Grants Writing Resources on the Internet
(Annotated)


[Please report any broken links to: cmunoz@lagcc.cuny.edu]

1. Classic Guides and Articles

Corporation for Public Broadcasting
“Grant Proposal Writing Tips”
Good tips and advice on how to prepare and how to write a grant proposal.

Foundation Center
“Proposal Writing Short Course”
A good guide that covers gathering background information, components of a proposal, the budget, the components of a letter proposal. Particularly helpful on crafting the statement of need and the objectives.

Deborah Kluge
“Proposal Pointers and Pitfalls”
Covers the RFP, proposal outline and schedule, proposal preparation and costing, and pitfalls.

Jacob Kraicer (University of Toronto)
“The Art of Grantsmanship”
Lots of good advice. Good discussion of how the review process functions. 13 pp.

S. Joseph Levine (Michigan State University)
“Guide for Writing a Funding Proposal”
Writing hints and an example for each part of a proposal.

Jeremy T. Miner and Lynn E. Miner
“A Guide to Proposal Planning and Writing”
For each and every section of the proposal, key questions to answer, advice, and writing tips. Sample letter proposal. Particular attention to questions one might ask the program officer and a past grantee, cost-sharing, and the appearance of the proposal. 25+ pp.

Back to top

National Science Foundation
“A Guide for Proposal Writing”
Excellent advice for proposal writers. 20+ pp.

Adam Przeworski and Frank Salomon (Social Science Research Council)
“The Art of Writing Proposals: Some Candid Suggestions for Applicants to Social Science Research Council Competitions”
A brief article with wise advice.

Janet S. Rasey (University of Washington)
“Fundamentals of Grantsmanship”
A short guide with basic principles and advice from the pre-proposal stage through resubmission.

Don Thackrey (University of Michigan)
“Proposal Writer’s Guide”
A complete guide. Discusses why proposals are rejected.

 2. Mega-Sites

Catherine Callow-Heusser (Utah State University)
“Digital Resources for Evaluators”
A enormous mega-site on evaluation with links to communities of evaluators, education and training programs, relevant agencies and organizations, evaluation companies and consultants, evaluation texts and documents, instruments, data surveys, statistics, software, funding sources, and other mega-sites and reference sites.

CDC Evaluation Working Group
“Resources”
A mother lode on evaluation. Organized in sections: Organizations, Societies, Foundations, Association; Journals and Online Publications; Step-by-Step Manuals; Logic Model Resources; Planning and Performance Improvement Tools; Reports and Publications.

CUNY Graduate Center
“Student Affairs A-Z Grants and Resources Database”
An alphabetical resource, nicely annotated, directed at graduate students, but often cites grants of general interest to all scholars or young scholars.

Internet Prospector
“Foundations”
An excellent portal to private funding sources, international funding, and sources of fundraising news.

Deborah Kluge
“Grantwriting Resources”
A mega-site with annotated links to many other useful sites.

Michigan State University
“Grants and Related Resources”
An excellent and comprehensive library guide to foundations, grants, grantsmanship, and relevant websites. Covers print and online indexes to grants, foundation directories, an exhaustive list of government agency websites, a list of grant sources organized by topic, a list of grant sources for individuals organized by topic, print and web guides and articles on grantsmanship and philanthropy, and more.

National Institutes of Health
“Resources for New Investigators”
Lists helpful sites provided by the various NIH institutes, as well as some general NIH and non-NIH resources.

University of Iowa
“Writing Guides”
A list of links to federal agency guides for preparing proposals and to educational institutions that have prepared guides. Also sources for general information on grant writing.

Back to top

University of Iowa
“Grant Writers’ Tools”
A rich source, with links to many other useful sites.

University of New Hampshire (Office of Sponsored Research)
Not the largest, but a very good collection of sites. Guides to grants writing provided by many federal agencies and guides produced by various non-governmental authors and sources.

University of Pittsburgh
“Proposal Writing Websites”
An excellent site linking to various proposal-writing manuals and guides, as well as bibliographies and internet resources.

University of Wisconsin
“Proposal Writing: Internet Sources”
A helpful listing of more than 20 sites that provide advice on preparing proposals.

Utica Public Library (Internet Resources for Nonprofits)
“Grants and Grant Writing”
Links to dozens and dozens of sites.

Back to top

3. Brief Guides and Articles

American Association of State Colleges and Universities (Office of Federal Programs)
“Proposal Development Handbook”
A brief guide. Strong on thinking things through before writing and figuring out the interests of a potential funder.

American Astronomical Society (Sethanne Howard, Guenther Riegler. Mike Shull, Rob Kennicutt, Peter B. Boyce)
“Hints on Preparing Research Proposals”
Compiles a pretty good list of hints by putting together a summary of remarks by four speakers on a conference panel, remarks by a NASA scientist, and a presentation by the Executive Officer of the American Astronomical Society.

Appalachian Regional Commission (Online Resource Center)
“Preparing a Grant Proposal: Five Steps in the Proposal Writing Process”
The five steps: agree on the problem, describe what you hope to achieve, design your program, locate funding sources, write your proposal.

Richard L. Austin (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
“A New Age for Grant Writing”
Discusses new federal policies on plagarism in research and in grants writing. Provides definitions, the penalties, answers to FAQs about the new policies, and precautions that one should take to reduce the risks.

Ellen Barrett (University of Miami School of Medicine)
“Hints for Successful NIH Grants”
Advice appropriate for each section of the grant application.

John G. Borkowski and Kimberly S. Howard
“Applying for Research Grants”
Written for researchers using experimental designs in psychology, but more broadly applicable. Presents good arguments for writing a research grant, a grant writing model, how to cast the idea and frame the research plan, specific components, and some tips. Concludes with some exercises and recommended readings.

Kathryn S. Brown (The Scientist)
“A Winning Strategy for Grant Applications: Focus on Impact”
An older piece (1997), but still good advice on how creativity and writing style matter even for scientists.

Dick Bruggeman (University of Haifa)
“Research Funding: How? When? Where?”
A brief article with good advice, particularly on specific ideas for making a proposal stand out.

David Bond, Anne Dickinson, Cindy Gary, Gail Hyde (Rochester Institute of Technology)
“Writing a Succesful Proposal”
Lengthy and useful PowerPoint presentation. Sections on: mission, goals, objectives; literature review and problem statement; involving students; the narrative (introduction, need, significance, project design, project management, quality of project personnel, evaluation, dissemination, institutional capacity, references, bios, letters of support); budget; reviewing the proposal; what to do if not funded.

California Department of Education
“Writing Effective Proposals”
A brief guide with sections on general suggestions, effective technical writing, and the narrative of the plan.

Maria Carlson (University of Kansas, Russian/East European Studies Director)
“Submitting a Grant Proposal: Risks, Benefits, and How to Succeed”
Written for junior faculty and graduate students. Heart-felt advice. Even a section on grant proposal writing as a kind of theology. Particularly strong on what not to do when writing the narrative and how reviewers think.

Gary Carnow (Scholastic, Inc.)
“What Do Winning Proposals Have in Common?”
A brief list of 10 tips.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
“Developing and Writing Grant Proposals”
Covers developing the proposal (idea, support) and writing the proposal (components, goals, problem statement, methods, plan of action, evaluation, budget planning).

CD Publications (University of Montana)
“Grantseeker’s Checklist”
20 things to keep in mind.

Central Piedmont Community College
“Commonly Used Grant Terminology”
An alphabetic guide.

College of William and Mary (Office of Grants and Research Administration)
“Letter Proposals”
A brief description of the objectives and parts of a letter proposal.

Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America (CADCA)
“Funding”
Though entitled “Funding,” a great deal more. A collection of distinct discussions on topics such as 10 things to do before you write a grant proposal, warning signs for consultants to heed, a logic model for planning, choosing evaluation designs and research methods, and how to sustain a coalition.

Susan Compo (The Grantsmanship Center)
"No Mercy from the Margin Police: When the Feds Say One Inch, They Mean One Inch". A chilling tale of your government at work. But, it makes the point loud and clear: when writing a grant, follow the instructions to the letter.

CUNY Graduate Center
“Some Tips on Proposal Writing”
The five secrets of successful grantseekers, plus concise tips on planning, research, writing and preparing the application, and clarifying goals.

Linda DeLauri (Harvard University)
“How to Read a Federal Funding Announcement”
A brief discussion of questions to ask yourself when reading a federal request for proposals.

DePaul University (Office of Sponsored Programs and Research)
“Evaluating Funding Opportunities”
A brief, but thoughtful, chart that helps one determine whether a particular RFP is the right one for a particular project.

Marilyn Dickey (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)
“Grant Makers Reveal the Most Common Reasons Grant Proposals Get Rejected”
A brief article with common sense advice.

Claudia Douglass (Northern Kentucky University)
PowerPoint from a series of campus workshops. Good, succinct presentations.

Anne Farmer (Johnson County Community College)
“Grants”
Nice discussion of the elements of a proposal: title, abstract, introductions, problem statement, program objectives, qualifications (i.e., selling your ability to undertake the project), methods, evaluation, sustainability, budget. Chief source is Getting Funded by Mary Hall (1988).

