grants and proposal writing michelle eberle consumer health information coordinator nn/lm ner may...
TRANSCRIPT
Grants and Proposal Writing
Michelle Eberle
Consumer Health Information Coordinator
NN/LM NER
May 2009
Agenda
• Common Mistakes
• The Lingo
• Types of grants and funding opportunities
• Basic elements of the proposal
• The Budget
• Proposals for foundation funding
• Q & A
Why?
Common Mistakes
The “Lingo”
• RFP: request for proposals
• RFA: request for applications
• PA: program announcement
• Application
• Letter of intent
• Call for participation
• Principal investigator
Types of Grants and Funding
• NN/LM Funding – http://nnlm.gov/ner/funding– Government Grants– Grants.gov http://grants.gov – Institute of Museum and Library Services
http://www.imls.gov – National Library of Medicine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/grants.html
• Other Organizations– Library Grants blog: http://librarygrants.blogspot.com/ – Foundation Center: http://foundationcenter.org
Grant Publications
• Grants for Libraries• Grants for Libraries and Information
Services • National Guide to Funding for
Libraries & Information Services • Fundraising for Libraries: 25 Proven
Ways to Get More Money for Your Library
NN/LM New England Region
Health Information
Outreach Subcontracts
NNLM-NER Health Information Outreach Subcontracts
Formal Proposal
12-18 months
Up to $25,000
NNLM-NER Subcontracts
• RFP annually in Fall
• Contact Associate Director with intent
• Develop relationships with collaborators
• Research and write proposal
• Get letters of support
• Submit proposal
Technical evaluation criteria
Scoring• Identification of need, geographic area,
description of target group (35 points)• Methodology/ technical approach (35 point)• Experience and facilities of the respondent and
supporting documentation (30 points)
Review of subcontracts
• Review by Outreach Review Committee
• Review by National Network Office
• Funding is determined
Yale/New Haven Public Library Consumer Health Information Center
University of VermontVermont Cooperative Consumer Health Information Project
Tufts University Health Sciences Library Selected Patient Information Resources in Asian Languages (SPIRAL)
Rhode Island Multitype Library Outreach for Health Information
Massachusetts General HospitalAccess to Resources for Consumer Health (ARCH)
JSI Center for Environmental Health Studies: Informed Communities Environmental Health Initiative
Franklin Community Health Network Medical Library Outreach Project
Northern New Hampshire Health Information Outreach ProjectLittleton Regional Hospital
NN/LM New England Region
Outreach and
Community Engagement
NNLM-NER Express Outreach
Outreach Community Engagement
• Smaller in scope than subcontract
• Short term (12 months or less)
• Maximum funding: $10,000
NN/LM NER Express Outreach
Outreach Community Engagement
• Application requirements– Brief proposal with detailed budget– Must include goals, objectives, description of
collaborators, intended outcomes and evaluation plan
Holyoke Consumer Health Library
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy
Kids to College
Healthy Choices (Stamford Hospital, CT)
NNLM-NER Express Outreach
Course Development
Proposal instructions: Cover sheet, brief proposal with description of intended audience and need for the course; statement describing each module; goals; outline of plans; CVs of personnel; detailed budget with narrative justification
Allowable expenses: Personnel; supplies; material production (video, workbooks, handouts); communications; facility rental; equipment or software needed to develop / teach the course
Maximum funding: $10,000
World Education
Health literacy tutorialhttp://healthliteracy.worlded.org/docs/tutorial/SWF/flashcheck/main.htm
NNLM-NER Express Outreach
Exhibits and Promotion of
Health Information Services
Proposal instructions: Cover sheet; name and description of venue; dates, location and estimated attendance; rationale for selecting the group; CVs of exhibit staff; budget and narrative justification
Allowable expenses: Registration, travel, publicity, booth rental, shipping, electricity and phone lines; equipment rental
Maximum award: $2,000
Exhibit Award
• Lowell General Hospital (Lowell, MA) for the Massachusetts Health Sciences Library Network (MAHSLIN) Public Service Announcement to Promote Medical Libraries
• World Education (Boston, MA) Exhibit at the National Conference on Family Literacy
NN/LM Technology Awareness Program Award
Proposal instructions: Goals and objectives; rationale for plan; detailed outline; audience and geographic area; numbers of participants; date and event; promotional plan; evaluation plan; personnel; facility/resources
Allowable expenses: Honoraria and travel, publicity, equipment rental, videotaping of the program; communication; phone lines for demos; facility rental; electricity
Maximum funding: $10,000
Technology Awareness Award
• Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA) for the Massachusetts Health Sciences Library Network (MAHSLIN)MASHLIN Technology Day
• Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA) for the Massachusetts Health Sciences Library Network (MAHSLIN)New Models of Medicine in the Electronic Age: From Practice to Publishing
• North Country Health Consortium and New Hampshire AHEC Telehealth New Hampshire (June 14-15, 2004)
• University of Connecticut Health Sciences Library (Farmington, CT) Consumer Health Conference, Networking & Technology
Other NER awards
• Electronic Document Delivery
• Internet Connectivity
• Visiting library
The Proposal
Getting Started
• Start early• Be clear about your reasons• Have a plan: don’t “chase the money”• Form a working group• Review the RFP written guidelines • Submit a Letter of Intent
– Letter is not binding– Provide: Name, Institution, Date
• Pay attention to any deadlines
Contact us if you need any assistance
Before the Proposal
• Gather background information on the need to be addressed
• Identify project needs– Staffing– Equipment– Supplies
• Sketch a rough draft of the budget• Determine who will write the proposal
Tips on Writing
• Make a cohesive argument• Always remember your plan• Avoid excessive jargon• Think of the reviewer
– No unnecessary information• Revise• Have someone else read the proposal• Edit• Show your enthusiasm, belief in the project
Sections of the Proposal
Plan
Need
EvaluateMethod
Summary Budget
Summary Statement
• Starts with a summary of the proposal.
