Grant Writing Essentials: Developing a Fundable Idea

When: January 13, 2011 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Where: Bracken Library, Room 215

The first of four sessions of the Grant Writing Essentials series offered by Ball State's Sponsored Programs Office and HR Learning and Development. This one-hour workshop with Dr. Stanley Geidel focuses on how to transform ideas for grant proposals into fundable projects. Specifically, attendees will learn how to develop, refine, and test their proposal ideas to increase their chances for funding success.

Click here to register


Previously
Grant Writing Essentials Workshops

GRC Deadlines Available

Grants Resource Center (GRC) helps to identify sources of federal and private support for faculty's project ideas. In addition, as a subscriber, SPO has access to GRC's comprehensive funding information system.

GRC publishes "Deadlines" once a month around the 15th. This publication includes grant programs with deadlines upcoming in the next 3 months.

View them on our secure BSU pages:
Grants Resource Center
GrantSelect

How to write a good proposal summary

From {Centered}:
Almost every grant request must include a proposal summary. But what goes into a good one? Most funders will prescribe what the summary should include. But in the absence of instructions, here’s what Arianna Dogil and Carrie Rothburd ("The Elements of a Good Proposal Abstract," CharityChannel, October 6, 2010) say your summary should include:

• The name of your organization and contact information
• The need and purpose of the project for which funds are requested
• The people or constituency who will be served
• An overview of the project, including what will be done, how it will be done, and its goals and objectives
• What you expect to achieve, and how you will measure success
• How much you’re asking for

Dogil and Rothburd also provide examples. They suggest using bold headers and bulleted or numbered lists to make the summary easy to read. Finally, they advise you to write it after you’ve written the proposal itself. This can make it easier to then go back and streamline the full proposal, because it forces you to decide:

• What are the most important elements of the project?
• What is it absolutely critical to know about the project in order to understand it?
• What must your reader know in order to understand why this particular project should be funded now and can’t wait?

COS Free User Training Webinars available!

RefWorks-COS recently launched COS User Training. These sessions are open to faculty, students, and staff at Ball State University. Sign up for a live broadcast when they become available in January to submit your questions to the presenter or watch a pre-recorded tutorial on your own time. Sessions range from brief product overviews (18-20 minutes) to full tutorials.

COS User Training is conducted via WebEx, an online meeting service that combines video, audio, and other features to deliver a very effective training experience.

The COS subscription is provided by the Sponsored Programs Office at Ball State University for the BSU community. To access the database off-campus, you will need to first sign up for a free account from a computer connected to the BSU network.

NIH Application Error Correction Window Closing

This new year, make a resolution to plan ahead and submit your NIH grant applications in advance of the deadline. With the error correction window going away as of January 25, 2011, submitting your application early is the best way to ensure success. For deadlines on or after January 25, 2011, all applications must be error free by the deadline.

Remember, you will still have the two-business-day application viewing window to view your assembled application image before the deadline. The viewing window is your one chance to view your grant application just as the NIH reviewers will see it.

For assistance completing your application, check out our updated SF424 (R&R) application guide (ADOBE-FORMS-B series) and Ten Checks to Help Avoid Common Errors.

Service Learning Funding Available: January Deadlines

Youth Service America is seeking applications for two grant programs to support service learning projects taking place during Semester of Service 2011.

The National Education Association (NEA) is partnering with Youth Service America to offer 30 Youth Leaders for Literacy grants to support service learning projects focused on increasing young people's interest in reading and in efforts to improve literacy in schools and communities. Projects must be youth-led (ages five to 25) and must address an established literacy need in the applicant's school or community. The projects will launch on NEA's Read across America Day on March 2, 2011 and culminate on Global Youth Service Day. Applications are due by January 5, 2011.

Youth Service America is also working with Special Olympics to offer [Get into It] grants that bring together students of all abilities to fight childhood obesity in their schools and communities. The program awards grants of $500 or $1,000 to help youth create and implement service learning programs to fight childhood obesity. Projects will launch on Spread the Word to End the Word Day on March 2, 2011 and, like the Youth Leaders for Literacy awards, conclude on Global Youth Service Day, April 15-17, 2011. Applications are due by January 19, 2011 and must be completed by a teacher and a unified pair of students (one with and one without an intellectual disability).

