Grant Seeking in Higher Education
Strategies and Tools for College Faculty

Written for anyone in higher education who is responsible for submitting and running a grant-funded project, Grant Seeking in Higher Education offers a hands-on resource for developing and managing the grant process from start to finish.

Step by step, the authors will help you to identify and sort through potential sponsors, tap into campus support that is already in place, and prepare to write a targeted grant proposal that can generate results. Once you have completed the research, the book outlines the keys to writing a winning proposal, including an effective proposal narrative, thorough budget, and readable proposal package. To give grant seekers an extra edge, the book contains a toolkit of tested materials. These proven tools—templates, examples, and cheat sheets—are designed to help you approach your project as a grants professional would.

Grant Seeking in Higher Education also spotlights the need for academic leaders to create a campuswide culture that fosters efficient and effective grant seeking.

Praise for Grant Seeking in Higher Education

"This book realistically provides great advice on proposal development and grants management. Additionally, readers receive a bonus as the authors have included some very helpful tools and templates that have assisted them in their grant endeavors." —Gail Vertz, chief executive officer, Grant Professionals Association

"This book is well researched, especially with regard to issues of collaboration, helpfully organized, and chock-full of practical advice—a must-have for any research development professional's bookcase!" —Holly Falk-Krzesinski, founding president, National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP)

List of Figures, Tables, and Boxes vii

Foreword ix

Preface: What’s in a Name? xi

Acknowledgments xv

About the Authors xvii

PART 1 THE HOW-TO MANUAL

Section 1 Diving into Grants Culture

1 Grants Culture: The Big Picture 5

2 The Matching Game: Finding Funders 17

3 Tapping Support on Campus 33

4 Collaboration: The New Frontier 43

5 Preparing to Write 55

Section 2 Developing Your Proposal

6 The Writing 71

7 The Abstract 81

8 The Heart of the Matter: The Proposal Narrative 91

9 Budgets 111

10 Making It Shine: The Proposal Package 129

Section 3 Next Steps

11 Review, Rejection, and Reshaping 149

12 Your Project Is Funded—Now What? 161

PART 2 GRANT-SEEKING TOOLKIT

Section 1 Diving into Grants Culture 179

Grant Glossary 179

Tools for Finding Funding 188

Funding Search Cheat Sheet 190

Prewriting Questions 192

Section 2 Managing the Proposal Work 197

Planning for Proposal Development 197

Developing a Concept Paper 202

Four Sentences to Focus Your Elevator Pitch 203

Contacting a Program Offi cer 204

Managing Proposal Development 206

Narrative Timeline for Proposal Development 207

Section 3 Developing Your Proposal 215

Proposal Logic 215

Moving from the Larger Context to the Detail 216

Proposal Outlines 217

Evaluation 220

Budget Justification 223

Subcontracts and Consulting Agreements 229

Sample Subcontract Scope of Work 232

Travel Expenses 233

Letters of Support and Commitment 235

Project Timelines 239

Proposal Review Processes 246

Section 4 Building Institutional Grants Culture 251

Tools for Hiring Grant Writing Consultants 251

Interview Questions 253

Interview Writing Prompts 254

Reference Check Questions 256

Tools for Managing and Nurturing Grant Writing Consultants 257

Survey Instrument 269

Flextime Memo 273

Afterword: Summing It Up 275

Appendix: Building a Grants Culture: A Word to Campus Leaders 279

References 303

Index 309

Mary M. Licklider is director of the Office of Grant Writing and Publications in the University of Missouri's (MU) Office of Research and provides leadership to MU's Grant Writer Network. Since 1998, network members have helped with nearly 2,000 grant proposals, which have encompassed a wide range of sponsors and brought grant awards of more than $304 million.