(414) 352-9312

Grant Writing Workshops

Grant writing workshops are customizable and represent a range of introductory through advanced sessions for general audiences as well as specialized sessions for targeted audiences.

General Audiences

Beginning Grant Writing

Whether a government agency requires 100+ single-spaced pages or a private foundation requires 3 double-space pages, common elements appear in nearly every grant proposal. Micro case studies will be used to illustrate writing pitfalls and stimulate discussion about ways to improve sections of the narrative. You will see resources for identifying public and private sponsors and learn a four-step process to help pick the ones that have the highest probability of funding your projects.

Advanced Grant Writing

To better understand what reviewers really look for in grant applications, you will participate in a mock review. You will gain insights on how reviewers might judge your proposals and things to change as you write your next proposal. Persuasive grant proposal writing begins with reading the sponsor’s RFP (Request for Proposal). You will apply a three-step RFP Analysis Process to identify sponsor hot buttons and the evaluation criteria by which grant proposals will be judged. You will learn ways to integrate persuasive themes into multiple sections of the narrative.

Targeted Audiences

Rising Stars

A small group of dedicated grantseekers will gain a clear understanding of the proposal planning and writing process through individualized support. In this workshop you will participate in an intensive grant writing experience. You will be expected to bring an RFP (Request for Proposal) and/or proposal draft to analyze and critique during the session. You will learn to anticipate and pre-empt reviewer objections. Customized feedback will help you to increase the quality and competitiveness of your grant proposals.

One-on-One Coaching

Rather than a formal presentation, blocks of coaching time can be reserved to address your specific grant needs. Maybe you want feedback on a draft application you intend to submit. Perhaps a proposal was turned down and you want to explore strategies for revising and resubmitting. Or possibly, you have experienced initial success and want to advance to the next level. In this one-on-one setting, we can identify real and perceived stumbling blocks and find ways to turn them into stepping stones for success.

Grant Specific Topics

The Sustainability Challenge: Designing Your Project for Success Beyond the Grant Period

Increasingly, in their RFPs, sponsors are requesting information about “sustainability.” They want to know what will happen to a project after the grant ends. In this session you will learn about five different types of sustainability and two core questions that must be answered when designing a sustainability plan. A discussion of logic models will highlight sustainability considerations from the point of view of grant reviewers and, in turn, better prepare you to answer the oft-dreaded question, “How will your project be sustained beyond the grant period?”

Building a Believable Budget

Preparing budgets can be a bedevil experience for beginning – and experienced – grantseekers. A budget is more than a statement of proposed expenditures. It is an alternate way to express a project’s story. Reviewers will scrutinize the budget carefully, so in addition to being mathematically accurate, it must be believable. Budget justifications have also taken on increasing significance in recent years, moving from explaining to reviewers the basis of cost calculations to persuading them that the items are essential to the success of the project.

Sponsor Specific Topics

Humanities and Social Sciences: Getting Funded, Getting Published

Particularly in the humanities and social sciences, a number of grant and fellowship opportunities exist for faculty to wish to produce a major piece of scholarly work, such as from the NEH and ACLS. In addition to examining profiles of select funding opportunities, in this session you will learn about the similarities and differences between writing persuasive grant proposals and successful book proposals. Insider secrets from a federal grant program officer and from a seasoned book editor will also be shared.

REJECTED!—Time to Reconsider or to Revise and Resubmit?

While funding for research is abundant in STEM and health sciences—NIH and NSF collectively awarded $40 billion last year—competition is intense and success rates can be disappointingly low. And nothing is more frustrating than when reviews for a rejected proposal come back as “excellent,” “excellent,” and “fair.” You will examine review structures and processes and explore inconsistencies in reviewer ratings to begin strategizing a pathway forward. A model for crafting an opening to a proposal resubmission will also be shared.