Seeking and Obtaining Private Funding for Research

1. Seeking and Obtaining Private Funding for Research Janet Gross, PhD Grants Specialist Office of Postdoctoral Education jsgros2@emory.edu

2. OVERVIEW • Navigating non-governmental (i.e., private) research funding • Introduction to grant proposal writing • What are private funders • Grant vocabulary • Introduction to foundations • Private v. Federal funding issues • Working with foundations • Know your funder • Searching for funding • Electronic funding alerts • Database searches for grant announcements • NIH I/C websites • Getting started on grant writing, examples

3. Grant can propose to carry out.. • Research • Service delivery • Technological development • Education and/or training

4. Why a grant proposal? Objective of a grant proposal is to communicate your ideas to the reviewers in order to get $$ to do your research. • Organized • Logical • Understandable

5. Is Excellent salesmanship of a research plan, the investigative team and the supportive research environment A Grant Proposal Is NOT • A research manuscript • A review paper • A progress report • A thesis

6. A competitive proposal…. • Communicates ideas clearly • Conveys passion and excitement about your work • Conveys commitment to inquiry, discovery and further research

7. Grantmaker’s Attitude ≠ Grant Writer’s Attitude • Funders are in the business of giving grants • Funder desires the best possible portfolio of funded research • Funder seeks to share credit for discoveries, treatments, outcomes as part of its mission

8. Why compete for grants? • Pathway to independence as an academic scientist • Set your own course to pursue your area of expertise • Universally recognized credential for independent scientific achievement

9. To begin you must have... • Work time to develop and write the proposal • Written English skills • Mentor to work with you through this process • A competitive biosketch

10. What is a Foundation? • An entity that is established as a nonprofit corporation or a charitable trust, with a principal purpose of making grants to unrelated organizations or institutions or to individuals for scientific, educational, cultural, religious, or other charitable purposes

11. Types of Foundations 1. Independent foundations • Most of the funds come from 1 source, typically an individual, a family or a corporation • 501(c)(3) organizations (a.k.a. - nonprofits) • Annual pay out requirement of 5% stipulated by the IRS • Awards are public information

12. Example of an independent foundation:Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The philanthropy established by the founder of the healthcare products family firm Johnson and Johnson; based in Princeton, NJ Assets in 2007 : $10.7 billion Awards in 2007: $408 million Medical research 2003-08: $25 million # Awards in 2003-08: 4,644

13. Health focused Foundations in GA • Healthcare Georgia Foundation • Robert W. Woodruff Foundation • CDC Foundation • 950 Foundations in GA that accept applications • 40 fund “healthcare and/or biomedical research”

14. 2. Public foundations • May address a particular issue (e.g., the environment) • Multiple funding sources including the government • Support the needs of a particular demographic segment (e.g., women and girls) • Grant Making Public Charities • Junior League, United Way

15. 3. Direct corporate giving • Includes company sponsored foundations, and in-kind gifts including equipment • Medtronics Foundation • “Pink Ribbon” marketing for the Susan J. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation • Bristol Meyers Squibb Foundation • Chick-fil-A Corporate Giving

16. Understanding Grant Proposal Vocabulary g r a n :) t

17. RFA = Request for Applications • An announcement from a foundation or other funder that they are offering funds for basic research, clinical trials, drug or instrument development, service delivery, etc. • For established foundations, RFAs typically follow a set annual cycle of solicitation, deadline, review and award.

18. Example of an RFA RFA FOR TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH IN ADULT THALASSEMIAA and RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP APPLICATIONS http://www.cooleysanemia.org The Cooley’s Anemia Foundation is accepting applications in both its translational research in adult thalassemia program and its medical research fellowship program.

19. RFP = Request for Proposals • An invitation from a funder to submit an application on a specified topic with specified purposes. http://www.rwjf.org/childhoodobesity/approach.jsp Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children http://www.dana.org/grants/detail.aspx?id=4522 The Neuroimmunology of Brain Infections and Cancer

20. LOI = Letter of Intent • Pre-application screening process to determine eligibility, appropriateness and/or competitiveness of research plan, and PI. • Generally 1-5 pages long. • If you pass, you get “invited” to submit the full application. EMF/FERNE Neurological Emergencies Clinical Research Grant - $25,000 
 Description: This grant program is sponsored by the Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) and the Foundation for Education and Research in Neurological Emergencies (FERNE). Letter of intent Deadline: October 15, 2008 
 Application Deadline: January 5, 2009 “You MUST submit a letter of intent with a brief explanation of your proposal by October 15, 2008. A preliminary abstract should be included with the letter. Applications that do not submit a letter of intent will not be accepted.”

21. Contract • A binding arrangement for grantee to deliver services outlined in proposal for funds given. • Delivery of services, development of technology e.g.,Deliver diabetes education to 500 rural elderly in GA for 1 year using the XYZ health services model.

22. Cooperative Agreement • A research agreement that has elements of both a contract and an RFP. • Usually your creative ideas are proposed to achieve outcomes that have been pre-specified by the funder. • Common at DHHS, often concerns service delivery

23. Unsolicited proposal • Usually in response to an RFA - you are requesting funds for your ideas that you present in a grant proposal. • e.g., your typical NIH RO1 proposal

24. Mission Statement • Philosophical and/or scientific statement that communicates the essence of an organization to the stakeholders and to the public. • You must understand the funder’s mission to appropriately tailor your request for funds.

