Basic Proposal Writing at Penn State - campuses.psu.edu · Writing the Proposal • Organizational information, if needed – Even if not required, be sure to explain that this proposal
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Basic Proposal Writing at Penn State By Lisa Wiedemer, CRA Manager of University College Grant Relations
By Lisa Wiedemer, CRAManager of University College Grant Relations
What we’ll be discussing
• Writing your idea down– Content– Budget
Writing the Proposal
• Follow the guidelines exactly– Guidelines can usually be found on the web, or from
the funder. Use them to craft your outline and refer to key words from the guidelines in your narrative.
• Walk the fine line between being compelling and overselling
• Avoid jargon– Remember—generalists and not experts may be
reading your proposal. Explain jargon and acronyms.• Do not insert extraneous verbiage
– Don’t be wordy! Remember the reviewers!!!
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Guidelines: be sure to answer every question asked; to address every item listed. It is very helpful to the reviewer to label or number points as they are labeled or numbered in the guidelines. That way, it’s easy for the reviewer to note if particular topics are covered Outline: Use the guidelines as your outline Jargon: while it is very possible that experts in your field will be asked to review your proposal, it is also very possible they will not, depending upon the funder and the field. To every extent possible, avoid jargon. Compelling: Be realistic; don’t overstate; don’t promise more than you can deliver. Verbiage: Don’t be wordy.
Writing the Proposal
Standard proposal elements• Executive summary• Statement of need• Organizational information• Project description
– Objectives– Evaluation– Timeline– Budget
Writing the Proposal
• Executive summary– Most important proposal element because it’s
usually the weed-out point.• Summarize all key points of proposal: statement of
need, proposed project, funding requirements, organizational history
– Keep to one page (or as guidelines indicate)– Write last
• If you write it last, you’ll capture any proposal evolutions that may have occurred.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Executive summaries often used as the first weed-out, so make sure it is interesting and informative
Writing the Proposal
• Statement of need– Brief statement of problem
• Discussion of relevant literature, if appropriate• Current data corroborating need
– Avoid circular reasoning• (In other words, the problem is not the lack of a
solution: “We need scholarship money because we don’t have scholarship money.” Scholarship money is needed because students are lower-socioeconomic level, first generation students, non-traditional, etc.)
Presenter
Presentation Notes
There is always a need, or you wouldn’t be asking for funding…. Make sure data is current—it will reflect poorly on you if the reviewer knows of more up-to-date information Circular reasoning: the problem is the absence of the solution (the problem is the lack of a training facility, scholarships, research money, etc. This and the next section, organizational information, could be lumped together under project description
Writing the Proposal
• Organizational information, if needed– Even if not required, be sure to explain that
this proposal is from a PSU undergraduate campus, not UP (to illustrate difference in student and institutional resources).
– Placement in text and content depends upon guidelines
• Basic information on websites– PSU: http://www.psu.edu/ur/about.html– Campuses: at individual campus websites
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Placement: Some guidelines require organizational history at the beginning so the reviewers can get a better sense of what the organization is all about. Others ask for it at the end. Conventional wisdom is divided about where to put it if there are no overt instructions, but The Foundation Center’s Guide to Proposal Writing suggests at the end, before the conclusion.
Idea is to make this as readable as possible. This will be the longest section of the proposal and we need to make sure the reviewer is with us the entire way.
Writing the Proposal
• Project Description– Objectives
• Not goals! (Goals are general and not measurable)• Use measurable outcomes:
– Tangible– Specific– Achievable
• Rest of proposal ties directly to objectives• Can be formative or summative• Only need one or two good objectives for a
proposal
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Goals are conceptual and abstract; objectives are concrete Examples include: Behavioral (action is expected): 90 percent of the participants will learn to read Performance (behavior will occur within an expected period of time and at an expected proficiency level): 90 percent will pass an Adult Basic Literacy exam within a year of beginning the program. Process (the manner in which something occurs is an end in itself): Literacy teaching methods used will be documented, identifying those with the greatest success. Product (tangible item results): A literacy education manual will be created. Methods, evaluation, timeline and budget must all directly reflect the objectives established in the beginning of the project description Summative evaluation is a method of judging the worth of a program at the end of the program activities. The focus is on the outcome (Bhola 1990).Examples Here are some examples of summative evaluation: Determining attitudes and achievement related to using a primer after it has been used in a training course Collecting data on the impact of a program operating in a community for a period of time Formative evaluation is a method of judging the worth of a program while the program activities are forming or happening. Formative evaluation focuses on the process (Bhola 1990).Examples Here are some examples of formative evaluation: Testing the arrangement of lessons in a primer before its publication Collecting continuous feedback from participants in a program in order to revise the program as needed
Writing the Proposal
• Project Description– Methods
• Specific activities tied to each objective• Only describe major activities per objective
– How will these activities meet your objectives?– Why have you chosen these objectives?– Do they reflect the importance of your objectives?