Georgia Institute of Technology (Office of Sponsored Programs)
“Submitting a Proposal via Grants.gov”
A step-by-step tutorial, illustrated with views of the screens that one uses. It is not easy.

Ernest Goeres and Cesidio G. Mancini
“The Six C’s of Managing Federal Projects: How to Avoid Cost Disallowances”
The six C’s are compensation, costs, consulting, certification of time and effort, contracting, and caveats.

GuideStar.org
“What Grantmakers Want Applicants to Know”
Fifteen pieces of advice from funders.

Martha J. Hanson (Syracuse University)
“Tips from the Field”
A two-page treatment. Discusses what to expect, the three basic steps (planning, research, presentation), common mistakes, and ways to build confidence.

David Hemenway (University of Vermont)
“How to Improve Your Score When Submitting a Grant Proposal”
Advice on avoiding a multitude of common errors.

Kenneth T. Henson
“Debunking Some Myths About Grant Writing”
Six myths debunked, followed by six tips.

Indiana University
“The Most Common Errors Made in Research Proposals and Applications”
A one-page summary of what can go wrong.

Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis
“Organizing the Grant Request: Thoughtful Persuasion”
A brief guide to all the components of a proposal.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
“Approaching the Potential Funding Agency”
Use direct personal contact or a one-page letter with a two-page attachment.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
“Organizing the Grant Request: An Exercise in Thoughtful Persuasion”
Advice for making a persuasive case. Addresses all components of the proposal.

Mark W. Jones
“Effective Foundation Grantseeking Strategies”
A conference presentation. Includes: ingredients for success, finding information on foundations, how to initiate contact, preparing a proposal, dealing with a “no” or a “yes,” involving the faculty and college president.

Simon Peyton Jones and Alan Bundy (Microsoft.com)
“Writing a Good Grant Proposal”
Good advice. Covers: making the case for support, criteria of a good grant proposal, common shortcomings.

Judith Killen (University of Missouri-Kansas City)
“Analyzing Program Announcements”
A brief primer. Some good rules to follow.

Judith Killen (University of Missouri-Kansas City)
“20 Reasons Why Proposals Aren’t Funded”
A nice distillation of reviewers’ comments.

Norton Kirtz (The Grantsmanship Center)
“Hard Data/Soft Data: How They Help You Build Strong Proposals”
Specific help in using both hard data and soft data to build credibility and document a problem statement.

Glenn Krell (Illinois Institute of Technology)
“Talking to a Sponsor Before Sending in a Proposal”
A strong argument for always trying to talk to the sponsor before submission.

Glenn Krell (Illinois Institute of Technology)
“Delivering a ‘Knockout Punch’ in Your Proposal Summary”
A very brief piece on why the proposal summary is critical.

Bennett Grassano (CompuMentor)
"Ten Steps for Funding Technology"
The ten steps to follow include several advising budgeting changes.

Literacy Education Online
“Writing Abstracts”
Covers types of abstracts, qualities of a good abstract, and steps in writing an effective abstract.

Linda A. Long (www.schoolgrants.org)
"Nine Secrets of Successful proposals"
A freelance writer offers a brief page of tips, derived from conversations with foundation program officers.

Maine Philanthropy Center
“Proposal Writing Basics: Top 30 Grantwriting Tips and Strategies”
Geared to small non-profits.

Karen M. Markin (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
“The Bucks Starts Here”
Part I - A brief article with some do’s and don’ts.

Part II- More advice, including how to get examples of past proposals and how to align with the goals of the funder.
“Words Worth Their Weight in Cash”

Karen M. Markin (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
“How to Write an Outreach Grant Proposal”
Comments on all the basics involved in writing a proposal to begin a service program: goals and objectives, the work plan, the timetable, the organization/management plan, evaluation.

Karen M. Markin (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
“Where to Start”
A sensible discussion of where new faculty should begin in searching for funding and writing grants.

Ralph Martin
“A Few Ideas about Pursuing Federal Funding”
A lively and breezy look at getting a grant.

Ingrid McGraw (Syracuse University)
“Preparing Letters of Inquiry”
PowerPoint presentation. Includes: basic guideline, points to cover, components (opening paragraph, statement of need, project activities, outcomes, credentials, budget, closing).

McMaster University Office of Research Services
“Elements of a Successful Proposal”
Bullets to consider as one writes. Compares weak proposal titles to better titles.

Caroline McMullin, Stuart Taub, and Edward Kiewra (Syracuse University)
“OMB Circulars A-21, A-110 and A-133”
PowerPoint presentation. An excellent review of the important accounting principles established by the Office of Management and Budget for those administering federal grants and contracts.

Marie A. Miller (College of Staten Island)
“Some Tips on Proposal Writing”
A brief article with useful tips and advice.

Minnesota Council on Foundations
“Grantseeking Basics”
A brief introduction that addresses research, applying for a grant, grant review, and the grant decision and follow-up.

Minnesota Council on Foundations
“Writing a Successful Grant Proposal”
Covers providing organizational information, describing the problem/need, specifying activities and their impact, evaluation, funding issues, budgeting, providing supplementary materials, and common questions about grantwriting.

Vid Mohan-Ram (Science’s Next Wave)
“How Not to Kill a Grant Application”
A six-part series of lively discussions highlighting common mistakes.
Part 1: “Murder Most Foul”
Part 2: “Abstract Killers”
Part 3: “So What?”
Part 4: “Lost at Sea”
Part 5: “The Facts of the Case”
Part 6: “Developing the Research Plan”

Back to top

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes
“Common Mistakes in NIH Applications”
A brief listing.

Ralph T. Nelsen (Columbia Education Center of Portland, Oregon)
“Tips on the Grant Game”
Written for high school teachers in a casual style. A collection of four short articles: “A Few Ideas about Pursuing Federal Funding,” “Will Write for Money: If Nothing Else Works, Get Help,” “Grantseeker’s Vocabulary,” “Things NOT To Do: In My Opinion.”

Rhoda Newman (Library of Congress)
“Grant Proposal Development”
Finding funding sources, preparing to write, parts of the proposal, and a selected bibliography.

Frank Odasz (Lone Eagle Consulting)
“Grantwriting Tips”
A helpful list of 19 tips, followed by a list of grantwriting and funding sources. A link to a proposal writing outline.

Joel Orosz (The Grantsmanship Center)
A program officer offers good advice on approaching and working with foundations.
Includes tips on proposal writing and a discussion of the attributes of a good proposal.

Joel Orosz (W.R. Kellogg Foundation)
"How to Separate the Good, Bad, and the Ugly: 12 Principles"
A grantsmaker discusses the grantsmaking process. Among his points: funders are either passive, proactive, or presciptive; the problem for funders is dealing with the "bad idea, good proposal" and "good idea, bad proposal;" there are 12 principles for focusing on the ideas in a proposal.

Marc Osten, Katrin Verclas, and Susan Myrland (techsoup.org)
“Writing a Winning Grant Proposal”
Addresses proposals for new technology. Good in analyzing the additional costs that go beyond ordering the equipment.

Ann M. Peters and Lise Menn (National Science Foundation)
“Guidelines for Writing Grant Proposals”
A brief guide, directed at linguists, but generally useful. Covers the basic idea, methodology, relevance to the field, competence of the investigator, and editorial considerations.

Tony Poderis (www.raise-funds.com)
“Positioning Grant Writers for Success”
An article on hiring a grants writer. Discusses developing a job description, payment, planning, finding a grants writer, tips for proposal writing, questions a program officer might ask.

Robert Porter (Virginia Tech University)
“Avoid Common Proposal Pitfalls”
Ten pieces of sound advice.

Robert Porter (Virginia Tech University)
“Writing Successful grants (While Avoiding Common Proposal Pitfalls)”
PowerPoint presentation. Nice look at what to avoid doing.

Abdul S. Rao (Middle Tennessee State University)
“Development of a Successful Research Proposal: From Concept to Funding”
PowerPoint presentation. Contains helpful advice, particularly for researchers using an experimental design and methods.

Prudence M. Rice (Southern Illinois University Carbondale)
“Tips on Writing Proposals”
A ten-page guide with lots of good advice. Sections on doing your homework and planning ahead, the components of the narrative, general advice on preparing the narrative, the review process.

Roanoke College
“Proposal Tips”
A brief guide with discussions of planning, preparing, and writing.

Meredith Roche
“Writing the Proposal of the Future”
Ruminations on changes ahead, most sparked by technology and new expectations of funders who are “venture philanthropists

Rochester Institute of Technology (Sponsored Research Services)
“Tips for Success”
Just one page. Eleven tips.

Rochester Institute of Technology (Sponsored Research Services)
“Writing a Successful Proposal”
Includes: getting started with a concept paper, parts of a proposal. Nice brief discussions of the statement of need, evaluation, outreach and dissemination.

Rochester Institute of Technology (Sponsored Research Services)
“Developing a Proposal Budget”
An outline of what to do and what to consider, with very helpful links to move elaborate explanations of significant concepts and sample templates.

