MYTHS OF GRANT WRITING

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MYTHS OF GRANT WRITING
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MYTH Number One There is no money available.
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Truth

• Great sums of money
• Individuals, institutions, agencies as desperate
  to give as you are to receive

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Truth

• Individuals
• Small institutions
• Small businesses, schools, hospitals
• Small governments

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Truth

• Philanthropic giving up 8
• Federal funding up 26 over 7 years
• State funding doubled
• Competition greater!

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Myth Number Two

• The money that is available goes
• to big, prestigious institutions and
• agencies not to individuals, small
• institutions, and small agencies.

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Mabee Foundation

• 2002 6 million/10 million to small
  organizations and schools
• NSF
• 2002 over 500 fellowships to individuals

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Truth

• Local corporations and agencies favor proposals
  from local residents
• Purposely seek out individuals and small
  institutions
• Success (not size) begets successfocus on
  strengths

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Truth

• It is a focus of almost all agencies to serve the
  underserved
• Underserved
• Women in science and math
• Minority groups (especially American Indians,
  African Americans, Hispanics)
• Small colleges
• Rural schools and communities
• Isolated colleges
• First generation college students
• Poor

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Truth

• Faith-based groups are respected for successes,
  strength of contributions and quality of
  participation

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Myth Number Three

• Successful grant writing
• requires connections, and I
• dont have any.

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Truth

• Friends in funding agency
• Proposal reader for major funding agency
• Follow guidelines and meet expectations
• Rating form

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Truth

• Friends in the legislature
• Friends at the Regents
• Collaborations and partnerships

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Myth Number Four

• I dont have time
• to write grants.

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Truth

• Everyone has same number of hours.
• You have time for the things you value.
• Make appointments for writing.
• Write even if the deadline is too closenext
  cycle you will be ready, gain from reviews.

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Truth

• Write about your passion and profound interests
• Take all the time you need willingly miss the
  deadline and you will be read next time

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Myth Number Five

• Getting funded just requires preparing a grant
  proposal and luck does the rest.

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Truth

• Quality is the most important
• Your job is to convince the readers that your
  project will do a better job of meeting the
  funders goals than all the competitors
• Follow the guidelines

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Myth Number Six

• Meeting the deadline
• is everything.

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Truth

• Write about your passion and profound interests
• Take all the time you need quality is
  mandatory. Willingly miss the deadline and you
  will be ready next time

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Myth Number Seven

• Collaboration will spread out the workload and
  reduce the time required to succeed.

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Truth

• Collaboration takes more time.
• Collaboration forces the writer to lose control.
• Writing is distinctly individualistic, but
  collaborating takes time to share, plan, review,
  negotiate..
• Add more time to a collaborative project!

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Myth Number Eight

• The grants are awarded to those applicants who
  have the greatest needs.

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Truth

• Grants are awarded to the best use of the money
  to meet the funders goals.
• Grants are awarded for strengths and skills.
• Some agencies ignore need totally and focus only
  on quality.

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Truth

• Grants are awarded to known providers.
• Grants are awarded to successful applicants.
• Corporations fund in their shadow.
• Grants are awarded to friends and colleagues of
  colleagues.

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Truth

• OneNet is the best connective technology of all
  50 states. It will help disseminate results and
  enhance projects.

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Myth Number Nine

• Community Colleges are not research institutions,
  so they will not be funded.

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Truth

• Projects, training, education reform, student
  services, community service
• Collaborations with research institutions
• Undergraduate research
• Research improves teaching better than anything
  else

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Myth Number Ten

• Getting funded is
• where its at!

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Truth

• Writing is valuable in and of itself
• Develops knowledge
• Research improves teaching better than anything
  else
• Writing should be externally rewarded

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RECAP OF MAJOR IDEAS

• Money is always available
• Goal produce proposals that convince
• Use connectionsmake connectionsconvincerating
  form
• Plenty of time is available
• Passion deadline well written proposal

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RECAP OF MAJOR IDEAS

• Quality and strengthsconvince
• Collaboration takes more time
• Best use of funders money
• Research programs, training, education reform,
  community service
• Research and writing improves teaching better
  than anything!

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Attitude is everything!

• Internal locus of control
• Belief in yourself
• Grant writing is about POWERwe write grants
  because they empower us to do things we otherwise
  could not do.
• Myths created by non-writers.

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Attitude is everything!

• Cast away the myths that defeat many.