Special Olympics will host an application training webinar on January 4, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

NIH Launches New Website: Feedback NIH

By establishing a new interactive website, Feedback NIH , the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is providing a forum in which individuals throughout the biomedical and behavioral research community can comment, express concerns, and ask questions about the agency's activities. Comments are currently being sought on separate proposals to create a new NIH institute - the Institute for Substance Use, Abuse, and Addiction - and a new NIH center- the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. 

Comments and questions not related to the current discussions may be submitted at any time to NIH-Listens@mail.nih.gov.

Dates Announced for IAC Individual Artist Program Grant Workshops

The Indiana Arts Commission recently announced dates for Individual Artist Program (IAP) grant workshops.
Artists interested in applying for an IAP grant may attend a workshop to learn more about the application process. Dates scheduled so far include:

December 13, 2010 - Terre Haute
4:30 - 6:30 (EST)
Arts Illiana
23 North 6th Street, Terre Haute
Hosted by Arts Illiana
To register: contact Sherri Wright at (812) 235-5007

December 15, 2010 - Bloomington
5:30 - 7:30 p.m. (EST)
Bloomington City Hall, McCloskey Room
401 N. Morton St., Bloomington
Co-hosted by Bloomington Dept. of Economic & Sustainable Development and ArtsWORK South Central
To register: contact Miah Michaelsen at (812) 349-3534

December 20, 2010 - Lafayette
6:00 - 8:00 p.m. (EST)
Tippecanoe Arts Federation
638 North Street, Lafayette
Hosted by Tippecanoe Arts Federation
To register: contact Paige Sharp at (765) 423-2787

December 21, 2010 - Indianapolis
5:30 - 7:30 p.m. (EST)
Phoenix Theater
749 N. Park Ave., Indianapolis
Hosted by Phoenix Theater
To register: contact Sharon Gamble at (317) 635-7529

January 10, 2010 - Fort Wayne
5:30 - 7:30 p.m. (EST)
Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne
303 E. Main St., Fort Wayne
Hosted by Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne
To register: contact Dan Swartz at (260) 424-0646

This information can also be accessed on our website at http://www.in.gov/arts/2659.htm.

Related
IAC: Individual Artist Program: February 14, 2011

How to Fail in Grant Writing

In yesterday's The Chronicle of Higher Education, the article "How to Fail in Grant Writing" provided a humorous take on exactly what NOT to do when putting together a grant proposal.

Authors Elizabeth Jakob, Adam Porter, Jeffrey Podos, Barry Braun, Norman Johnson, and Stephen Vessey all have experience with grant rejection, whether from being a program officer, a grant reviewer, or a grant writer. They give a tongue-in-cheek look at all aspects of the grant package, including content, format, literature review, etc.

Read it at The Chronicle's website here.

For those of you who would like a more positive take on grant writing, read David Stone's "Becoming a Successful Principal Investigator" from July 7th Chronicle.

Fall 2010 Fellows Immersive Learning Showcase: December 8

On Wednesday, December 8, Building Better Communities will host the Fall 2010 Fellows Immersive Learning Showcase. This is an opportunity for the student teams and faculty mentors to present outcomes of the Building Better Communities Fellows, Health Fellows and Emerging Media Fellows projects with which they have been involved over the past year.

Each student team has worked diligently to address a challenge for a business or nonprofit organization within Indiana. There will be 15 exhibits, with student representatives available to answer questions and to provide a detailed overview of how the project evolved from problem to resolution.

What: Fall 2010 Fellows Immersive Learning Showcase
When: December 8, 2010 from 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Where: Ball State University, Student Center Ballroom

Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend the Showcase, to see the work of their peers, and to find out more about getting involved in future Fellows projects. We are always seeking faculty and students who are interested in turning Ball State's expertise and talent into organizational solutions for partners across Indiana.

Building Better Communities is proud to offer the Fellows program, which is funded in part by the Lilly Endowment.

Project support for Emerging Media projects is provided by Ball State's Digital Corps and Emerging Technologies unit.

For more information, call the Building Better Communities office at 765-285-4068. Light refreshments will be provided