In Search of Grants
Nancy Money Offers Assistance for Faculty Pursuing Research Grants
Nancy Money, grant specialist in the provost’s office, is conducting a
series of one-hour grant-writing seminars for faculty during the month
of October. She offers these general observations and tips:
Help is available — “Some people are well versed in writing
proposals; others have never written one and see the process as
overwhelming,” she says. “I am open to assisting faculty with anything
in terms of what is needed for the grant writing process, including
identifying funders, proofreading proposals, and compiling budgets.”
Myth buster — “One of the myths out there is that small liberal
arts colleges like Alma cannot get funded. That’s not true. Alma is not
off the map just because it’s considered small and unknown. It’s
important to show a track record of successful grant writing, to show
outcomes, establish credibility, and show that you used the money for
what you said you would.”
Know your audience — “Target proposals to the right agencies; know what funders are looking for. If your proposal doesn’t fit, it won’t get funded.”
Do your homework — “Prepare a quality proposal that’s well
written and researched with outcomes. That will improve your chances
because grant funding is so competitive.”
Know what you want to do with your research — “What’s your real
research target? Set a goal, then it becomes a lot clearer as you write
your proposal what you need to include.”
Types of funders — 1) Foundations, usually managed by a board.
They often have funding initiatives, like the homeless or environmental
studies; 2) Government grants, which can be local, state or federal,
such as NSF or NIH; 3) Corporations, which are generally smaller and
geographically focused.
Get looking — “My best advice is to get out and start looking. Two Websites to check: http://foundationcenter.org and http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants, which provides information and links on finding funders. These are good starting points.”
Coordinate your search — Faculty are encouraged to check with
both the Provost’s Office and Advancement when seeking grants to ensure
that their efforts don’t duplicate other College efforts to acquire
grant support.
Upcoming seminars for faculty:
Call Marc Setterlund at 7176 to reserve a spot in one or more of the following grant-writing seminars:
• 2 p.m. Friday Oct. 10:
Seminar topics: Where to look for grants. Parts of a proposal. Aligning
projects with funding initiatives. Government versus foundation grants.
Crafting the language of a grant. Timetables and signoffs.
• Noon Tuesday Oct. 14 and 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24
Seminar topics: Drafting the proposal. Budget development.
• Noon Tuesday Oct. 28 and 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31
Seminar topics: Mock review and peer critique.
Money can be reached at 463-7967. Her office is located in Kapp 162.
Posted: Thu, October 9th, 2008 at 1:07PM
