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Grantsmanship Basics for Graduate Studyfor McNair Scholars Program

Bess de FarberUF Libraries Grants Management

ProgramNSF-funded I-cubed Program

January 20, 2010

Objectives1. Provide context2. Understand “grantsmanship” processes3. Learn basic research activities4. Inspire confidence, desire and

participation in grant seeking

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Questions What’s your past experience in grants

management activities?

What question do you have about grant applications or grant processes or grant awards?

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Why proposals are important? Fellowship $ support They empower you to do your own

research They prove you:

Have good ideas Can communicate those ideas Will be able to support your work

IMPORTANT: Size doesn’t matter

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Practice = Results

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Road blocks1. Fear of failure (If I don’t try, I can’t

fail)Flip this around:

What is the best predictor of success in writing grant proposals ?

Number of times you submitaverage = 2.7 for NSF

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Road Blocks

1.1. Fear of failure (If I don’t try, I Fear of failure (If I don’t try, I can’t fail)can’t fail)

2. It’s too complicated and overwhelming

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What’s the question you want the sponsor to ask?

Will you MARRY ME?

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What is a grant proposal? Tells an engaging “story” about an opportunity to

fill a gap, eliminate a need, solve a problem, or research ways to do these things

Presents business plan

Denotes image

Defines friends and partners

Provides assessment of capacity

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What is grants management?The effective administration and oversight of: Researching

Matching to a specific grantmaker

Matching a dollar amount to a funder’s history

Learning about reviewers and priorities

Creating the best mental movie

Learning from declinations

Ensuring start-to-finish positive relationship

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Grant writing is….. the art and science of developing granting

relationships with funder, by:

1) converting a mental image picture of a fundable project;

2) using words and financial information to hook the reviewer on the importance, legitimacy and creativity of the project and why it is a good investment for a specific sponsor;

3) requesting specific funds for specific purposes, to be used sometime in the future.

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Know your sponsor AKA CUSTOMER

PublicPrivate

Corporate

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Public Sponsors Generally make larger awards Reliable for long-term Information available to public Established process, format, timetable Large staff Public meetings, training sessions Accountable to public officials Process is very time consuming Involves more reporting and evaluation Doesn’t generally take risks with new ideas Restrictions on use of funds

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Private Sponsors Awards generally smaller Mostly fund one year projects Info not public Processes, proposal formats and timetables may

or not be established Very few staff - sometimes no paid staff Most have policies that target local community Process is simpler and more flexible Reporting/evaluation requirements are lenient More likely to invest in new or innovative ideas Likely to be flexible: funding for various expenses

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Corporate Sponsors Usually require “give” “get” agreements Foundations may behave as private

corporations Funding for fund-raising events Funding for special events Funding for marketing Multiple “buckets” to choose from In-kind usually part of the package

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Know the Sponsor What organizations or programs have been funded? What is the range of funding? What is the funder’s focus now? What was is it the

past? What language does the funder use to describe

funding practices/interests? How can you get a copy of what has been funded? Who can you talk to? What is their role? Are you ready to ask your questions? Who makes the decisions? What is the funder’s history within the community? How does the funder like to be treated?

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Know Yourself Part I

What are your positive attributes or assets

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Know Yourself Part II

What are your negative attributes or liabilities

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Assessing Readiness What is the deadline? What is the grant period? Do you have enough time to prepare and

package? Do you have enough information? Who needs to approve the proposal? What’s the cost/benefit analysis? Can you stay on mission if you get the award? How will this change the way you operate? Can you deliver expected results? What are the benefits if you don’t get funded?

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Organizing the Process Read the guidelines, especially evaluation criteria Create your own checklist Develop activities list Develop timeline Determine involvement to complete project Determine cost Decide whether or not to keep going Request support letters Finish narrative/other components Submit to mentor/meet with Linda Isaacs in DSR Edit; Edit; Edit Submit proposal (either to DSR or to Sponsor)

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Grant StoriesGood, Bad, Ugly

A. BeginningsB. In the middleC. Endings

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FAQs in Grant Applications Scientific merit? Broader impacts? Evaluation methods? Timeline of activities? Partners?

