proposal writing

The links below contain agency-specific resources for developing your proposal.听

Note: Agency and funding opportunity requirements and deadlines may change from year to year. The resources below are not a substitute for official agency guidance. Always consult the relevant solicitation/funding opportunity announcement for the most up-to-date requirements.

National Science Foundation (NSF)

听The NSF publication听containing听instructions on preparing and submitting proposals.听
- : This section of the PAPPG describes the review criteria (Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts) the NSF uses to review all proposals, along with general information about NSF guiding principles for proposal review.
: A tool that automatically generates an NSF听Biosketch听and Current and Pending Support document that听meet听NSF formatting requirements. Requires creation of a unique ORCID.听听(from听Colorado State University.)听
听
: A list of quick tips created by Carleton College for successful NSF proposal writing.听
: A tool for writing an effective Broader Impacts statement by following a five-step process. Hosted by ARIS and Rutgers University and supported by the NSF.

National Institute of Health (NIH)

听Please note the updated changes.听听
听NIH guidance on application preparation.听
听
听published by the NIH听
听NIH blog post containing information and tips on how and when to contact a program officer.听
: A 2016 NIH blog post summarizing an internal analysis of predictors of funding. Contains useful information about the relative significance of individual application components to funding success.听
: A database of projects funded by the NIH and its centers and institutes, searchable by mechanism, agency/institute/center, PI, and other criteria.听
: NIH page containing links to samples of funded proposals submitted to several NIH institutes.听
: NIH page containing how to write and submit pans.
R-Series "Cheat Sheets:" Quick guides with an overview of key information about NIH R-series grant proposals. Prepared by 淫妻社 Proposal Development. (These documents are not substitutes for the full instructions provided in the SF424(R&R) or individual FOAs.)
- R01
- R15
- R21

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

: Also known as the Service and Advice for Research and Analysis (SARA) site, this page is NASA鈥檚 main source of information for prospective grant applicants. The听听and听听are particularly helpful.听
): Slide deck from a NASA presentation on proposal writing, containing an overview of the grant application process and general proposal-writing advice.听
: A step-by-step guide to听preparing听a NASA grant proposal from the University of Colorado Boulder.听
: Contains video of a virtual panel presentation on NASA鈥檚 Early Career Faculty (ECF) solicitation mechanism from Arizona State University鈥檚 Research Development office.听
听Tips gathered by the American Astronomical Society from various presentations. Specific information on application procedures may be out of date (source presentations date from the 1990s), but general advice is sound.听
: A 2018 blog post from Mendeley that provides an overview of the different types of NASA funding opportunities available.听

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

: Information about the NEH division that supports scholarly research. Includes the Fellowships program, the Summer Stipend program, and others.听
: Search NEH funding opportunities, with options to filter by applicant type, availability, and division/office.听
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听
听A 2008 feature from听the NEH鈥檚听Humanities听Magazine with advice on preparing a grant application.听
: A library of narrative sections of successful proposals, organized by division and grant type.听
: A resource page including tips and frequently asked questions, from Wellesley College.听

Additional Resources

听S. Joseph Levine: A list of general tips for proposal writing organized by common types of application sections, including an example proposal.

听Jacob听Kraicer, U Toronto/HFSP: An older, but still popular, proposal writing guide, including suggested timelines. Uses vocabulary characteristic of NIH proposals, but advice is applicable to proposals to other agencies.听

, University of Michigan: A well-written general guide; addresses common section types with greater specificity than other guides. Includes old but still-relevant data on reasons why proposals are rejected.

, Bioscience Writers: A detailed breakdown of how to structure a Specific Aims section in an NIH application, but the advice on general argumentative structure is also useful for other types of proposals.

听GrantSpace听by Candid: A free online course on the basics of proposal writing. Estimated completion time is 1 hour.

, Bioscience Writers: A free online resource focused on scientific writing. Includes multiple articles on fine-tuning/editing scientific articles, proposals, and manuscripts; writing CVs, resumes, cover letters, and abstracts; and guidelines for formatting and including scientific jargon/vocabulary, among other helpful links.

Robert Porter (Director of Research Development, University of Tennessee) has published a series of short scholarly articles that provide practical advice for proposal writers:听

鈥�,鈥�听Research Management Review听17.1 (Fall/Winter 2009): 10-17
鈥�,鈥澨�Research Management Review 18.2 (Fall/Winter 2011): 1-7
鈥溾€澨�Journal of Research Administration听XXXVI.2 (2005): 5-13

鈥�,鈥澨齂enneth T. Henson, the听Chronicle of Higher Education

听George Gopen and Judith Swan,听American Scientist 鈥斕�a highly detailed treatment of style and sentence structure in scientific writing, focused on maximizing clarity when communicating complex technical ideas.

Science听Magazine鈥檚鈥淕rant Writing for Tight Times鈥� goes beyond grant-writing basics to offer guidance from grant writers, grant reviewers, and agency program officers:听

For sample grant proposals contact GrantDevelopment@淫妻社.edu.

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