Rochester Institute of Technology (Sponsored Research Services)
“Planning a Successful Proposal”
An extended PowerPoint presentation. Covers the role of the P.I., writing for potential funders and reviewers, goals and objectives, aligning goals and objectives with the funder’s mission, innovation, project resources and budgeting, pre-proposal strategies, evaluation, key elements of a proposal (with examples), tips for success, reviewers comments, and overcoming rejection.

Wendy Sanders (The Whitaker Foundation)
“Proposal Writing: The Business of Science”
A brief article dissecting what is required for an NIH grant proposal.

Brian Satterfield (TechSoup)
"An Introduction to Grant Reports"
Includes the key ingredients of a grant report, the financial statement, reporting the
lessons learned, sustainability plans, six tips on preparing the report, and helpful
software.

Martin Schoonen and Peter Saal (SUNY-Stony Brook)
"Grant Writing Workshop 04"
A slide show covering: what is a grant?, solicitations/RFPs, what makes a good proposal?, devising a workplan, writing with the reviewers in mind, the writing, the narrative, organization, significance statement, objectives and hypotheses, funneling from the big idea to the specifics, highlighting, the importance of the title, the summary, ethics, budget and budget justification, reading the reviews, links and resources.

Linda Starr, Education World (NEA)
“Show Me the Money: Tips and Resources for Successful Grant Writing”
Aimed at high school teachers, but generally helpful discussions of planning, the application process, responding when successful, understanding reasons for failure, tips, additional grant-writing and grant resources.

Molly Sheridan (New Music Box)
"Grant Applications: 5 Mistakes Not to Make"
A brief article with basic advice for musician grantswriters on follwing instructions, being careful about eligibility, budgeting time, and impressing through neatness and graciousness.

Alan M. Shiller (University of Southern Mississippi)
“Top Ten List of Grantsmanship”
A page of tips.

SchoolGrants.com
“Grant-Writing Tips”
A compilation of tips from the School/Grants Biweekly Newsletter, targeting K-12 teachers.

Stanford University
“Cardinal Curriculum: Homepage”
Stanford has prepared online tutorials consisting of PowerPoint slides with audio explanations. While most of the tutorials are specific to Stanford policies and procedures, several are of general interest:

• Proposal and Budget Preparation
• NIH: A Guided Tour
• FastLane

Donald Sunich (National Science Foundation)
“Proposal Presentation”
A PowerPoint presentation by an NSF Program Officer. Covers preparing to meet your program officer, preparing the research proposal, how to submit, the proposal review process, and becoming a reviewer.

Syracuse University (Office of Sponsored Programs)
“Proposal Development: Writing a Compelling Grant Proposal”
PowerPoint presentation. How to sell your idea and craft the components.

Joan Straumanis (U.S. Department of Education)
“Funding Your Best Ideas: A 12-Step Program”
A short piece with good advice from a former FIPSE program officer

Waddy Thompson (The NonProfit Times)
“Finding Grants through Online Databases”
Looks at the Foundation Center, FoundationSearch, Guidestar, Grantstation, and Prospect Research Online. Unfortunately, almost all of these services are fee-based.

University of Central Arkansas
“Writing the Project Description or Narrative”
A brief look at defining the problem, stating the objectives, writing the methods section, and designing the evaluation plan.

University of Iowa
“What Funders Want From You”
A clear one-page outline of what funders are looking for.

University of Manitoba
“General Tips for Acquiring Grants”
The top ten tips for good grantsmanship.

University of Minnesota
“Writing a Successful Grant Proposal”
A brief guide covering all the standard topics.

University of New Hampshire (Office of Sponsored Research)
“Commonly Used Terms in Grant Seeking”
An excellent glossary.

University of New Mexico
“In Search of Funding”
Interesting discussions of good ideas, developing a grant strategy, the need for networking, dealing with funding agencies, writing compelling proposals.

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
“A-21 Cost Principles in a Nutshell”
Nice 2-page summary of what OMB A-21 (Cost Principles) requires.

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
“A-110 Cost Principles in a Nutshell”
One-page summary of what OMB A-110 (Administrative Requirements) means.

University of Richmond (Foundation, Corporate & Government Relations)
“Successful Proposal Writing”
Includes: planning and preparation, abstract, budget, references, writing tips, what reviewers look for.

University of Rhode Island (Research Office)
“Tips for Grantseekers: How Can a Request for Proposals (RFP) or
a Program Announcement (PA) Assist Me with Writing a Fundable Proposal?”
A good discussion of what one can learn from analyzing the RFP.

University of San Francisco
“Elements of a Successful Proposal”
Nicely-done PowerPoint presentation. Takes one through the basics painlessly.

University of San Francisco
“Writing a Concept Paper”
A brief discussion, with suggested format.

Virginia Tech University (Office of the Vice President for Research)
“Opportunity Update”
A weekly newsletter of research funding opportunities. Organized by federal departments, some agencies (EPA, NASA, NSF), postdoctoral fellowships, and undergraduate research.

George Washington University (Office of Research Services)
“Strategies for Refining Funding Searches”
Questions to be asked when evaluating potential funding sources and where to look to find the answers.

Western Illinois University (Office of Sponsored Projects)
“Sample Questions to Ask a Program Officer”
A very helpful list of 17 possible questions.

Western Kentucky University
“Anatomy of a Proposal”
A nicely done one-page chart outlining the content typically required for a grant proposal.

Stephen Wilbers (Writing for Business and Pleasure)
Short Columns:
“Resources Available for Writing Grant Proposals”
“Use the Internet for Help with Writing Grant Proposals”
“Writing with Heart Improves Odds of Getting Grant”
“Grant Proposals: Writing is Just Part of the Process”

Craig White and Paul Castelloe (Center for Participatory Change)
“Writing a Grant Proposal”
A brief overview of the steps in writing a proposal, as well as how to persuade the reviewers to say “yes” and what to do before and after mailing it in. Links to a discussion of the six components of a grant proposal.

Winoma State University (Grants & Sponsored Projects)
“Proposal Preparation: Writer Reader Tips”
10 tips, mostly about keeping the reader in mind.

Worchester Polytechnic Institute
“Proposal Writing Tips”
An interesting analytical approach: establish a track record, analyze the project and the sponsor, examine funding sources, define the problem and objectives, identify an approach and management considerations (cost, personnel, scheduling, resources), define your strategy.

Savio L.-Y. Woo (Whitaker Foundation Research Conference)
“Preparing a Successful NIH Grant Application”
A handout from a conference with helpful do’s and don’ts.

Back to top

4. Longer Guides and Articles

Albert Einstein College of Medicine
“Faculty Grants Guide: Site Map of Topics”
Table of contents includes idea development, components of a proposal,
planning, reviewers, why proposals are not funded, types and sources of funding,
and various funding sources. Also a grants glossary.

American Association of State Colleges and Universities (Grant Resources Center)
“Foundation Grants Handbook”
Although not as complete as the name would imply, a guide for dealing with private foundations. Discusses identifying possible funders, initial contact and formal proposals, partnerships, matching funds and indirect costs, and submission, along with a list of resources. 47 pp.

American Association of State Colleges and Universities (Grant Resources Center)
“Guide to Institutional Partnerships”
Although a bit dated (2001), a unique collection of funding opportunities that entail institutional partnerships. Each funding possibility described in a paragraph. Table of Contents subdivided into: Arts/Humanities/International, Education/Human and Community Development, Health/Mental Health, Science/Engineering.

American Association of State Colleges and Universities (Grant Resources Center)
“Guide to Technology Grants”
Dated at this point (2000), but still worth a look as a valuable starting place in searching for funding in educational technology, SMET/information technology, and biotechnology. Each funding possibility described in a paragraph.

Asian Institute of Technology (Language Center)
“Writing Up Research: The Guidebook”
A valuable source, especially when one understands that successful grants writing begins with good writing of a particular sort. Contents: writing the introduction (an excellent discussion), writing the literature review, writing about methods and the research design, writing up the results and an explanation/discussion of the results, writing an effective conclusion. Loaded with examples and discussions of common problems/pitfalls. Supplemented by material on the basics of good writing and on citing references, as well as a list of links to useful sites for writers (e.g., Strunk and White, the cliché finder, MLA style sheet).

Boston College
“Principal Investigator’s Guide”
Looks at both the pre-award activities (e.g., finding funding sources, preparing the proposal) and the post-award activities (e.g., processing expenditures, meeting reporting requirements). 43 pp.

Jennie Cabrera, Linda Paul, and Mary Alice Rice (American Academy of Pediatricians)
“A Pediatrician’s Guide to Proposal Writing”
Generally useful, despite narrow title. Covers getting started, identifying prospects, developing a proposal, why proposals are declined, and managing the grant. Includes two sample proposals.

Camilah Hicks and Erica Reynolds (University of Missouri-Kansas City)
“Developing and Writing Successful Proposals”
Strengths: sections on reading and analyzing application guidelines,
questions used to develop the conceptual framework, principles for designing good charts and tables (a unique discussion), and reasons why proposals succeed. 30 pp.

Gary A. Carnow
“The Scholastic.com Grant Seminar”
While pitched to high school teachers, a very well-designed set of lessons with plenty of thoughtful examples and even homework questions. Units: Getting Started, Developing Need Statements, Developing Project Activities, The Grant Budget, Evaluating Your Proposal, Putting It All Together, Sample Grant Proposal.

