Roadmap: Develop a Winning Program Proposal

Roadmap: Develop a Winning Program Proposal Gerry Cherry, MA, CRA University of Central Oklahoma gcherry@uco.edu, gcherry2@cox.net

Starting Your Trip Learn from the RFP What does the funder support? What does the funder expect? What resources are available now? 1. Institutional Support 2. Institutional Commitment What is the Application Process? What is the Selection Process? Who you gonna call?

On the Road Answers in RFP Example: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/ Funder: Open Society Institute Mechanism: The new fellowshipwill provide Eligibility: journalists, activists, academics, and other professionals Funding: stipend & networking Activities: while they work on Open Society-themed projects....

Map Your Route Project Purpose Goal: What you intend to accomplish. Objectives: How you get there (steps)

DetourBudget – How much money do we need?vsPlan- What are we going to do?

Point of Interest Measurable Objectives How do you know it’s working? How will you know when you reach your goal? Or you don’t? Measurable Objectives

Point of Interest Measurable Objectives Use numbers and percentages. Example (not measurable): Increase pass rates on licensure exams for nursing program graduates. Example (measurable) By September 2010 increase the licensure exam pass rates of PU nursing program graduates by a minimum of 10% compared to 2007 pass rate. (baseline data)

Plan your tripOutline a Plan for Each Year Annual objectives are destination strategies toward your goal. If you meet your annual objectives, you will meet the grant objectives. Evaluate as you go.

Through Street Example 1. Identify participant pilot group, August. 2. Purchase 50% of equipment and supplies by September 30. 3. Complete pilot exam preparation curriculum by September 30. 4. Pilot curriculum with participants, Nov. & Dec. 5. Students take practice exams, December.

Example, cont’d 6. Evaluate the first iteration, comparing results to baseline figures. 7. Modify the curriculum based on evaluation. 8. Pilot modified exam preparation curriculum next January and February. 9. Students take practice exams in April. 10. Compare pilot data with exam pass rates for individual and group success, following January.

Road Sign Need Section This is the hook, the section that shows reviewers your Roadmap. State what is “too high” or “too low” Example: the percentage of freshmen students who fail core courses is too high. When you state the problem this way, the objectives become clear. “To decrease the percentage of freshmen students who fail four core courses from 42% to 30%.”

Roadside Assistance Need (Project Description) Use their headings Bad data is good data You need the $ but you’re a very good investment State your institutional, local, state, and regional successes.

Mapping the Cost Budget and Narrative Allexpenses have to be justified and related to the objectives. Every budget item must be explained, down to how many reams of paper you will buy with THEIR money, and why you need to buy the paper.

Mapping the Cost Budget and Narrative Explain the numbers. Example: 15 doohickeys per participant at $10/each doohickey x 10 experiments/year x 10 participants = $15,000

Mapping the Benefit Evaluation Pre and Post surveys are a small part. Qualitative and Quantitative Formative and Summative Progress Charted from Baseline Data Short-term results Long-term effects

Mapping the Benefit 1. What do stakeholders want to know? 2. What do you want to know? 3. What other requirements are there? 4. What questions should I ask? 5. What is the Best Way to Collect Information? 6. What kind of information has been collected before and is already available? 7. What instruments/methods will I use? Did it work?

Mapping the Benefit 8. Constraints (e.g., time, money, permission, distance)? 9. Assessment instruments available: practical and realistic? reliable and valid? 10. What instruments need to be created? 11. What is the timeline and who is responsible? 12. What knowledge will be needed to analyze the data? Adapted from: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (1998). University of Washington, Office of Educational Assessment

End of this Road Submission Electronic—Make sure you have fulfilled all your responsibilities for online submission at least two weeks before the deadline. Submit early, electronically or not. Deadlines are posted at least 30 days in advance. If you wait until the deadline date, you might miss it.

End of this RoadSubmission The Voice of Experience: Keep your proposal at least one page shorter than the maximum allowed. Check off the components of your proposal as they are completed. Make sure your font, margins, type size are within required parameters. Resist the urge to change a major component at the last minute.

