hucksters – television and newspaper ads:
books, seminars, dvd’s on how to get “free
government money”
• Google search reveals many advertisers!
• Vendors writing grants for repeat
submissions
COMPETITION
Trend 3
More Competition
for Funds
COMPETITION
• More nonprofit organizations –
1992 – 516,554 public charities
2007 – 1,209,500 …. 200+% increase
• Privatization
• “Friends” groups
COMPETITION
• NSF proposal funding rate in 2001
was 31%; 2008 was down to 25%,
because of the increase of proposals
submitted.
• 40% increase in # of proposals
submitted between 2001 & 2008
COMPETITION
• As the population increases,
needs increase.
• As social services decrease,
private funding increases.
• As the proposals increase, the
competition increases.
BETTER WRITING
Trend 4
Better Proposals
BETTER WRITING
• Partly result of increased competition
• Partly result of professional
improvements
• Partly result of increased giving
• Funders focusing on measurable
results for their $
BETTER WRITING
10 Years NSF Funding Increase
• 1999
Oklahoma
$17,309,000
• 2009
Oklahoma
$46,760,000
INTERNET INFLUENCE
Trend 5
Internet
INTERNET INFLUENCE
• HUGE impact!
Everyone has
access to
everything!
INTERNET INFLUENCE
• Information online:
• The Foundation Center,
• Catalog of Domestic Assistance, Grants.gov,
• agency and foundation websites,
• listserves and
• electronic newsletters
• Internet replacing libraries and the “go to”
practice
INTERNET INFLUENCE
• Email and uploading replacing mailing and
“send” mentality – RFP’s, proposals,
information about the agency, recruitment,
matching interests and opportunities
• Internet training – webcasts, podcasts,
videoconferences
• Writing on computers – cutting and pasting
INTERNET INFLUENCE
• Dissemination - Email and uploading
replacing mailings - recruitment, marketing,
educating, sharing, cloud computing
• Internet dissemination – webcasts,
podcasts, videoconferences, twitter tweets,
social networks
RESOURCES INCREASING
Trend 6
Grant Resources Growing
RESOURCES INCREASING
 Charitable giving is now at an all-time high.
In 2007, donations to America's charities
topped $300 billion for the first time.
 Foundation giving is at an all time high.
RESOURCES INCREASING
 Federal Agencies have increased R&D over
the last decade, in spite of the economy.
 Stimulus funding has increased federal
research by exponential amounts - Final
stimulus bill provided $21.5 billion for
federal R&D spread over all the major grant
agencies
Resource: AAAS, www.aaas.org/spp/rd, March 23, 2009
RESOURCES INCREASING
 Oklahoma has dramatically increased R&D
over the past 5 years: OCAST, EDGE, State
Agencies, Oklahoma based foundations---all
increased in giving.
 Over $350 million in contributions for
endowed chairs in Oklahoma higher
education 2008 to 2010.
FOUNDATIONS
Trend 7
Foundations are Growing
FOUNDATIONS
• Fastest growing changes in giving of any
private source.
• Between 1975 and 2005, foundation giving
increased by 475%, corporate giving by
185%
• Market increases – assets growing
• 2003 Foundations $476 billion
• 2005 Federal Government Grants $440
billion
COLLABORATIONS
Trend 8
Collaborations are the Norm
COLLABORATIONS
• Funding agencies know that
partnerships create broader impact and
provide multiple resource and skill sets
• Grant seekers know each other and
work to achieve the same goal
COLLABORATIONS
Examples of Required Collaborations
•
•
•
•
•
Undergraduate students
Partners in other universities
Interdisciplinary fields
Corporations & community agencies
Degree pipelines:
K-12 → cc → univ → grad → corporate & community
• Technology dissemination – for public
• NSF data management plan requirement
COLLABORATIONS
•
Fewer than 25% of research grants are awarded
to individual researchers.
•
Funders want to see a broad impact for their
funds – more bang for the buck!
•
Funding agencies know that partnerships create
broader impact and provide multiple resource
and skill sets.
•
More funders want to participate with other
funders---several sponsors for one large project.
COLLABORATIONS
•
Large funders are partnering for more indepth research and projects
Example: NSF has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with the Department of Defense
that would allow researchers to apply for grants
to study subjects that may be of interest to U.S.
national security.
–
–
–
religious fundamentalism
terrorism
cultural change
COLLABORATIONS
•
Grant seekers know each other and work
to achieve the same goal.
Example: K-20 Center at OU has multiple partners and
funders
- 500 OK Communities/School Systems
- Microsoft
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Temple University
- Sam Noble Museum
- NSF
- Oklahoma Educational Technology Trust
- Sasaki Institute
- League of Professional Schools, U of GA
OU – multiple programs
- National School Reform Faculty, Bloomington Indiana
- Secondary Schools Network, U of Amsterdam
•
COLLABORATIONS
Funders support local, state and national
initiatives.
COLLABORATIONS
Federal Initiative - to serve, to involve,
Hispanics and Native Americans.
Federal Initiative – to serve, to involve
undergraduate students
Federal Initiative – to serve, to involve K-12
students and teachers
Federal Initiative – to graduate more students
from college
ACCOUNTABILITY
Trend 9
Funders are demanding more
accountability!
ACCOUNTABILITY
ARRA requires far more oversight
and monitoring of funds than any
federal grant funds to date.
In 2009, $280 billion from the 10 largest grant
making agencies were monitored:
• Subrecipients’ reports
• Quarterly reports
• Public posting of reports
ACCOUNTABILITY
Example: NSF reported 98%
successful reporting of ARRA funded
grants.
• January 2010 reported only 14/4,535
awardees made no report
• 1 uncorrected significant error
…..so…..
What’s good for the goose is good for the
gander!
ACCOUNTABILITY
Funders demand evaluation plans
in the proposals.
• Most federal funding agencies
• Foundations
• Corporations
See https://www.cfda.gov/?static=grants&s=generalinfo&mode=list&tabmode=list
ACCOUNTABILITY
Federal agencies evaluating
the effect of federal grant-funded
research:
STAR METRICS: New Way to Measure the
Impact of Federally Funded Research
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Science Foundation (NSF)
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
See
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117042&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51
&WT.mc_ev=click
ACCOUNTABILITY
• Federal agencies discussing
qualifications standards for grant
workforces.
• NSF predicts 3-5 years for
government-wide qualifications
requirements.
Federal Grants Management Handbook, www.Thompson.com, June 2010.
ACCOUNTABILITY
• Required training:
Ethics and the Responsible Conduct
of Research
• NSF 2009 requirement
• NIH 1990 requirement
Federal Grants Management Handbook, www.Thompson.com, June 2010.
ACCOUNTABILITY
• IRB – Internal Review Board (1974)
• IACUC – Institutional Animal Care and
Use Committee (1966)
See
http://www.fda.gov/scienceresearch/specialtopics/runningclinicaltrials/guida
ncesinformationsheetsandnotices/ucm113709.htm and
http://www.iacuc.org/.
FAITH BASED
Trend 10
Faith-Based and Neighborhood
Initiatives Continue
See http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ofbnp/offices/federal
FAITH BASED
 Federal Faith-Based Initiatives –
12 Federal Centers for Faith-based and Community Initiatives
Department of Labor (DOL) Center
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center
Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
Department of Education
Department of Health and Human Services
Housing and Urban Development
Department of Justice
Department of Veterans Affairs
Small Business Administration
Corporation for National and Community Service
US Agency for International Development
See http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ofbnp/offices/federal
• Resources for Faith-Based and Community
Organizations
For a compilation of resources for faith-based and community
organizations, see http://transparency.cit.nih.gov/fbci/index.cfm.
 Advice of the President's Advisory Council
on Faith-Based and Neighborhood
Partnerships
See http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ofbnp-council-finalreport.pdf
 State and City Faith-Based
Initiatives - Today 30 states have
their own faith-based and community
initiatives. Additionally, more than 70
mayors of both parties have similar
programs at the municipal level.

