Grant Search Engine

Finding the right grant for a specific research topic is a primary function of an agency’s website. Often, grants are sent to the wrong program and eliminated simply because they are not a good match. The National Science Foundation has special programs for undergraduate students and for K-12 educators. There are also program areas such as Biological Sciences and sub-programs such as Environmental Biology. A complete understanding of the goals and topics of each program is essential in matching a research idea with the proper program.

Basic and advanced searches in your area of interest are the first steps toward identifying opportunities directly related to your field. Also, signing up for email alerts in your area will give you weekly leads on what is available specifically for you.

Active Funding Opportunities: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_list.jsp?org=NSF&ord=rcnt

Funding Opportunities by Subject Concentration: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/azindex.jsp

NSF Funding Search: http://nsf.gov/funding/

Grant Proposal Guide

The Grant Proposal Guide is an eighty page document that every applicant preparing a proposal to the NSF should know. It explains in detail the guidelines and the exact rules and regulations of the grant request, including pre-submission, proposal preparation instructions, proposal processing, and review. Many grant requests do not pass the first step in the review process simply because the guidelines were not followed.

Guide for Proposal Writing: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg

Award and Administration Guidelines

This document is especially useful for grant office administrators. It gives specific guidelines for the post-award administration requirements. Especially relevant are the guidelines for financial requirements and payments.

Award & Administration Guide: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=aag

Responsible Conduct of Research

As the title of this document indicates, it provides information on ethical research conduct for scientists and engineers. In addition, it provides information on following the Statutory Requirements stating that “each institution that applies for financial assistance should describe in its grant proposal a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers participating in the proposed research project”.

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR): http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/rcr.jsp

Award Search Engine

It is important to know what has recently been funded in your area of research. The NSF provides an award search engine that allows a search to be made by principal investigator’s name, university, topics, dates, and other criteria. Having a better understanding of what, who, where, and which grants are being funded gives insights into the inner workings of a particular grant program.

NSF Award Search: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/

Tutorials

Many of the Directorates’ websites include tutorials on grant writing for their specific programs. For example, the Directorate for Education and Human Resources in their Division of Undergraduate Education includes a four step tutorial on writing a proposal. Under each step are specific instructions on how a grant should be assembled. Following these tutorials is helpful in knowing what to include in particular grant requests.

NSF Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov/index.jsp

Other Resources

The NSF website has numerous other resources that could be extremely helpful to any grantee, such as definitions of transformative, innovative, and interdisciplinary research. In addition, the News and Publications sections provide significant insight into the agency’s most important areas of interest. Last, but not least, are the NSF vision, mission, and goals for the next several years.

What is mentioned above is only a small sample of available resources. Knowing who the funder is, what the funder wants, and how the funder wants a grant application assembled is essential to successful grantsmanship. Ultimately, seeking to understand first and asking to be understood second is practical advice for all proposal writers.

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Read Previously Funded Proposals

Read previously funded proposals or abstracts for the agency to which you are submitting your grant. The National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts offer complete sample applications of previously funded proposals on their websites. Knowing what a good grant looks like helps in crafting your own grant application.

Read the Guidelines

Carefully read the application guidelines. They contain valuable information, including how to assemble your grant, the review criteria, types of activities supported, and all the necessary details that need to be followed in order to be funded. Many grants are eliminated during the first phase of the review process simply because the guidelines were not followed.

Know the Audience

Know the audience for whom you are writing. Are the reviewers specialists in your field, or are they familiar with your area, but not necessarily experts? Will panels be interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary? Will the funding agency send your proposal to individual outside experts or will the review take place in-house? Knowing your audience is key to knowing how to write your proposal.

Talk to the Program Officer

Contact and ask questions of the Program Officers at the funding agency. Often, they will review a two or three page concept paper of your proposal and give important advice. These should be submitted at least six weeks prior to the grant deadline, so that the staff will have time to reply, and you will have time to make any necessary alterations to your project.

Address Four Key Questions

A proposal should clearly answer four main questions: 1. What are you going to do? 2. How will you do it? 3. Why is it significant? 4. Why are you the right person to do it?