George Washington University (Office of the Chief Research Officer)
"OCRO Handbook for Sponsored Programs"
190+ pages. A complete, database guide. Very nice budget preparation and
funding search checklists.

Back to top

Center for Nonprofit Management
“Grant Seeker’s Handbook”
Covers the whole world of nonprofits. Not a guide to writing a proposal. Most valuable on researching the funders, locating databases and other sources of information, types of foundations. Concludes with a lengthy bibliography of print and online resources.

Center for Rural Health at the Illinois State University
“Grant Writing Series” (3 videos)
Session 1 – “Going for Grants” (Sharon Mills)
Session 2 – “Basics of Writing Grant Proposals” (Beverly A. Beyer)
Session 3 – “Budgeting for Success” (Beverly A. Beyer)

Central Michigan University
“Grant SAT: Grant Proposal Self Assessment Tool”
A comprehensive instrument for assessing the general style and content, the cover letter and executive summary, problem statement/objectives, qualifications of personnel, methods, budget, evaluation, conclusion, and attachments. 19 pp.

Central Michigan University (Office of Research & Sponsored Programs)
“Proposal Writer’s Handbook”
Major chapters on getting started, writing the proposal, submitting the proposal, the review process, and managing the award, as well as a budget development worksheet. 51 pp.

Chicago Public Schools
“A School Grantswriter’s Guide to Planning Competitive Proposals”
For a K-12 audience. Chapters organized around questions: What are proposals all about?  What needs to be fixed? Where do you want to be? How do you intend to reach your goal? How do you know when you’ve reached your goal?
How much will the program cost? What’s next? 28 pp.

Cornell University
“Guide to Proposal Preparation and Submission”
A complete guide.

Beth A. Fisher and Michael J. Zigmond (University of Pittsburgh)
“Grantspersonship: An Instruction Manual”
A brief manual covers 16 steps and provides a two-part example of a research plan (a poor version and an improved version). 20 pp.

Back to top

Georgia Perimeter College
“Proposal Writing: Stages and Strategies with Examples”
Particularly strong on writing tips, editing, selecting a title, preparing the abstract, aesthetics, and reasons for rejection.

Merete F. Gerli (Congressional Research Service)
“How to Develop and Write a Grant Proposal”
A manual on writing an effective grant proposal. 15 pp.

GrantProposal.com
“Aesthetics and Technicalities for Grantswriters”
A host of resources and advice: four factors for success, five steps in grantsmanship, writing inquiry letters and full proposals, researching funders, advice from funders, writing and budgeting tips, and more.

Alethea K. Helbig (Eastern Michigan University)
“ORD Handbook for Proposal Writers and Project Directors”
A complete manual. Particularly useful sections on evaluation, the importance of drafts and rewriting, and post-award grants management, as well as a proposal checklist. 50 pp.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation
“W.K. Kellogg Foundation Logic Model Development Guide”
A method for linking program assumptions, activities, and outcomes. Examples, exercises, templates, checklists. 70+ pp.

Loyola Marymount University
“Faculty Grants Handbook”
From soup to nuts. A well-designed guide. Particular strengths include: a section on getting started by writing a concept paper, comparisons of grants vs. contracts and grants vs. gifts, a list of 18 reasons why proposals fail and 7 reasons why proposals succeed.

Lucent Technologies
“In Search of Technology Treasures: An Online Grant-Writing Seminar”
A nice guide. Targeted at K-12 educators, but helpful for others to read. Includes: eight preparatory steps, some online funding sites, thirteen writing tips, stilted language to avoid and what to substitute, components of a strong proposal. Also includes excellent checklists so one can self-evaluate each component (abstract, introduction, problem statement, objectives, methods/activities, management plan, evaluation plan, sustainability plan, budget). 30 pp.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease
“How to Write a Grant Application”
Though geared to NIH grants, a strong and comprehensive site, linked to dozens of checklists, a glossary, and other tutorials on managing an NIH grant and planning a grant.

Back to top

John O’del (Rhode Island College)
“Grants and Grant-Proposal Writing”
A complete manual. Lots of references and sources of information at the end.

35+ pp.

Ontario Health Communities Coalition
“Strategies for Effective Proposal Writing”
Chapters: Introduction, Laying the Groundwork, How’s the Fit?, Putting Pen to Paper, “Packaging” Your Proposal, Proposal Appraisal, Post-Submission Thoughts. 23 pp.

Purdue University
“EPA Grant-Writing Tutorial”
A nice general guide. For each component of a grant proposal, there are tips, a mock grant-writing activity, and an example.

The Research Assistant
“Grant Writing Tutorial”
An interactive tutorial designed for NIH researchers. Discusses formulating a question, forming a research team, writing the proposal, understanding the NIH review process, and spotting fatal flaws and common pitfalls.

Eric Rinehart and Barbara Bouie-Scott (Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity)
“Proposal Writing: The Basic Steps in Planning and Writing a Successful Grant Application”
A basic manual for nonprofits with particular attention to questions one should consider at the start, collecting empirical data, strategizing, selecting and approaching funders, framing the objectives, evaluating the outcomes, budgeting.

70 pp. (half instructions and half a directory of resources)

Rochester Institute of Technology
“Grant Writers’ Boot Camp”
PowerPoint presentations at a three-day workshop covering such topics as what ideas get funding, helpful hints and fatal flaws, organizing to write a proposal, designing a research project methodology, evaluating your project, writing a compelling grant proposal, involving students, and persuasive writing.

Rochester Institute of Technology
“Electronic Submission”
Mostly a discussion of NSF FastLane.
A valuable section entitled “Instructions They Do Not Mention.”

SchoolGrants.org
“Grant Writing Tips”
A site that has collected tips of proven value to K-12 educators.

Janet Shapiro (Civicus)
“Writing a Funding Proposal”
Covers: basic principles, what to do before writing, advantages and disadvantages of different funding sources, researching and contacting the donor, planning the project, general vs. specific objectives, the proposal by sections, do’s and don’ts, writing and layout tips, follow-up, sample of a proposal. 39 pp.

Sinclair Community College
“Proposal Development Tool Kit”
Sections on Researching Funding Sources, Defining Project Needs, Creating Goals/Objectives/Activities, Identifying Project Resources, Creating the Management Plan, Designing the Evaluation Plan, Sustaining and Institutionalizing Your Project. Best when giving examples of ways to document the need for the project, discussing evaluation and data collection methods, and documenting sustainability. 21 pp.

David Stanley (Nebraska Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research)
“Writing from the Winner’s Circle”
Lots of thoughtful advice organized into seven short chapters.

S.W.A.T. (Social Work Action Team)
“Designing a Successful Funding Proposal”
A nicely-organized guide with lots of good advice. Discusses the “rules” (e.g., be brief, enthusiastic, clear), the letter of intent/inquiry, parts of the proposal (summary, qualifications of the organization, problem statement, different kinds of objectives, methodology, evaluation, budget, conclusion, appendices). 20 pp.

Texas State Grants Team
“Writing to Win: Proposal Development Seminar”
A complete guide that is well done. Lengthy sections on program planning and development, idetifying appropriate funding and tracking grants, and writing the proposal. Also a funding glossary and practice exercises/activities. Good introduction to some major funding sites (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assisrance, grants.gov, fedbizopps.gov for procurement, GrantsNet for HHS, Foundation Center’s Directory). 124 pp.

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
“Grant Writing Manual 2004-05”
A manual on preparing NIH grants. Covers basics of grant writing, lessons
from the experts (e.g., the anatomy of an NIH grant, the importance of preliminary studies, common pitfalls, resubmission), budget and administrative issues,
clinical and health care research, NIH structure and policies. 56 pp.

Marja Verhoef and Robert J. Hilsden (University of Calgary)
“Writing an Effective Research Proposal”
Designed for medical researchers. Keys to success and examples of problems are provided for each topic. Major topics include the rationale, literature review, objectives, research methods, and common pitfalls.

Ruth Wahtera
“79 Grant Writing Resources You Can’t Live Without”
It’s a blog. It does not have 79 resources listed as yet – that’s the ultimate goal. But there are over 50 so far. Some really interesting stuff. For instance, learn about mapping data on the status of children through SMART (The Socioeconomic Mapping and Resource Topography System), tips on proofreading, using readability statistics, and sites for getting data on public schools.

Beverly Wiggins and Susan Gramling (University of North Carolina)
“Funding and Proposal Writing for Social Science Faculty and Graduate Student Research”
A manual with advice for junior faculty, finding the right funder, keys for developing successful proposals, the sections of a letter proposal, writing tips, and reasons for rejection. 17 pp.

Back to top

5. Works Focused on a Specific Topic

a. Budget:

1) Articles:

Clarkson University
“Budget Preparation Guide”
A good selection of budget FAQs, followed by a guide to constructing a budget (direct and indirect costs, cost sharing/matching funds, budget narrative).

Columbia University (Office of Projects and Grants)
“Proposals for Sponsored Projects: An Information Guide for Prospective Project Directors” See p. 30 for a sample proposal budget (summary and detailed).

The Foundation Center
“Proposal Budgeting Basics”
A tutorial on budgeting. Includes advice, ideas, and some sample budgets.

Foundation Center
“990 Finder”
Searchable database for IRS 990 forms filed by funders, with helpful links to a diagram of the 990 form (filed by non-profit organizations exempt from income tax), a diagram of the 990-PF form (filed by private foundations), an excellent online tutorial produced by the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York entitled “How to Read the IRS Form 990 & Find Out What It Means,” and an online tutorial entitled “Demystifying the 990-PF.”

Georgia Tech Office of Sponsored Programs
“Agency (Form) Budget”
An example of a budget submitted on a government form (in this case, the U.S. Department of Energy budget form). Some helpful annotations.

Harold M. Hastings
“NSF MRI Grant Workshop: PowerPoint Presentation”
Includes a sample budget.

Indiana University
“Budget: One Year with Cost Share”
“Budget: Two Year”
Two samples on Excel spreadsheets.

Glenn Krell (Illinois Institute of Technology)
“Introduction to Budget Justification Template”
Some brief thoughts about providing the budget details that build the case for the proposal.

Karen M. Markin (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
“The Mysteries of Grant Budgeting”
A short pep talk with sensible pointers.

Michigan State University
“Common Budget Mistakes: Lessons Learned from a Recent Grant Writing Workshop” A one-page list. Use it as a checklist.

NIH Center for Scientific Review
“Insider’s Guide to Peer Review for Applicants”
Applicable to all review processes, not just those at NIH. What to do and what not to do.

Sam C. Smith (Research Corporation)
“Reflections on Grantseeking”
Nothing groundbreaking, but a concise narrative offering tips and advice.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
“Tips on Writing a Grant Proposal”
Particularly strong on budgeting (personnel, fringe benefits, consultants and contract services, equipment, supplies, travel, etc.).

Virginia Tech (Office of Sponsored Programs)
“Understanding Direct and Indirect Costs”
A nice discussion. Stresses the importance of recovering all the project costs.

Western Kentucky University
“Primer About Allowable and Unallowable Facilities and Administrative

(Indirect) Costs”
Everything you ever wanted to know about indirect costs. History of the OMB regulations. Lists of what is allowed and not allowed.

Western Michigan University
“Common Budget Mistakes: Lessons Learned from a Recent Grant Writing Workshop”
Makes a good checklist.

Western Michigan University
“Unallowable Cost – Reasonableness Doctrine”
Using OMB regulations, discusses 26 types of expenses that cannot normally be charged to a federal grant.

The College of William & Mary
“What Reviewers Look For”
A one-page summary of important items to consider.

The College of William & Mary
“Proposals to Federal Sponsors vs. Proposals to Non-Federal Sponsors”
A one-page summary of the differences in perspectives and procedures between federal and non-federal funders.

Worchester Polytechnic Institute
“Instructions for Building a Budget”
A nice discussion of the standard elements, along with some tips and an example budget.

2) Sample Budgets:

Clarkson University
“Sample Budget Narrative Template”
An example of a budget narrative.

Georgia Tech Office of Sponsored Programs
“Example: Standard Budget”
Includes budget notes/justifications.

Harvard University
The Office of Sponsored Programs supplies a sample budget.

Mississippi Arts Commission
“Sample Project Budget”

National Criminal Justice Reference Service
“Sample Budget Detail Worksheet”
A $400,000 project budget. Shows the math.

Nova Southeastern University (Office of Grants and Contracts)
“Sample Budget Worksheet”
“Sample Budget Justification”
For a three-year mental health outreach program.

Stanford University
“Sample Budget” and “Sample Budget Justification”
Just a hypothetical NSF budget and, for a different project, a sample budget justification.

SUNY New Paltz
“Sample Budget Worksheet: Example of Line Item Budget”
A two-year budget.

Syracuse University (Office of Sponsored Programs)
“Sample NSF Budget Justification”
A fictitious example.

University of California-Berkeley
“Sample NSF Budget”
Prepared for the Center for Underwater Technology.

University of California – San Bernardino
“Sample Budget” xls.File
A fictional example.

University of Pittsburgh (Office of Research)
“Guide to Budgets and Budgeting”
Not as much as title suggests. Mostly well-done definitions of the key concepts (e.g., direct costs, supplies).

University of South Alabama
“Sample Research Budgets”
Two sample budgets and a sample budget justification.

University of Washington
“Sample Research Grant Budget (Cost-Sharing)"
A one-page budget.

Western Kentucky University
“Sample Research Grant Budget”
Includes both a sample budget and budget justification.

b. Electronic Submissions

Stamford University
"FastLane Tutorial"
A flash movie training module (which works like a PowerPoint slide show
with no audio) introduces NSF's FastLane.

University of Buffalo
“Tips for Using FastLane”
Covers: activating a password, logging in, preparing a proposal, giving other people access to your proposal, submitting (individually and collaboratively), creating a pdf file, uploadable EXCEL budget templates.

NIH Office of External Research
“Electronic Submission of Grant Applications: Communication Resources”
Includes helpful slide presentations, quick references, brochures, drop-in articles (i.e., press releases), and articles in the media.

NIH Office of External Research
“Electronic Submission of Grant Applications: Avoiding Common Errors”
Eleven common errors identified, along with a section on how to submit a corrected application.

NIH Office of External Research
“Electronic Submission of Grant Applications: Electronic Application Process”
Sections include: prepare to apply, find opportunities and download application
package, prepare application, submit application to grants.gov, check submission
status in commons, check assembled application.

NIAID Funding News
“March 23, 2006 – Feature on Electronic Applications”
Includes links to news articles, a step-by-step guide and narrated tutorial for Small Business Research and Small Business Technology Transfer applicants, and an advice corner.

c. Evaluation:

Sally Bond, Sally E. Boyd, Kathleen A. Rapp (Horizon Research, Inc.)
“Taking Stock: A Practical Guide to Evaluating Your Own Programs”
A complete manual. Contents: documenting context and need, defining goals and objectives, using quantitative and qualitative data, strategies for data collection, interpreting and reporting your data, sample evaluation reports, glossary. 97 pp.

Annie E. Casey Foundation
“Evaluating Comprehensive Community Change”
A report that wrestles with evaluation issues: the clarification of goals and
outcomes, concerns about study design and methodology, aspects of data collection and interpretation.

Catherine Callow-Heusser (Utah State University)
“Digital Resources for Evaluators”
An enormous mega-site on evaluation with links to communities of evaluators, education and training programs, relevant agencies and organizations, evaluation companies and consultants, evaluation texts and documents, instruments, data surveys, statistics, software, funding sources, and other mega-sites and reference sites.

CDC Evaluation Working Group
“Resources”
A mother lode on evaluation. Organized in sections: Organizations, Societies,Foundations, Association; Journals and Online Publications; Step-by-Step Manuals; Logic Model Resources; Planning and Performance Improvement Tools; Reports and Publications.

Clarkson University
“Sample: Project Evaluation”
An example of an evaluation plan.

Barbara Dorf (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)
“Performance Measurements”
A PowerPoint presentation. A primer on performance outputs, outcomes, measurement, accountability, and evaluation. Lists classic mistakes when writing outcomes.

Joy Frechtling (National Science Foundation)
“The 2002 User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation”A well-organized guide. In addition to material on types of evaluation, steps in doing an evaluation, and both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, there is an important discussion on strategies for addressing culturally-responsive evaluation. 92 pp.

Joy Frechtling and Laure Sharp (National Science Foundation)
“User-Friendly Handbook for Mixed Method Design”
A guide looking at common qualitative methods and designs for mixed method evaluation. Illustrated throughout by means of a hypothetical project.

Institute of Museum and Library services (IMLS)
“Outcome Based Evaluations”
A site for librarians and museum directors, but very useful for others.
Outlines the purposes of outcomes assessment, with links to a “webography”
and a list of resources that provide dozens of very interesting sites.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation
“Evaluation Toolkit: Overview”
Interactive site covers evaluation approaches, questions, planning, and budgeting. Even a section on how to go about hiring a consultant.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation
“W.K. Kellogg Foundation Evaluation Handbook”
A complete manual on planning, implementing, and utilizing evaluation. Theories and practices. 110 pp.

Carter McNamara
A wealth of materials. Topics discussed include: myths about program evaluation,
planning evaluation, types of evaluation, methods to collect information,
selecting which methods to use, analyzing information, reporting results,
contents of an evaluation plan, common pitfalls.

Laura Muraskin (U.S. Department of Education)
“Evaluation Primer”
Covers types of evaluation, planning, validity and reliability, analyzing findings, etc.

National Science Foundation
“Online Evaluation Resource Library”
A wealth of materials on evaluation, including 100 examples of evaluation plans and 150 examples of data collection instruments. Excellent modules provide lessons on evaluation, questionnaires, interviews, and data collection – with step-by-step instructions, scenarios, and case studies.

National Institute for Science Education (College Level One Team)
A very interesting assessment site. Includes a Field-Tested Learning Assessment Guide for Science, Math, Engineering, and Technology Instructors that includes: an Assessment Primer (by Gina Brissenden and Tim Slater) that introduces the basics and Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives; a chart for Matching Goals to CATS (that is, matching student learning outcomes to classroom assessment techniques); and, assessment tools sorted by discipline (agriculture, astronomy & physics, biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, general science, interdisciplinary courses, math) and assessment tools sorted by techniques (attitude survey, concept tests, concept mapping, conceptual diagnostic tests, interviews, mathematical thinking, multiple choice tests, portfolios, scoring rubrics).

New Jersey State University (Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs)
“Proposal Writing Tips, Hints and Rules”
Example of a very complete evaluation plan. 11 pp.

The Evaluation Center (Western Michigan University)
Lots and lots to see: dozens of evaluation checklists, a journal, links to major national evaluation projects, glossaries, a searchable directory of national and international evaluators, links to 300+ web resources, publications.

Murari Suvedi (Michigan State University Department of Agricultural Extension Education)
“Introduction to Program Evaluation”
A thorough introduction. Includes five major steps in evaluation, methods of data collection (e.g., case studies, surveys, sampling, reliability and validity).

United Way
“Outcomes Measurement Resource Network”
A collection of a great deal of information.
Good discussion of the rationale for measuring outcomes. A resource library.

Utica Public Library (Internet Resources for Nonprofits)
“Outcomes Measurement and Program Evaluation”
A major portal to valuable sites dealing with all aspects of evaluation.

Barbara A. Yonai (Syracuse University)
“Writing the Evaluation Plan for Your Grant Application”
PowerPoint presentation. Covers: a model, focus, and purpose of evaluation;
designing goals, objectives, and activities; information collection and methods;
analysis and interpretation; reporting; costs; sample tables.

Back to top

d. Library Resources/Bibliography:

Baruch College
“Library Resources: Grant Searching and Proposal Development”
A handy one-page bibliography.

Baylor University
“Bibliography of Grant Sources”
Annotated list of print and electronic sources.

College of Staten Island
“Selected Bibliography of Grants Information”
A useful bibliography of print sources, including federal, foundations, databases, and “how-to” articles/books.

Michigan State University
“Grants and Related Resources”
An excellent and comprehensive library guide to foundations, grants, grantsmanship, and relevant websites.

SRA International Resources
“Resource Guide”
An extensive guide to printed funding guides, organized by categories.
Categories: arts/humanities,business/law, education, equipment/building, health,
international, minorities/women/disadvantaged, sciences,
student grants/fellowships, all categories, miscellaneous.

South Dakota Small Business Innovation Research (Small Business High Technology Institute)
“Proposal Preparation Bibliography”
Print sources relevant to science, technology, and small business.

University of Massachusetts (Library)
“Finding Out About Grants”
Includes subject directories (a listing of print directories by discipline areas – arts and humanities, libraries/education, community development/health), directories for specific population groups (women, minorities, veterans; aging, disabled, economically disadvantaged; postdoctoral study), directories for international and foreign programs, and foundation directories. Also print sources on grantsmanship and proposal writing.

University of North Carolina GrantSource Library
“Print Resource Collection”
Very up-to-date. Categories: general directories, multidisciplinary, arts and humanities, sciences, social sciences, research and study abroad, by application type (e.g., women, African Americans), proposal writing and development guides.

University of Tennessee-Knoxville
“A Guide to Grants and Granting Agencies: Reference Books”
A list of 25 directories.

e. Planning:

Institute of Museum and Library Services
“NLG Project Planning: A Tutorial”
An interactive tutorial of pre-writing activities: needs analysis, formulating project goals, the planning of activities and evaluation. Examples, exercises, and templates.

Back to top

Purdue University
“Purdue Proposal Enhancement Tools”
A set of seven worksheets designed to get the proposal writer started and organized. Topics include anticipated outcomes, defining the audience, anticipated costs, evaluation methods and measurement.

University of Iowa
“Questions to Answer Before Beginning”
Questions and issues about eligibility, funding, timing, and the sponsor.

Zimmerman Lehman
“Researching Funding Sources on the Web”
An article, with links, on where to look for funding. Covers foundations, corporations, government, individual donors, individual businesses.

f. The Review Process:

Jeremy M. Boss and Susan H. Eckert (Science’s Next Wave)
“I Can’t Believe They Didn’t Like It”
An article on reading the critiques of a rejected proposal, responding, and revising for resubmission.

College of William and Mary (Office of Grants and Research Administration)
“What Reviewers Look For”
A one-page statement that provides a nice summary.

Sharon K. Inouye and David A. Fiellin (Annuls of Internal Medicine)
“An Evidence – Based Guide to Writing Grant Proposals for Clinical Research”
Discusses the review process for NIH grants, advises how to impress the reviewers, provides examples of specific aims and hypotheses, and identifies major review issues (i.e., deficiencies) cited by NIH. Also provides an excellent checklist for research-based grantswriters.

Yosef Mackler (Bar-Ilan University)
“Persuasive Proposal Writing”
A list of things to consider as one plans and writes a proposal.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)
“Inside the NIH Grant Review Process: A Video on Peer Review at NIH”
A 39-minute video in which a real NIH review panel considers mock applications. One can also download the documents (i.e., applications, summary statements, program announcements) that the panel is reviewing for a research project grant, career development grant, and a small innovation grant. The video suggests how applicants can improve their chances.

P2C2 Group, Inc.
“Proposal Psychology”
A short essay on techniques for capturing the attention of reviewers.

Janet S. Raney (University of Washington)
“After You’ve Written: The Application Review Process”
A primer on what reviewers think and what they want. Covers what reviewers want to see and don’t want to see, questions reviewers ask, common faults and how to correct them, small things that peeve reviewers. Discussed in the context of an NIH grant, but more broadly applicable.

6. Data/Information Sources:

Alan Liu (University of California-Santa Barbara)
“Voice of the Shuttle”
A giant labor of love, outlining general humanities resources.
Major categories include: humanities metapages and portals, major web sites, texts,
humanities centers and programs, journals, guides to critical thinking,
guides to evaluating internet resources, more. Searchable. Browse by disciplines in the humanities.

American Association of Community Colleges
“Community College Finder ”
Links to over 1,000 community college websites, as well as the latest
statistics from the AACC.

American Association for the Advancement of Science
“EurekAlert!”
For the science newshound. A wonderful collection of very recent news releases and articles on scientific topics (broadly defined). Subjects: agriculture, archaeology, atmospheric science, biology, business & economics, chemistry & physics, earth science, education, mathematics, medicine & health, policy & ethics, social & behavior, space & planetary, technology & engineering. Also press releases on science business, grants/awards/books, meetings and great portals to news for kids, marine science, bioinformatics, disease in the developing world, nanotechnology, plus a few articles and releases in other languages. Get this: through this site, you can arrange to receive any of 19 different customized RSS feeds of news on scientific topics (most are free). Finally, links to close to 100 scientific journals.

American Library Association
“Index to Internet Resources from C&RL News by Topic”
Internet resources columns from College & Research Libraries News, listed alphabetically by title. Dozens of topics, including “grant resources on the web.” All useful, though some dated.

Margaret Vail Anderson
“Digital Librarian: A Librarian’s Choice of the Best of the Web”
Massive and impressive lists on close to 90 topics.

Annie E. Casey Foundation
“Kids Count Census Data Online”
A unique resource for tracking the status of children in the U.S. One can call up
data for the U.S., states, counties, cities, metropolitan areas, congressional
districts, and state legislative districts. The data – over 1,000 variables –
covers income and poverty, parental employment, education, language, disability, neighborhood characteristics, age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, and living arrangements.

Baruch College
"NYdata"
A very good collection of New York City data. Categories include: Population and Geography; Business Activity and Headquarters; Labor Force, Employment and Unemployment; Income and Wages; Consumer Prices; Fiscal Data; International Banking; International Trade; Public Safety and Amenities; Housing; Travel; Education; Culture; Sports; Social Insurance and Welfare; Health and Health Services.

Best of History WebSites
A rich portal for histoy teachers and students, this site links to 1,200 sites covering the following categories: prehistory, ancient/biblical history, medieval history, American history, early modern Europe, modern history, WWI history, history today, art history, oral history, general resources, and maps. Additional links to lesson plans/activities, games & animations, and research. Uses a 5-star rating system. Also, a link to The Center for Teaching History with technology.

Center for Community College Policy (Education Commission of the States)
“Policy Issues”
Policy issues: access and participation, community colleges’ role in teacher preparation, dual/concurrent enrollment, finance, governance, leadership, remedial education, transfer and articulation, workforce development. On each issue, one finds facts, examples of what states are doing, links to many useful research reports and readings, and links to other helpful web sites. Also, a “state file” profiles the history, governance structure, revenue sources, and enrollment for the community college system in each state.

Community College Research Center
“Research Publications”
Teachers College’s valuable research site, with links to dozens and dozens of studies, reports, and articles. Major research categories: access & equity, high school/college transition, missions & governance, programs & practice, workforce education. Recent titles include “Access and Achievement of Hispanics and Hispanic Immigrants in the Colleges of the City of New York” and “Can Community Colleges Protect Both Access and Standards? The Problem of Remediation.”

CRISP (Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects)
A searchable database of federally-funded biomedical research projects maintained by NIH.

