0.7 How to obtain funding

Funding is critical

• Must be prepared to work hard to garner funding
• Need more than a great idea, though that is a crucial element
• Need to understand the logistics and the process
• Need to submit more than one grant, so need multiple ideas
• Be creative
• Read deeply and broadly
• Talk to lots of people about research
• Think about doing more than one project
  • When one is difficult, the other may succeed
  • Increases funding opportunities
  • Promotes synergy in thinking
  • Enhances visibility
• What are the sources available to you?
  • Federal (NSF, NIH, DARPA, DOE, NIST, ONR, among many others)
  • State
  • Private foundations / not-for-profit organizations
  • Industry
• Use the web to retrieve information for each source
  • Some more detailed, others more obscure

Find out about resources

• Talk to your advisor, faculty in your department about resources in your area of research and in your institution
• Use the internet
  • Search for information on organization, what it supports to determine whether to target for funding
  • Search for deadline dates and invitations to apply in a given area
  • Search services such as IRIS (External Link)
• Government agencies have detailed pages
  • Easy to get lost
  • Ask for help
• GrantsNet ( (External Link) ) from AAAS has good links
• Grant Writing (many now available)
  • Proposal Writer’s Guide (Thackery)
  • Research Proposals: A Guide to Success (Ogden and Goldberg)

Get to know funders

• How are proposals reviewed?
• What is the timing?
• What do they support?
  • How can you target your research appropriately?
• Is there someone you know associated with the funding agency?
  • Talk to them!
  • Go to DC and talk to them!

Reasons to talk to program folks

• If you have great, but risky ideas, talk with the program officer to see how best to present them
• Ask what a reasonable budget range would be
• Ask about the role of collaborators in your area of research

How to approach an agency

• Options for contact
  • Go in person or make a phone call
  • Find an agency person at a national meeting (they often attend to get to know their grantees)
• Be prepared and take as little of their time as possible while getting your message across
• Introduce yourself as a new independent researcher with some general information about yourself
• Have a specific question (or two) and ask if they have any specific advice

Understand the submission process

Find the resources from your institution that support grant submission

• Federal agencies may differ from foundations
• Get to know what they can do to help you identify the appropriate agency
• Get to know what they can do to help you with the process
• Understand the timeline and plan accordingly

Get organized

• Find and read resources that help with grant preparation
• Ask senior colleagues if they will read your proposal and provide feedback
• Ask successful colleagues if you can read their grant
• Try to get onto a review panel (it will change your views!!!)
• Think deeply about your project — be innovative and creative in tackling a significant problem
• Identify the potential sources
  • Find the due dates (both agency and internal!)
  • Determine which applications to pursue
  • Develop your timeline for thinking, writing, rewriting, writing/rewriting, writing/rewriting, etc., final proofreading (critical!) — find out about institutional deadlines you must meet!!
• Be sure that you get feedback from colleagues before submission
  • Include plenty of time for this step in your timeline
  • Provides key perspective/input