See http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ofbnp/offices/states
 Volunteers - Of the 60 million people
who give their time to others, more than
one-third do so through faith-based groups.
 Value volunteer time – federal rate for
volunteers is $20.25/hour
 Oklahoma 2008 rate for volunteers was
$17.05/hour
 Mingling - Federal competitive awards are expanding
the good work of both faith-based and community
organizations across America and beyond.
State offices for Faith-Based and Neighborhood
Partnerships: Oklahoma
Robin Jones
Director, Oklahoma Office of
Faith-based and Community Initiatives
Phone: (405) 522-0606
Email: info@faithlinksok.org

See http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ofbnp/offices/states
FAITH BASED
 Areas of Faith Based Strengths:
Addiction Recovery
Prisoner Re-entry
At-Risk Youth
Community Health Services
Homelessness
Global Health
Disadvantaged Students
Disasters
Economic Development
Hunger
Veterans

See http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ofbnp/about
TRENDS: So what?
Why look at trends?
 Focus on your strengths fit trends.
 Make your proposal a notch above the
good.
 Make your proposal “hot”
 Use best practices
 Give more
Contact:
Linda Mason, Ed.D.
405-225-9486
lmason@osrhe.edu
http://www.okhighered.org/grant-opps/
IP: 164.58.250.178
COORDINATOR FOR GRANT WRITING AND
EXTERNAL FUNDING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE