Basic Query:

What do you want to achieve through your scholarship, and will that require external funds?

How the EHHD Office of Scholarship Development & Academic Impact can help:

  • OSDAI staff conduct orientation meetings with every new faculty.  In addition to introducing you to the office's resources and activities, a primary aim is to learn what the new faculty member cares about and wants to investigate, and help to assess where to begin if funds are needed. 
    • For example, will your current publication record set the stage for securing an external grant? 
    • If not, what steps can you take in the interim to make yourself competitive?
  • OSDAI staff remain available at any time to serve as a sounding board for your ideas and needs.
  • OSDAI staff also regularly offer workshops, seminars or brown-bag discussions that can help you clarify aims and strategies.

What are Funders after?

  • A partner looking to change the world in accordance with their vision.
    • A funder's vision may arise from the organization's original mission, or from new research.
    • In the public sector it may follow directly from legislation and agency rule-making.
    • Funder representatives (program officers) are likely very committed to their organization/program's mission.  Be prepared to speak their language and to their interests when you contact them.

How competitive are external grants?

  • Generally anywhere from 5 to 20% of proposals are funded, depending on the source. 
  • It's essential to be prepared for rejection, especially with your first proposal.
  • Plan to resubmit!

What does it take to win a grant?

  • A strong project that fits with the funder's mission.
  • A persuasive narrative that:
    • tells a compelling story, or
    • makes a compelling argument (these can be the same)
    • is crisp and clear
  • A proposal that very carefully follows the funder's instructions - every one of them!  To a T!