Highlights from Grant

Workshop presented by
Jerry Pattengale, Ph.D.

for Texas A&M University-Commerce

October 19-20, 2002

Jason Lee Davis, Ph.D.

 Funding Sources and Grants
 Over 60,000 funding sources !!!

 Individual and Corporate Grants

 Grantwriting is “an important though

uncommon experience.”
Innumerable Funding Possibilities
(but in the final analysis, relatively few major categories)

INDIVIDUAL CORPORATE
Individual Grants… Corporate Grants…
to teach to establish
to research to enhance
to pilot to pilot
Private Gifts… Private Gifts…
solicited solicited
unsolicited unsolicited

Business Plan Business Plan

Collaborative or Solo
 These categories raise logistical questions…

 Is funding for me or a colleague, or for a

program?
 Is the cause collaborative or solo?
 Am I, or are we, looking for external funds?
 Have I, or have we, considered internal
possibilities?
 Is the cause time specific or ongoing? Is
the funding the same? If not, what are the
ramifications?
 You have just been made aware of a
probable funding opportunity… What are the
first questions you would ask?

1. _________________________________
2. _________________________________
3. _________________________________
4. _________________________________
5. _________________________________
6. _________________________________
 Re-imagining the Project
(the X Y Z Model)
 What do you want to do?
 Imagine the outcomes
 Follow a simple formula…
We/I want to:
 accomplish something (X)

 by doing something (Y)

 because of the following (Z).

 Re-imagining Exercise
Accomplish X by Y because Z
An example: An institution wants to:

 Accomplish increased retention between

the first and second years for students
 By forming peer groups
 Because our studies show that peer
influence is a major factor in the decision
to transfer and/or in the decision to
persevere with educational pursuits.
 From the conceptual to the
concrete – Re-imagining Exercise
 Re-imagining the project
 Unfolding the formula
 Matching to the money
 New topics from searches

From the general idea or request

to the articulated project &
specific possible funding matches.
 Typical Grant Components
1. Executive Summary
2. Worksheet(s)
3. Proposal

Address specifics, and use structure, requested in

Request For Proposal (RFP)

Keep it simple – Don’t “over-write” proposal

 Numerous free & inexpensive
database sources:
 The Foundation Center
fdncenter.org/searchzone/
 Federal Register
access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html
 Guidestar
guidestar.com
 Community of Science
www.cos.com
 TAMU-Commerce Library
multimedia.tamu-commerce.edu/library/
 If the Grant is Not Funded…
 Analyze feedback
 Avail yourself of information of staff
 Revise the proposal
 Revise the project
 Resubmit
 Move to other funding sources
 Redefine the project
 If the Grant is Funded…
 Celebrate
 Praise participants
 Position what this will mean for your institution
 Publicize carefully
 Hit the ground running (be ready)
 Think about “institutionalizing” the project
 Evaluate early and often
 Sustain the conversation with the granting
agency and staff.