NOW – The Road Not Taken – Yet! The Research Grant How is it different? How is it the same?

THE WHOLE STORY BUDGET BUDGET JUSTIFICATION EVALUATION THE STORY INSTITUTIONALIZATION DISSEMINATION

NSF MERIT REVIEW CRITERIA • INTELLECTUAL MERIT • DOES IT ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE? • HOW QUALIFIED IS THE PROPOSER? • DOES IT EXPLORE CREATIVE CONCEPTS? • HOW WELL IS IT ORGANIZED? • ARE THE NEEDED RESOURCES AVAILABLE? • BROADER IMPACT • DOES IT PROMOTE TEACHING AND LEARNING? • DOES IT INCLUDE PARTICIPATION OF OTHERS? • WILL THE RESULTS BE BROADLY DISSEMINATED? • HOW WILL SOCIETY BENEFIT?

Criterion 1: What is the intellectual merit of the activity? • Potential Considerations: • How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within the field or across different fields? • How well qualified are the team members to conduct the project? Is it well organized? • To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts? • How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? • Is there sufficient access to resources?

Why is it Unique? – How is it Novel?Who makes up the Interdisciplinary Team?

Criterion 2: What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity? • Potential Considerations: • How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning? • How does the activity include participation of underrepresented minority groups? • To what extent will it enhance infrastructure? • Will the results be disseminated broadly? • What may be the benefits of the activity to society?

PROPOSAL REVIEW • Principal investigators should address the following elements in their proposal. • Integration of Research and Education • One of the principal strategies in support of NSF goals is to foster integration of research and education in funded projects through the programs, projects, and activities at academic and research institutions. • Integrating Diversity into NSF Projects • Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering.

The Parts (NSF) • A. Project Summary • B. Project Description • Objective and Significance • Background • Preliminary Results • Research Plan • [Conclusions] • Broader Social Impact and Educational Outreach • Results of Prior NSF Finding

Before we begin! • READ THE RFP or • APPLICATION GUIDELINES • FONTS THAT CAN BE USED • PRINT SIZE • PAGE LIMIT

Project Summary • Stand alone – This may be the only thing that most of the panel reads. • Read the guidelines • Tells you what should be in it. • Word or character limit is often included.

Objectives & Significance • HIT THEM IN THE FACE! • Include why you want to do the study and why it’s important. • HYPOTHESIS DRIVEN! !!!!!!!!!!! • Goals • The activities you are going to do to test the hypothesis • Not more than 3-4 (Maybe 5). Don’t try to do everything!

Background • The state of knowledge at the current time. • Make sure that the literature survey is complete. (Literature cited is not included in page limit).

Preliminary Results • Important • What you have done at the current time • Include enough data to be convincing but summarize. • Cite your papers! • Especially if they acknowledge a former or current grant from the agency.

Research Plan • Follow your “Goals” from the introduction • Provide enough detail that a person not in the field understands the procedures • What do you expect (hypothesis)? • What do you do if you don’t get the results you expect? • What are the potential pitfalls?

Broader Social Impact and Educational Outreach • VERY IMPORTANT ! 50% OF THE EVALUATION GOES TO THIS! • Saying you will publish is not enough! • Saying you will include underrepresented diversity groups is not enough! • Come of with new and innovative activities! • New class - Maybe for High School Teachers • Skype to public school children from your field site to get them involved. • Work with a local museum to prepare an exhibit of your work.

Facilities Statement • What resources do you have? • Can you do the project with what you have? • If you can’t, you need to think about what you need and include it in the budget.

Budget Must be reasonable for what you want to do • Not enough is as bad as too much! • If you need a piece of equipment, include it. • If you need to contract something out be sure to include costs Don’t forget • Fringe benefits • Travel • Publication costs.

Budget Justification • Important! • What is everyone going to do? • Why do you need what you need? • Why do you need the travel funds? • What rate will travel be reimbursed? • Work with your grants office!!!!

Thank You

Roadmap: Develop a Winning Program Proposal