• Answer: who, what, how, how much
• Why is there a need?
• What are you going to do to solve this need?
• Also known as an executive summary
Population/Geographic Area
• Identify target group • Identify geographic area• Use background data (examples, statistics)• Be as specific as possible:
– Demographics– Socioeconomic data– Census information- Populations
http://www.census.gov
• Statement of need– We are so needy/poor that…
Identification of Need
• How do you know there is a need?
• Research your/other organizations’ efforts– What is being done currently?
• Did it work?
– What has been done in the past? • How will your project be different?
• How will the project address that need?
Goal and Objectives
• What do you want to accomplish?• List goal and objectives to reach goal
– Goal: Increase teenagers’ use of MedlinePlus– Objectives:
• Publicize MedlinePlus in Winston High School newspaper• Conduct MedlinePlus presentations at Winston High School• Conduct MedlinePlus training classes at Paco Public Library
targeting teenagers
• Use action words: increase, reduce, expand
Methodology / Approach
• Provide rationale for the stated objectives and plan of work for achieving them
• Include any experience with methodology, areas of anticipated difficulties or unusual circumstances
Schedule/ timeline: Provide an activity based timeline corresponding to objectives
Publicity / Promotion
• What is your plan for publicity?
• Publications, flyers, newspaper, radio?
• Web site?
• Exhibiting?
• Tagging on to existing programming?
Personnel
• Identify all project personnel
• Include a narrative summary of qualifications as they relate to the statement of work and project responsibilities
• Evidence of the project prinicipal’s ability to handle a project of similar scope
Establish Baseline Data
• How will you determine “starting point”?
• Baseline data allows you to determine success or failure of the project
• Does not need to be completed prior to submission of proposal
• Baseline questionnaire– e.g. "What websites do you use to find health
information?”
Facilities/Institutional Support
• Describe the organization/institution • What makes your organization unique?• Describe services or facilities • Detail any support provided by partner
organizations, library, university etc.• Any other source of funding• Letters of support
Evaluation
• Must be measurable and quantifiable
• Use baseline data
• Evaluate each goal and objective
• Outreach and Evaluation Research Center (OERC) http://nnlm.gov/evaluation – Measuring the Difference– Planning and Evaluating Health Information
Outreach Projects
Continuation of Activities
• Will the project be continued after period of funding ends?– Indicates recipient’s belief in the project
• What will be done with the information gathered during the project?
• Important to foundations, non-profit organizations, private funders
The Budget
The Budget
Step 1
• Contact Grants or Accounting office in your institution for Indirect Cost Rate (IDC)
• Indirect Cost: Costs not readily identifiable with a particular cost objective, but necessary to the operation of the institution to conduct the activities it performs
• Not all awards will permit Indirect Costs
The Budget (cont.)
Step 2• Highlight each item in the narrative that will
appear in the budget– Tip: Conversely, every item that appears in
the budget must be described in the narrative • Break down each item into parts; be intuitive
Equipment $1000
Equipment
Dell computer Model # $900
Remote Mouse $100
The Budget (cont.)
Step 3
• Ensure that the RFP allows for funding of the items included in your narrative– Tip: If you include items not listed in the
budget section of the RFP, contact the funding institution to discuss! They want to hear from you!
The Budget (cont.)
Step 4
• In – kind contributions or waived fees must be stated or discussed in the proposal– Tip: Be as explicit as possible in all
descriptions in the narrative. Reviewers are not as familiar with your concepts or environment as you are.
The Budget (cont.)
Step 5
• Specifications• Quotes• Hourly Rates• Salary breakdowns• Travel
– Miles per gallon– Per diem
The Budget (cont.)
Step 6
• Is your budget realistic?– Tip: Consider the period of performance of
the project, in relation to the amount of recurring expenditures, e.g. reproduction, supplies, communication, travel
• Don’t cut yourself short
The Budget (cont.)
Step 7
• Ensure that your figures add up correctly
• Ensure that your proposed budget does not surpass the total funding amount
– Indirect Costs + Direct Costs = Total
Putting it Together:
• Title: Make it descriptive, not clever
• Include a table of contents
• Do not bind the proposal
• Appendices:– Charts, graphs– Evaluation form– CV from every staff member– Any letters of support
Exercise: Program Planning
Private Grants
• Proposals should be only 5-7 pages in length• Proposal:
– Cover letter– Executive Summary– Statement of Need– Project Description– Budget– Organization Information– Conclusion
• Letter of application may be required
Final Thoughts
• Plan, Plan, Plan
• Apply Early– Applications make take 9 months to go
through the process
• Follow directions!!
• Learn from rejection
• Resubmit
Remember: It all Starts with an Idea
QUESTIONS?
Michelle EberleConsumer Health Information Coordinator
National Network of Libraries of Medicine
New England Region
508-856-2435