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essential grant project components

Partnerships and Partners

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Making job easier for reviewers Assume the reviewer is a generalist in your field, who

knows little about your particular topic. Thus … Job #1 is to convince them your idea is worthwhile. Paint

the big picture first. Then, highlight how your project fits into the big picture.

Friendly formatting Follow exactly the order of sections requested Use different fonts to highlight important points State hypotheses (or goals) Explicitly link anticipated results to your hypotheses. Or,

how will goals be assessed? Make sure you’ve addressed all criteria

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Testing an Ecological Cost of Habitat Corridors: Spread of Invasive Species

Background: As extensive tracks of habitat become fragmented, populations in the remaining habitat become isolated and increasingly vulnerable to extinction. A frequently touted solution is the creation or maintenance of habitat corridors – strips of habitat that connect otherwise isolated patches of the same habitat and that presumably increase animal movement between patches1-3. Although corridors make intuitive sense, their actual effectiveness remains controversial4,5. The controversy has arisen because: (1) studies frequently reach opposite conclusions1, (2) the vast majority of studies are non-experimental, small-scale or poorly replicated2, (3) confounding factors are often overlooked (e.g., the additional area and edge habitat that corridors inevitably bring with them)1, and (4) corridors may facilitate the spread of invasive species6.

I will test the effectiveness of corridors in restoring communities of native ants in a highly threatened ecosystem, longleaf pine savanna. I am fortunate to be able to address or overcome many of the above problems and constraints of previous studies. Specifically …..

A novel twist The issue

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NSF Graduate Research Fellowship J. Resasco - A

Testing an Ecological Cost of Habitat Corridors: Spread of Invasive Species

Background: As extensive tracks of habitat become fragmented, populations in the remaining habitat become isolated and increasingly vulnerable to extinction. A frequently touted solution is the creation or maintenance of habitat corridors – strips of habitat that connect otherwise isolated patches of the same habitat and that presumably increase animal movement between patches1-3. Although corridors make intuitive sense, their actual effectiveness remains controversial4,5. The controversy has arisen because: (1) studies frequently reach opposite conclusions1, (2) the vast majority of studies are non-experimental, small-scale or poorly replicated2, (3) confounding factors are often overlooked (e.g., the additional area and edge habitat that corridors inevitably bring with them)1, and (4) corridors may facilitate the spread of invasive species6.

I will test the effectiveness of corridors in restoring communities of native ants in a highly threatened ecosystem, longleaf pine savanna. I am fortunate to be able to address or overcome many of the above problems and constraints of previous studies. Specifically …..

A novel twist The issue

The solution

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship J. Resasco - B

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Testing an Ecological Cost of Habitat Corridors: Spread of Invasive Species

Background: As extensive tracks of habitat become fragmented, populations in the remaining habitat become isolated and increasingly vulnerable to extinction. A frequently touted solution is the creation or maintenance of habitat corridors – strips of habitat that connect otherwise isolated patches of the same habitat and that presumably increase animal movement between patches1-3. Although corridors make intuitive sense, their actual effectiveness remains controversial4,5. The controversy has arisen because: (1) studies frequently reach opposite conclusions1, (2) the vast majority of studies are non-experimental, small-scale or poorly replicated2, (3) confounding factors are often overlooked (e.g., the additional area and edge habitat that corridors inevitably bring with them)1, and (4) corridors may facilitate the spread of invasive species6.

I will test the effectiveness of corridors in restoring communities of native ants in a highly threatened ecosystem, longleaf pine savanna. I am fortunate to be able to address or overcome many of the above problems and constraints of previous studies. Specifically …..