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Each objective should have one or more methods attached so the reviewer can clearly see not only what you want to achieve, but how you mean to achieve it Relevant literature can come in handy here The higher rank order of an objective, the more time and attention should be placed on the activities/methods designed to meet those objectives
Writing the Proposal
• Human or animal subjects approval:– http://www.research.psu.edu/orp
• Statistical Consulting Center– Free consulting services available
Will provide up to five hours of free assistance on design and analysis of surveys. PLEASE NOTE: Survey instruments must be approved by the Office of Research Protection. They’ll need to see a copy of the survey instrument and an application detailing how the instrument will be used.
• Describe how evaluation will occur– Internal? External?– Some funders are now recommending proposals be
written around the evaluation
• Commonly, evaluations either measure product or analyze process
• Tied to activities• Can be formative or summative
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Could be something as simple as a pre-test post-test, or the completion of proposed activities, or dissemination or collection of surveys. Sometimes an outside evaluator is appropriate; at other times, it’s better to evaluate in-house. For one thing, outside evaluators can be expensive…. Should describe how the information is collected and how the data will be analyzed. Outside dissemination? Summative evaluation is a method of judging the worth of a program at the end of the program activities. The focus is on the outcome (Bhola 1990).Examples Here are some examples of summative evaluation: Determining attitudes and achievement related to using a primer after it has been used in a training course Collecting data on the impact of a program operating in a community for a period of time Formative evaluation is a method of judging the worth of a program while the program activities are forming or happening. Formative evaluation focuses on the process (Bhola 1990).Examples Here are some examples of formative evaluation: Testing the arrangement of lessons in a primer before its publication Collecting continuous feedback from participants in a program in order to revise the program as needed
Writing the Proposal
• Project Description– Timeline
• Divide project into appropriate sections• Include major goals for that period of time• Include entire grant period
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Timeline should be divided according to major activities—monthly, by semester, or year, or parts thereof. Not everything has to be in timeline, but all major objectives should be represented.
Developing the Budget
• Budget– Must relate to narrative– Elements of most budgets
• Personnel• Travel• Materials/supplies• Equipment• Facilities and Administrative (Indirect) Costs
Developing the Budget
• Personnel– Percentage of effort
• Full-time personnel salary reimbursement estimated on the percentage of time and effort needed for the project
– Fringe benefits• Current rates found at:http://www.research.psu.edu/osp/commonly-requested-
Information
Cost-of-living• Salaries/wages normally inflated for periods after the first
year of an award. Rate changes; check OSP rate page for current one:
Faculty with salary of $50,000 Will spend 10 percent of time on project per year—salary for project is $5,000 per year. 33.5% percent of $5,000 is $1,675 for a total of $6,675 in salary and fringes for year one. This, times 2.5 percent, equals $6,842 for year two, for the cost-of-living adjustment. ($169)
• Unit value of $5,000 or more • Lifespan of two or more years
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Never specify exact brand/model of equipment—just the attributes you need it to have, or what attributes the bid is based on. This way, if you’re thinking Compaq now, but Dell has a sale later, you’re not committed to Compaq.
• Other Direct Costs– Services
• Consultants, professional services– Printing/Copying– Materials and Supplies
• Specific supplies needed for project• Computers/software generally not allowed
Developing the Budget
Developing the Budget
• Budget Justification/Narrative– One- or two-line descriptors explaining the
item’s relevance to the project and how the figure was calculated
– Must address every line item in budget
Developing the Budget
• Cost-sharing, or matching costs– Contact DAA as soon as possible– Often a requirement, especially of
government funders• Could be:
– In-kind (salary + fringe benefits, supplies or services purchased by the campus specifically for the project, etc.)
Cash: other grants or budgeted appropriations. Usually can not use government money to match other government money (ie., funding from an NIH grant to help match an NSF grant) DAA needs to know about required cost-sharing so the need can be addressed immediately. If the match requirement is 50 percent, then typically what happens is you arrive at the figure you need from external funding—say, $25,000. You must come up with an additional $25,000 from these sources; total request is actually $50,000 In-kind—salaries, equipment…basically, anything needed for the project that the campus is already subsidizing
Developing the Budget
• Indirect costs– Also known as Facilities and Administrative (F&A)– Usually added on top of grant request– Way for university, college and campus to recoup
wear and tear, utility usage, salaries, etc., associate with administering the grant
Presenter
Presentation Notes
MTDC: College and campus get a portion of the indirect costs to offset the costs of the grant. The idea is that it should not cost the campus or the university anything to do research that will benefit those beyond the institution. Mandatory on federal proposals, unless the guidelines specify otherwise. This includes federal pass-through monies that go to another agency before they come to the researcher. If ANY federal money is included in the funding source, F&A will be requested on at least the portion that is federally funded.
Developing the Budget
• F&A Rates—negotiated with Office of Naval Research, PSU’s cognizant federal agency– Organized research– Continuing Education & Instruction
• Current rates found at:http://www.research.psu.edu/osp/commonly-requested-
Information
Presenter
Presentation Notes
For this fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, on campus research is 49%; off-campus research is 26%. On-campus CE and instruction is 42.6%; off-campus is 20.1%. These monies are shared between UP, the College and the campus
