Deck 20: Building Grantsmanship Skills

Question 1

What are the foundational steps in generating a grant proposal?

Answer 1

The foundational steps in generating a grant proposal are as discussed below:
• Idea of a proposal
• Description of goals
• Identification of funding sources
• Identification of potential collaborators
Idea of a proposal : Proposal preparation starts with an idea. The source of the idea may be a legislative initiative, a research article, and community needs; social trends, brainstorming with colleagues, and reviewing statistical data.
After formulating an idea, review of literature at least for the last five years is to be done. It enables grant seekers assess the value of an idea and describe their goals more clearly. It also helps to find other professionals who could be sources of valuable advice or potential collaborators.
Description of goals: Goals are broad statements used to describe desired long-range improvements. Grant seekers set goals for their organizations, not for the entire nation. The following points help grant seekers narrow the list of possible goals:
• The goal and need it fulfills shall be congruent with the grant seeker's mission
• To work to meet the goal shall be apriority of the grant seeker's organization
• The grant seeker shall achieve the goal in a timely manner
• The goal shall meet the needs of a substantial number of people
• The people in need shall be consulted to determine if they are interested in having the need addressed or not
Identification of funding sources : It may occur either by generating an idea in response to a grant sponsor's request, or finding a grant sponsor to fund the grant seeker's idea. The grant seekers may use any of the following ways to find funding:
• Contact granting agencies for information
• Call local businesses to seek small grants to support community projects
• Government agencies
• Foundations and community trusts
• Business and industrial organizations
Identification of potential collaborators : A single person or organization need not have all the expertise or time needed to complete all the proposed tasks. Depending on the task, expertise of other areas or persons or organizations may be required. Collaboration is a rule rather than the exception.
Collaboration may come from internal sources of a fund seeker or from an external agency. A well-conceived and well managed collaboration plan gives grant seekers the opportunity to assemble a team that can efficiently achieve the project goals.

Question 2

List several questions that can help grant seekers decide whether to compete for a grant from a particular grant sponsor, and explain how these questions are relevant.

Answer 2

The following questions help a grant seeker decide whether to compete for a grant from a grant sponsor or not:
1. Do the grant sponsor's funding priorities include the projects goals or not? If not, can the project's goals be easily revised to be congruent?
2. Are sufficient grant funds available for the grant seeker's organization to achieve the goals in a successfully and timely manner? If not, is there another organization that could serve as a partner and furnish some funds?
3. What will the grant sponsor's fund? Is that what is needed?
4. Who is eligible to apply for this grant?
5. Can the grant seeker's organization meet any special requirements of the grant sponsor?
6. When is the grant application due? Can the grant seeker's organization respond in time? If not, when will the grant opportunity available again?
7. What are the guidelines for writing the proposal? What forms and format are required?
8. Is information available on the types of projects the sponsor has funded in the past?
9. What are the credentials of the grant reviewers?
10. Is it possible to contact the sponsor before preparing the proposal?

Question 3

What are characteristics of the best collaborators for grant writing? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working with collaborators.

Answer 3

The following are the characteristics of the best collaborators for grant writing:
• Collaborators who know what is expected of them and when
• Those who are excited about and committed to the project
• The collaborators who are willing to follow through on all the responsibilities related to the project
Given below are the advantages of working with collaborators:
• Provide expertise in the areas vital to the proposal
• Proposals that require expertise in multidisciplinary areas need collaboration. Proposals that reflect a multidisciplinary approach to a problem are rated high
• It helps to achieve the project goals in a timely manner
The main disadvantage with collaborations involves a poor management of collaboration or the one that lack team work and open communication which hinders the success of the project.

Question 4

Describe the different components that are included in the methods section of a grant proposal.

Question 5

Differentiate between direct and indirect costs and give examples of each.