Plan the Work

A clear plan of work gives the readers a sense of where you have been, where you are now, and what you plan to accomplish. If you received previous grants to support your work- mention them. The fact that other funding agencies feel your work is important gives strength and credibility to your project.

Think Big

It is important to think big. Emphasize the forest, not just the trees. Speak of the larger themes and methodologies and avoid getting lost in the details. Clarity and conciseness are important. The reviewers should not have to dig through a mass of details or a discourse that seems impenetrable. At the same time, your grant needs to maintain a strong focus. Think carefully about what you can accomplish in the grant period. Your project should be ambitious, but it should not be unrealistic. If you promise too much, the reviewers will notice.

Convince the Reviewers

Explaining the significance of your grant is very important. Clearly articulate what contributions your work will make to scholarly and humanistic knowledge. Here is where it helps to think big. Explain why anyone should care about your project. Can it pass the “so what” test? What difference will it make? Don’t assume the self-evident importance of your research. There may be various projects similar to yours during a particular grant cycle. Why is yours better than the others? You need to explain why your project deserves the grant.

Showcase Your Expertise

Clearly demonstrate that you are especially qualified to do this project. Do you possess unique skills essential to conducting your project? Showcase your expertise. If you have a strong publication record, let the reviewers know. A strong track record on other projects offers good evidence that you will complete the work in a timely fashion. Explain what function your project is likely to play in your professional development.

Being Persistent is Important

Funding agencies have a limited amount of funds to support grant requests. Often, some excellent grants are not funded because of budgetary limitations. If your project does not receive funding, it is important to contact the Program Officer and find out why it was rejected. Knowing why you were not funded will help strengthen your application for the next deadline. Persistence is key.

No magic formulas exist, but a successful applicant knows that there are specific steps that need to be followed to increase your chances of being awarded the grant. The steps listed above will certainly help increase your probability of success.

The post How to Write a Successful Humanities Grant appeared first on Grant Training Center Blog.

Preservation

There are a multitude of funders that give substantial grants to preserve the cultures of the world. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has partnered with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to preserve the many endangered languages that are at the point of extinction. The Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections program, an NEH initiative, helps cultural institutions preserve large and diverse holdings of humanities materials by funding preventive conservation measures.

Aside from the NEH, numerous foundations fund preservation efforts for all aspects of culture around the world. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation recently contributed $10 million to the Detroit Institute of Arts, as part of an effort to keep the museum from having to sell off important works. In another example, the Getty Foundation’s MOSAIKON project seeks to preserve mosaics in the Middle East. Whether you want to collect oral histories or preserve sewing techniques, foundations and federal agencies have grants available.

Creation

Time is the necessary ingredient needed for the creative process in literature and works of art. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) supports these efforts through various initiatives, one of which is Grants to Individuals. This program funds Creative Writing Fellowships that enables writers in several genres to spend time writing and researching their works.

Again, numerous foundations also provide funding for creation of works of art and culture. For instance, The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage announced their fellowships which included a classical music composer, folk singer, poet, and an architect. Likewise, the MacArthur Foundation supported a medieval historian, choreographer, playwright, and photographer among their fellows. No matter where your creative talents lie, funding is within your reach.

Exploration

Over the last decade, the trend of interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary teams has grown until it is now a requirement for many grants. An interdisciplinary exploration of the humanities along with science and medicine can answer questions of great concern to scientists and medical researchers. History, philosophy of science, ethics, literature, and art can inspire great strides in the sciences. Within these disciplines lie answers to the questions of who we are, what is right, how to think, and when to act.

In this vein, the NIH and NSF spotlight interdisciplinary importance in the study of science, medicine, and the humanities. Recently, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the NEH have developed a partnership. The goal is the formation of teams that include scholars, scientists, librarians, doctors, and cultural heritage professionals who will share experience and create innovative research strategies.

The grants and programs mentioned above are a small sample of funding available for humanities professionals. Abundant and filled with a plethora of fields, topics and possibilities in the humanities and arts can be found in many forms. As long as there are dreams, the funds are available to make these dreams come true. Let us dream the possible dream!

The post Dreaming the Possible Dream: 3 Areas of Humanities Funding appeared first on Grant Training Center Blog.