FedStats (Federal Agencies with Statistical Programs)
A dynamite source. A real treasure trove. An A-to-Z list of 100 different federal agencies. For each agency, there is a brief paragraph about the research and data collection that it does, along with “contact information” and (for most) a link to “key statistics.” For example, the first agency on the list is described thusly:

Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) collects information for the evaluation of its programs for children and youth, such as Head Start, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, child support enforcement, adoption assistance, foster care, child care, and child abuse programs.

findaschool.org
“General Education v3.0”
A master list, with links, to colleges around the world. Organized alphabetically by country. A separate list of international language schools.

Gotham Gazette: New York City News and Policy
“Topic Archives”
Need information about New York City? This archive of online articles, arranged by topic and date, often provides good quotations and useful statistics. Topics: arts, children, civil rights, community development, crime, demographics, education, environment, finance, health, housing, immigrants, land use, law, parks, social services, tech, transportation, voting, waterfront.

Handsnet
“Human Services News”
Headlines and information on human service needs and programs. Categories: Children and Youth, Civic Engagement, Community Development, Economic Security, Education, Health, Homelessness, Hunger & Nutrition, Substance Abuse.

Heriot-Watt University of Edinburgh, Scotland
“Pinakes: A Subject Launchpad”
A British guide to a multitude of very useful subject portals on the internet (50 single subject portals and 10 multi-subject portals). Includes portals devoted to most academic disciplines (e.g., the arts, biology, business, chemistry, mathematics, education, geography, history, language, law, physics, psychology, science, social sciences), plus a variety of less standard areas (e.g., aerospace and defense studies, conflict studies, refugees, maritime studies, reproductive health, urban design).

Infomine (Scholarly Internet Resource Collections)
Searchable database of informative internet sites maintained by the University of California, Riverside. Categories: biological, agricultural & medical sciences; business & economics; cultural diversity; eJournals; government information; maps & GIS; physical sciences, engineering, computer science, and mathematics; social sciences & humanities; visual & performing arts. Search in fields (author, subject, description, title, keyword, full text) and by resource type (e.g., data sets, article databases, abstracts & indexes).

Internet Public Library
An enormous, searchable collection of internet resources maintained by the University of Michigan. Subjects: arts & humanities, business, computers, education, entertainment, health, law & government, regional, science & tech, social sciences.

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
“ArtsEdge”
A link to over 200 websites (annotated) that illuminate the arts. Searchable. ArtsEdge also has more that 400 K-12 lesson plans for teaching about the arts, over 30 reports and articles on the arts, and a fine collection of more than 275 quotations about the arts.

LaGuardia Library Media Resource Center
“Statistical Sources on the Web”
LaGuardia Library’s excellent link to 18 sites offering useful statistics in the following categories: General Sources, International, United States, New York State, New York City.

The Library of Congress (Portals to the World)
A global gateway with links to electronic resources. Select a country. Categories
for each country normally include: general resources; business, commerce, economy; culture; education; embassies; geography and environment; government, politics and law; health; history; language, literature; listservs, newsgroups; media and communications; national security; recreation and travel; religion and philosophy; science and technology; search engines; society.

Medical College of Ohio
“Databases Useful in Proposal Development”
A handy list linking to more than 15 statistical sites.

National Science Foundation
“Online Evaluation Resource Library”
A wealth of materials on evaluation, including 100 examples of evaluation plans and 150 examples of data collection instruments. Excellent modules provide lessons on evaluation, questionnaires, interviews, and data collection – with step-by-step instructions, scenarios, and case studies.

National Technical Information Service (U.S. Department of Commerce)
“NTIS Database”
Search engine to locate mountains of scientific and technical publications from
government agencies (3 million publications and 350 subject-areas). Includes scientific, technical, engineering, and business information. 93-page search guide available online to assist.

NEH, Council of the Great Schools, Marco Polo Foundation, National Trust for the Humanities
“EDSITEment”
Billed as “The Best of the Humanities on the Web” and linked websites and excellent lesson plans for K-12. Subject catalogue organized around four general headings: art & culture, literature & language arts, foreign language, history & social studies.

New York City Department of City Planning
"The Newest New Yorkers: Immigrant New York in the New Millennium"
While not the full volume drawn from 2000 census data, this website is enormously informative, providing: the overview and introduction for the full report, the executive summary, a briefing booklet (44 pages with New York City statistics on country of birth; top immigrant groups; immigration law; foreign birth by borough; settlement patterns by borough, with special attention to Dominicans, Chinese, and Jamaicans; demographic profiles; socioeconomic characteristics; labor force; and housing types).

New York City Department of City Planning
"Reference"
A wealth of interactive features. Includes an address translator (to view addresses within political districts, zip codes, police precincts, etc.), census factfinder (to create customized profiles of areas), district profiles (for community districts), land use facts (with maps), journey-to-work data, neighborhood maps, demographic and enrollment trends in NYC public schools, highlights of the annual report on social indicators (e.g., population, economy, crime, health, education, poverty, housing, and the environment), population/census data, and more.

“Resource Discovery Network”
Search or browse a vast collection of informative websites compiled by a large consortium of British universities and research organizations. Broad categories: arts & creative industries; engineering, mathematics & computing; geography & environment; health, medicine & life sciences; hospitality, leisure, sport & tourism; humanities; physical sciences; social science, business & law.

Science.gov
Searchable database encompassing 47 million webpages of governmental scientific and technical information. Alternately, explore a large array of scientific websites by topic or subtopic. Topics: agriculture & food; applied science & technologies; astronomy & space; biology & nature; computers & communication; earth & ocean sciences; energy & energy conservation; environment & environmental quality; health & medicine; math, physics, & chemistry; natural resources & conservation; science education.

Statistical Office of the European Communities
“Eurostat”
A comprehensive site for statistical information about Europe. The site is organized around themes: general and regional statistics; economics and finance; population and social conditions; industry, trade and services; agriculture, forestry and fisheries; external trade; transport; environment and energy; science and technology. For each theme, there are tabs (new, tables, data, methodology, publications). Browse or search it all, including the latest Eurostat Yearbook. A link to each country’s national statistical institute.

St. Ambrose University (O’Keefe Library)
“Best Information on the Net”
Another rich and extensive mega-site for information. Provides web resources alphabetically or by majors (a list of 39 topics). Very nice lists of resources for students, resources for faculty, online reference resources, resources on current events, resources for librarians, and resources regarding disabilities.

Strathclyde University Centre for Digital Literature Research
“BUBL Information Service”
An encyclopedic catalog of internet resources. Searchable alphabetically through extensive subject menus and a list of resource types (e.g., bibliographies, essays, collections of images and sounds, poems, biographies). Also organized in broad Dewey Decimal categories (generalities, philosophy & psychology, religion, social sciences, language, science & mathematics, technology, literature & rhetoric, geography & history).

University of Buffalo Libraries
“UB Librarian-Created Subject Guides”
Dozens of topics. Websites and print materials. Organized alphabetically by subject.

University of Michigan Digital Library Production Service
“OAIster: Open Archives Initiative”
The product of an amazing project that makes digital resources available and searchable from more than 500 academic archives worldwide. Lots that is esoteric and lots that is interesting and found nowhere else.

University of Michigan Library Documents Center
"Statistical Resources on the Web"
A magnificent achievement. A place to begin one's search for any statistical information. Major categories: Agriculture, Business and Industry, Comprehensive Subjects, Consumers, Cost of Living, Demographics, Economics, Education, Energy, Environment, Finance and Currency, Foreign Economics, Foreign Governments, Foreign Trade, Government Finances, Health, Housing, Labor, Military, Politics, Science, Sociology (includes Children, Crime, Elderly, Immigration, Refugees), Transportation, Weather. If one does not like broad categories, there is also a side A-to-Z index with approximately 230 more specific categories.

University of Michigan Library
"Census Toolkit: U.S. Census 2000"
Overwhelmed or stumped in your search for census information? This toolkit is designed to help. Table of Contents: Choosing a Data Source, Data Product Descriptions, Geography and Maps, Working with Census Data and Maps, General 2000 Information, Historical Census Data, Getting Help.

University of Virginia
“The Religious Movements Homepage Project”
An alphabetical listing of group profiles. Also organized by faith traditions. Links to websites and bibliographies of print sources. Searchable. Includes a glossary and special sections on religious freedom and religious broadcasting. A project of Professor Jeffrey K. Hadden’s classes.

U.S. Census Bureau
“American FactFinder”
The ultimate source with information on: the American people, housing, business and government. Draws from various data sets (e.g., Population Estimates of the U.S., Annual Survey of Manufacturers, Statistical Abstract of the United States, American Community Survey, Economic Census. Also links to a reference shelf of useful reports and publications, reference maps and map resources, and tools (such as data extraction tools and international information).

The British Academy
“Portal”
An enormous online portal to topics in the humanities and social sciences.
An A-to-Z directory.

The George Washington University HEALTH Resource Center
“Research and Statistics: Sources of Disability Data”
A national clearinghouse site, with links to six other major sites.

The Pennsylvania State University Libraries
“Maps Library: Online Digital Maps”
Need a map? Links to ten sites that can provide a map.

