| Week | Date | Topic | Materials from Textbook and Other Critical Resources | Submission |
| 1 | 5/11 | Course overview, funding environment post-COVID, and what donors want from you | Funders Roundtable 1, Syllabus | Give a very short (one or two sentences) description of a general topic you want to find grant support for on the May 11 Canvas discussion board before class on Monday |
| 5/13 | What is a grant? How do you find one?
Guest: The Pro at Finding the Dough |
Lesson 2, Appendix 5, Explanation of federal granting policies and practices | ||
| 2 | 5/18 | Understanding the RFA and becoming grant savvy | Lesson 3, Appendices 1 and 3, Lesson 4 may help you understand what needs to be in the proposal, but it will be more helpful after you have a job. Examples of RFAs | Identify & list 3 potential grant opportunities that look like they would fund the project you want to do (research or intervention). For this class you can either assume you are in an academic or think tank type organization or that you work for a community based organization. |
| 5/20 | Writing for and to the reviewers | Lesson 5, Funders Roundtable 2, Lesson 6 | ||
| 3 | 5/25 | Memorial Day -- No Class | As a group, select the RFA you will use for the grant you write this semester. Upload a copy to the May 27 discussion board on Canvas before class | |
| 5/27 | Building a team -- "Lone warrior" grant writing does not work Guest: Best Team Leader Ever |
Lesson 10 | ||
| 4 | 6/01 | The Problem, Issue or Need (PIN) -- and what is not a PIN | Lesson 7 | Analyzing the RFA you will use (time to work on this in class, but do some work ahead of time |
| 6/03 | Review of your PIN by peers in the class | Your PIN, written using the rules from Lesson 6 and submitted to the June 03 Discussion Board before class | ||
| 5 | 6/08 | Goals and Objectives | Lesson 8 | Time in class to complete team member self assessment. Also see Tips for Making Your Team Work. |
| 6/10 | Review of Goals and Objectives by peers (class time to work on this) | Your goals and objectives, written using the rules from Lesson 6 | ||
| 6 | 6/15 | Project Activities by objective, and GANTT Chart (timeline) | Lesson 9 | Time in class to complete the team member self assessment if you have not done so prior to class. We will conduct the Team Diagnostic discussion in class -- fill out your individual forms ahead of time. Consult Tips for Making Your Team Work to make your recommendations for improvement. |
| 6/17 | Review of Activities by peers | Your activities and GANTT chart, written using the rules from Lesson 6 and posted to the June 17 Discussion Board before class | ||
| 6/19 | Team Member Assessment #1 DUE by 11:59 PM | |||
| Weeks 7 & 8 | Summer Break 6/22 - 7/04 | CHILL OUT -- FORGET ABOUT GRANTS | ||
| 9 | 7/06 | Introduction to Evaluation (more coming later) and in-depth discussion of logic models. This is an excellent resource for making logic models provided by the University of Kansas. | Lesson 11 | Postponed from 6/15. Time in class to complete the team member self assessment if you have not done so prior to class. We will conduct the Team Diagnostic discussion in class -- fill out your individual forms ahead of time. Consult Tips for Making Your Team Work to make your recommendations for improvement. |
| 7/08 | How the Reivew Process Works | Federal Application Review Process Read the section Application Review Process. Excellent resource: What Do Grant Reviewers REALLY Want? |
Have a copy of the assessment/review criteria for your proposal on the team discussion board. Copy and paste from the RFA. | |
| 10 | 07/13 | Budgeting principles and tools and the budget justification Guest: Number Cruncher Par Excellence | Lesson 12 | Your DRAFT evaluation plan and completed logic model, written using the rules from Lesson 6, posted before class to the July 10 discussion board |
| 7/15 | Review of draft evaluation plan and logic model by peers during class | |||
| 11 | 7/20 | The Dreaded Evaluation -- including the fear-inspiring logic model. Guest: The Man with the Plan Putting the package together into one big document -- following the donor's rules to the letter. Time in class for discussion among your team. |
Lesson 11 Review if you need it. Consult this publication by Health & Human Services. It covers all aspects of evaluation and will show you want the federal agencies expect in a grant proposal. | Your budget (Excel) and budget justification (Word) developed by activity Draft Proposal -- MINUS the plan for sustainability and statement of capacity |
| 7/22 | Peer review of budget and budget justification. | Appendix 2 -- Base your evaluation and comments on the evaluation criteria in the RFA and the proposal checklist in our textbook. | Submit your review of the budget and budget justification at the end of this class period. | |
| 12 | 7/27 | The Plan for Sustainability -- how do you keep the research or interventions going when the grant ends? The Statement of Capacity -- proving that you have the people, infrastructure, resources, and partners to get the job done |
Lessons 13 (sustainabilitiy) and 14 (capacity) | First submission of full proposal narrative. Excludes plan for sustainability and statement of capacity. Time in class to work on review of the proposal - the proposal submitted by your partner team. |
| 7/29 | Review the full narrative submitted by the team whose work you have been reviewing. You must use the criteria provided in the RFA. | How to be a Great Grant Reviewer Use this Resource on how to write an effective proposal review See Appenxix 2 -- Proposal Checklist |
Post review of draft proposal by the end of this class period. Focus on major strengths and weaknesses, not things like correcting grammar. Use the criteria in the RFA. Use the proposal checklilst in Appendix 2. Be fair, but not soft. You must score the proposal in one of the five categories -- Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor. | |
| 13 | 8/03 | The proposal review process: The second submission is usually the winner | Funders Roundtable III-- Pet Peeves. This is a Must reading. Appendix 1: Tips for improving your chances of winning. | |
| 8/05 | Consultations with instructor as needed | |||
| 14 | 8/10 | Guests: Meet the People Who Do the WORK on the Grant. Discussion with two grad students who have extensive experience on grant-funded teams and with a research coordinator who handles much of the fiscal and reporting tasks as well as participating in the research process. They will share all -- the good, the bad, and the downright evil. | Funders Roundtable IV: What to do when you get the rejection notice. | Final Proposal Submission by 11:59 PM - on Monday, August 10 Time to make one final review in class and post your submission. |
| 8/12 | Team Member Assessment #2 Due by 11:59 AM on Wednesday, August 12 | |||
| 8/12 | Final discussionWhat are your last questions or observations about writing proposals? How far did we come? How can I make the the course better? | |||