25. Mission: The mission of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) is to seek a cure, to provide hope, support and education, to promote awareness, and to advocate for the pulmonary hypertension community. The vision of PHA is to improve the lives of those affected by pulmonary hypertension. Over the past few years the organization has begun to raise funds to support research that will lead to better forms of diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately a cure. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=12108

26. Private v. Federal Funding Issues

27. Structure of the proposal • Customized v. NIH-generic • Disease-focus • Alzheimer’s Disease Association • American Heart Association • Indirect costs (= Facilities & Administrative) • Space, utilities, library, infrastructure • 8-15% (private) v. ~57% (federal) • Citizenship/Residency requirements • Specific for each funder - restricted v. not

28. University/Department/Center protocol for soliciting private funds • Is there a limit on how many proposals can be submitted per institution? Who determines this? • Will your department accept non-federal F&A rates? • Restrictions on use of funds • Salary, equipment, travel • Amount of $$ offered, # years for award • Renewable v. one time only

29. Title (rank equivalent) of PI • Academic appointment • Trainee status (postdoc /fellow) • Investigator v. Researcher v. Staff Scientist • Location of research activities • Can funds be used outside the US? • Is there an institutional track record at Emory for this Foundation? • Are there other PIs or reviewers on campus?

30. Know your Foundations

31. Idiosyncratic requirements for reporting results • Set aside budget funds for travel to Foundation’s annual research meeting • Strict rules for data sharing • Potential consortium participation • Potentially lots of involvement by funder • Specific acknowledgment of funder in publications, presentations, etc. • Review process and feedback about your proposal may not be as thorough as a federal review - there may be NO review

32. Who has been funded by this Foundation? • What is the competition? • Is there an obvious preference in spite of the language in the solicitation (region, discipline, etc.)? • How many applications are expected? • How much funding is available for this initiative (i.e., total set aside for this RFA)? • Is this worth the effort? • What is the average award amount?

33. Is the RFA designed with an “agenda”? • Scientific, methodologic and/or political issues (e.g., stem cell research)? • Who developed the RFA - is this information on the website? Is there a history? • Who sits on the Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board or Board of Directors? WHY IS ALL THIS IMPORTANT?

34. Contact the Funder “... it is strongly recommended that applicants contact the program director of the appropriate awarding component prior to the preparation of an application.” NIH PHS 398 Instructions

35. Why Contact the Funder? • Are you eligible for the grant? • Might need clarification on years experience, academic rank, citizenship • Have you received verbal or written feedback about your research ideas? Is the foundation interested in what you do? • Do you want the review committee to be the first contact you have with the foundation? NO!

36. Searching for Funding

37. Electronic Funding Alerts& Searchable Databases • Community of Science (COS) Funding Alert • Illinois Researcher Information Service(IRIS) Alert • GrantsNet • Professional Associations • Sign up at their websites • NIH websites • Sign up for newsletters, funding alert emails

38. Funding Alert Services • Enrollment at the website provides you with a weekly/monthly email alert of funding opportunities of interest to people who use this website • Foundations have listserves that inform you of all funding opportunities • RWJ issues weekly emails on research and funding in the area of obesity • NIH Institute and Centers (I/C) have listserves that inform you of funding announcements and all activity at an Institute • Searchable databases have alert systems that you customize based on your interests • COS based on matches to keywords you have given them in the Expertise Profile questionnaire

39. Searchable Databases • Community of Science(COS) • Foundation Directory Online • GrantsNet • Illinois Researcher Information Service (IRIS)

40. 1. Community of Science (COS) http://www.healthlibrary.emory.edu/ Databases Find Database: • You may sign up for email alerts once you create a COSExpertise Profile Community of Science

41. COS Search parameters All Fields: any searchable terms • Career development • Genetics • Cell biology • Cancer Citizenship or Residency: • unrestricted • unspecified Funding Type: • Training or Scholarship or Fellowship • Research

42. 2. Foundation Directory • Searchable online database • Searches on broad biomedical search terms, diseases, or any “text” word • Search specific Foundation • Very rich database for private foundation funding www.healthlibrary.emory.edu/ Databases Find Databases: Foundation Directory

43. 3. GrantsNet Grants and Funding searchable field • Limit to awards without US citizenship requirements http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/funding Tools and Tips menu at Science Careers “How-To Series” How to obtain research and other funding http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/tools_tips/how_to_series/how_to_get_funding

44. 4. NIH Institute/Centers • Visit websites for updates, news • e-newsletters for latest in developments, new directions • email funding alerts • NIAID Funding News “subscribe” http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/newsletters/default_subscribe.htm

45. 5. Google Search terms: proteomics grants fellowships proteomics research funding

46. Who has received funding? CRISP = Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects • A searchable database of federally funded biomedical research projects conducted at universities, hospitals, and other research institutions. • Who at Emory University has a grant do do research similar to what I do? How can I find a mentor, colleague, advisor or collaborator? http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/

47. The Grant Proposal Process t

48. 1. University & Departmental Protocol • Get permission from your department to submit grant proposals - what indirect cost rates are acceptable? • Non-NIH ≠ NIH rates • What do you know about routing a proposal? Are you familiar with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP)? Who hits the send button for electronic submissions? http://www.osp.emory.edu/ • Is your department ready to support you as an independent researcher? • Will you receive the required financial support to carry out the research - salary, space, technical support, materials, etc? • Promotion and mentor issues

49. 2. Submitting the Proposal: what are your options? • Electronic only, by deadline • Paper only, postmarked by deadline • Paper only, due in office by deadline • Electronic by deadline, followed by 5 copies of paper by mail due within one week of deadline

50. 3.Follow All Directions! • You must follow the very specific, idiosyncratic directions you are given • Guidelines may present a challenge - worth reading > 1 time • There may appear to be inconsistencies, conflicts, redundancies, etc. • Call funder for clarification!!! There is no stupid question. • Mistakes in written guidelines can happen.