A novel twist The issue

The contro-versy

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NSF Graduate Research Fellowship J. Resasco - C

The solution

Testing an Ecological Cost of Habitat Corridors: Spread of Invasive Species

Background: As extensive tracks of habitat become fragmented, populations in the remaining habitat become isolated and increasingly vulnerable to extinction. A frequently touted solution is the creation or maintenance of habitat corridors – strips of habitat that connect otherwise isolated patches of the same habitat and that presumably increase animal movement between patches1-3. Although corridors make intuitive sense, their actual effectiveness remains controversial4,5. The controversy has arisen because: (1) studies frequently reach opposite conclusions1, (2) the vast majority of studies are non-experimental, small-scale or poorly replicated2, (3) confounding factors are often overlooked (e.g., the additional area and edge habitat that corridors inevitably bring with them)1, and (4) corridors may facilitate the spread of invasive species6.

I will test the effectiveness of corridors in restoring communities of native ants in a highly threatened ecosystem, longleaf pine savanna. I am fortunate to be able to address or overcome many of the above problems and constraints of previous studies. Specifically …..

A novel twist The issue

Statement of Purpose 28

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship J. Resasco - D

The contro-versy

The solution

Hypotheses: I hypothesize that (H1) Corridors will increase species richness of longleaf pine savanna ants. (H2) Corridors will increase abundance of S. invicta. (H3) S. invicta abundance will be negatively correlated with the species richness and abundance of native ants. (H4) Removal of S. invicta will increase the species richness and abundance of native ants.

Methods: The experimental manipulation required for H 1-3 has already occurred. Testing these hypotheses now requires data on spatial and temporal variation in ant abundance. I will census ants…. To test H4, I will ….

Analyses: Tests of H1 and H2 will employ the same Mixed Linear Model used in previous studies at this site1-3, with landscape as a random effect and patch type and distance to edge as fixed effects. Species richness will be standardized via rarefaction. H3 will be tested via regression. H4 will be tested as a Before–After-Control–Impact (BACI) design.

Clearly articulated hypotheses

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Hypotheses: I hypothesize that (H1) Corridors will increase species richness of longleaf pine savanna ants. (H2) Corridors will increase abundance of S. invicta. (H3) S. invicta abundance will be negatively correlated with the species richness and abundance of native ants. (H4) Removal of S. invicta will increase the species richness and abundance of native ants.

Methods: The experimental manipulation required for H 1-3 has already occurred. Testing these hypotheses now requires data on spatial and temporal variation in ant abundance. I will census ants…. To test H4, I will ….

Analyses: Tests of H1 and H2 will employ the a Mixed Linear Model …. H3 will be tested via regression. H4 will be tested as a Before–After-Control–Impact (BACI) design.

Clearly articulated hypotheses

Methods and Analyses linked to Hypotheses

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Broader Impacts: Many conservation plans simply assume that habitat corridors are effective4. Data are sorely lacking. My project provides an opportunity to integrate straightforward tests of corridor theory with restoration of a highly threatened habitat. Likewise, invasive species are often blindly assumed to have detrimental effects on native species, but restoring native biodiversity may not be as simple as removing non-native species10. My project will test the extent to which this is the case. Finally, the U.S. Forest Service is keenly interested in applying our results in their longleaf management plans at SRS -- I am already collaborating with them, attempting to bridge research and restoration. Apart from this project’s broader impacts on conservation, I believe ecologists have a responsibility to educate the general public about their work. Such outreach is especially critical for children and youth from groups under-represented in science. I will use this project to bring new material to my current and future outreach activities (STEP and SPICE, respectively; see Personal Statement).

How this study fills a need in conservation

Integration of theory and practice

Novel twist

Personal statement of conviction

Specific plan and link to other part of application 31

Advice Start small (but above all, start!) Proposal writing is a skill, requiring

practice Don’t be afraid of failure Seek mentoring Follow directions Know objectives of funding agency in mind Put yourself in the shoes of a reviewer

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Research Funding Opportunities

1. http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/funding/2. http://

gradschool.ufl.edu/students/financial-aid-bulletin-board.html

3. http://i3.institutes.ufl.edu/

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Homework1. Choose 2 workshop videos2. Watch videos/take notes3. List questions about video content for

future workshop agenda

http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/funding/workshops.htm

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