Tile.net
“The Comprehensive Internet Reference”
Looking for an email newsletter, ezine, or usenet newsgroup? Here’s the place to find them. Type in a topic or search alphabetically.

7. Sample Proposals

4grants.net
“Sample Proposals”
The City of Halsey proposes to build a community center and Truckee Meadows Community College seeks a small grant to promote an internet course.

American Political Science Association
“Sample Proposals”
Three proposals from the APSA Small Research Grant Program.

Mary Bennett (Indiana State University)
“Example Proposal: Use of Complementary/Alternative Medicine in Breast Cancer Patients”
A sample proposal.

Bergen Community College
“Samples of Funded BCC Grants”
Seven successful grants. Funders include the Henry H. Kessler Foundation, NSF, NJ Commission on Higher Education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Bildner Family Foundation.

Jennie Cabrera, Linda Paul, and Mary Alice Rice (American Academy of Pediatricians)
“A Pediatrician’s Guide to Proposal Writing”
Generally useful, despite narrow title. Includes two sample proposals.

Gary A. Carnow
“The Scholastic.com Grant Seminar”
While pitched to high school teachers, a very well-designed set of lessons. Sample grant proposal.

CUNY Council of Grant Officers
“Model Grant Proposal”
A model RFP and a proposal responding to the RFP. Includes the review criteria and score sheet for evaluating the application.

Dominion
“Sample Proposals”
Two sample proposals for small grants from Dominion, an energy company, to promote science study in elementary schools.

The Foundation Center
“TGCI Library of Winning Grant Proposals”
Hundreds of proposals, organized by topic. But, beyond very good abstracts, it costs to get them: $99 for a CD with 10-15 proposals in a certain topic area or $29 for a particular proposal.

Fund for Folk Culture
“Grantwriting Tips and Sample Proposals”
Brief discussion of grantswriting contains two sample project narratives and one sample budget.

Gill Foundation
“Sample National Grant Proposal: Nashville CARES”
Gill Foundation shares successful small grant proposal written by Doug Hoekstra. Strengths annotated with program officer’s comment. Includes cover letter, narrative, budget, attachments.

GrantProposal.com
“Sample Proposal: Anger Management”
A sample proposal on anger management.

Grantservices.com
“Proposal Samples”
Three samples from the Jewish Theological Seminary: a request for a $1 million challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation for a building restoration project; a proposal to fund the creation of an Institutional Research Office; a letter proposal to fund a safety training program for home health workers.

Grants West (Coloradogrants.org)
“Sample Proposals”
A federal proposal (Lightsville Public Schools) and three foundation proposals (Centerville Community Center, St. Francis Homeless Shelter Health Proposal, St. Francis Homeless Shelter Employment Proposal).

The Idea Bank
“Online Fire Services Course: Sample Proposals”
A large collection of fire services grants.

Institute of International Studies (University of California-Berkeley)
“Examples”
Five successful proposals in the international arena, with commentaries by their authors.

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
“Sample Applications”
More than 45 examples from their own competitions. Written for the 2005 IMLS
Conservation Project: Living Collections (5) and Non-Living Collections (10); Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (5); Museum Projects for Sustaining Cultural Heritage (8), Supporting Lifelong Learning (8), and Serving as Centers of Community Engagement (5); Advancing Learning Communities (1); Building Digital Resources (2); Research and Demonstration (2).

Deborah Kluge
“Sample Grant Proposals”
A list of sites where one finds more than 20 sample proposals.

Kurzweil Educational Systems
“Sample Grant Proposal”
Includes sample cover letter and a sample letter directed toward a foundation. Proposes to buy equipment for a reading intervention program targeting 50 at-risk middle school students.

S. Joseph Levine (Michigan State University)

“A Simulated Proposal for a Community-Based Mothers and Infants Center”
A complete proposal to examine.

Miramar College
“Title III Grant Proposal”
Submitted March 2003 by a San Diego community college and funded.

National Center for Supercomputing Applications
“Samples of Well-Written Proposals”
21 proposals from astronomical sciences, atmospheric sciences, biological sciences, chemistry, engineering, materials research, ocean sciences, and physics.

New Jersey State University (Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs)
“Proposal Writing Tips, Hints and Rules”
A discussion of the elements of a proposal links to examples of a problem statement, goals and objectives, activities/methodology, a very elaborate evaluation plan, and a budget narrative.

Wendy Norris (Berea Children’s Home and Family Services)
“Advancing New Technologies to Promote High Quality Care for Ohio Children and Families”
Presents executive summary, needs assessment, project description, agency capacity, budget narrative, organizational history, and conclusion. Missing appendices, including budget.

Non-Profit Guides
“Sample Proposals”
Two sample RFPs and proposals.

Northwest Territories Literacy Council
“Community Development”
Includes links to three proposals for literacy projects, along with a sample cover letter and letter of support.

NSF/NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
“Annotated R01 Grant Application and Summary Statement”
A complete application, annotated to highlight important reminders and requirements. The Summary Statement contains the critiques of the reviewers.

Frank Odasz (Lone Eagle Consulting)
“Alaskan Native Youth Cultural Community Building”
A $400,000 project to teach internet skills in order to effect community empowerment.

Frank Odasz (Lone Eagle Consulting)
“Realizing Cultural and Community Sustainability through Internet Innovations in Alaskan Native Villages”
A sample proposal, with links at the end to eight other model grants written for Alaskan and Texan communities.

Frank Odasz (Lone Eagle Consulting)
“Youth Resources Webtour”
Essentially a series of links, including three to 2004 Lone Eagle Ecommerce Entrepreneurship Grants. Additionally, one of the ecommerce grants (i.e., Awareness Mentoring Integrating Group Outcomes) links to another grant (Montana Choice Project).

Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services
“Sample Grant Proposal: Summerville Department of Public Safety”
A complete 10-page proposal, from need section through budget.

Ernest Partridge (University of California-Riverside)
“Implications of Disequilibrium Ecology for Environmental Ethics and Policy”
Sample of a successful NSF proposal.

Plugged In
“A Sample Grant Proposal”
Seeks $25,000 for an after-school computer education program. Includes brief cover letter.

Purdue University
“EPA Grant-Writing Tutorial: Actual Examples of Environmental Grants”
Examples: an environmental justice small grant (Brownfield Oversight Community Action Project), an environmental justice through pollution prevention grant (Pollution Prevention/Source Reduction Project), environmental education grants (Butterfly Gardens in Schools, Community-Based Environmental Education, Birds Without Borders).

Janet Shapiro (Civicus)
“Writing a Funding Proposal”
A guide that includes a sample proposal to a foundation for a program that would support AIDS orphans.

Sera Learning
“Funding: Templates”
Templates for a proposed anger management course and for a proposed course in negotiating skills, both for young people. Also, cover letters and a budget.

SchoolGrants.org
“Index to Sample Proposals”
Dozens of successful proposals written for K-12 programs.

Shoreline Community College
“Puget Sound Consortium for Manufacturing Excellence”
Complete 2000 NSF Proposal in the ATE Centers of Excellence program.

Suffolk County Community College
“Proposal to Establish a Regional Educational Interpreter Training Site”
Proposal submitted to the Center for the Preparation of Educational Interpreters.

Small Business and Technology Development Center
“Sample Proposals”
Three very technical proposals: “USDA – Membrane-Based Process for debittering Citrus Juice,” “NASA – Miniature Solid State Sensors for Chemical Contaminants in Liquids,” “Superadherent Hard Coatings by Ion Beam Enhanced Deposition.”

South Dakota Small Business Innovation Research (Small Business High Technology Institute)
“Sample Successful Proposals”
Hard-core technology proposals for DOD, NASA, NSF, and USDA.
U.S. Department of Education

“Sample Proposals from the U.S. Department of Education Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives”
Six previously-funded full proposals: a proposal to become a Supplemental Educational Services provider, a proposal to the Carol M. White Physical Education Program, a proposal to the Safe and Drug Free Schools Mentoring Program, a proposal to the Migrant Education High School Equivalency Program, a proposal to the Migrant Education Even Start Program, and a proposal to the Community Technology Centers Program.

University of Texas-El Paso
“Sociocultural Beliefs among Latinos with Diabetes”
A 2005 NIH proposal, annotated with comments on the proposal’s most and least successful aspects.

University of Texas-El Paso
“IGERT: Integrative Approaches to Bilingual Cognition and Interaction”
A 2005 NSF proposal, annotated with comments on the proposal’s most and least successful aspects.

University of Nevada – Las Vegas
“Sample Proposal”
A scientific proposal entitled “Investigation of Hydrogen Effects in Candidate Alloys for Spallation-Neutron-Source Applications.”

U.S. Department of Education
“Freedom of Information Act e-Reading Room”
A significant site. A long list of grant applications to view.
Most useful for colleges: Strengthening Institutions Grants (10 samples)
and Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training Grants (5 samples).
Also: Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (1 sample),
Math and Science Grants (5), Mentoring Program (3),
Teacher Quality Grants (1), Carol M. White Physical Education Program
(1), Safe Schools/Healthy Students (3), Smaller Learning Communities (3).

[Please report any broken links to: cmunoz@lagcc.cuny.edu]
Back to top