Grant Writing:�Tools for planning and collaboration

Dr. Michelle McMullin, North Carolina State University

Dr. Bradley Dilger, Purdue University

Crow is (at least) two things:

A digital platform for corpus research, linked with a repository of pedagogical materials.

The inter-institutional and interdisciplinary team who build and maintains that platform.

Grant writing supports research

Students gain valuable experience when they are engaged in research projects beyond data processing or background research.

Asking students to participate as full partners in research teams without recognition or compensation is exploitative and unfair.

Grant writing is a key activity

Grant writing supports the learning and professional development goals of students, and successful grant funding helps us ensure that students’ work is visible, credited and whenever possible, compensated.

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Seven elements of grant writing

• Research: understand the grant and its contexts.
• Networking: build the team necessary for success.
• Evaluation: consider (and improve) your winning chances.
• Drafting: outline, draft, revise, and edit the grant.
• Reviewing: get feedback from relevant parties.
• Submission: receive approval for, then submit grant.
• Follow-up: communicate with stakeholders as needed.

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Seven elements, diagrammed

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Today’s Focus:

1. Manage your project
2. Build a framework
3. Write collaboratively

Manage your project: Plan and communicate

A team needs a plan

1. Discuss all project elements
2. Discuss roles and strengths
3. Break down tasks; assign dates
4. Build a shared workflow where everyone can comment and update work in progress.

Manage your project: Consecutive agendas

Keep track of your meetings and discussions

• Keep current date at the top of the agenda
• Document tasks and assign work
• Take notes on discussion in meetings
• Crosslink documents or infrastructure that exists elsewhere
• Use highlighting and codes to show how work is progressing
• Use comments to ask questions
• Here’s a template you can use.

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Build a framework: Read the RFP. Then read it again.

Our writing process starts with reading:

• Read and annotate the RFP.�Then read it again.
• Read others’ notes and comments. Build on them.
• Re-read our previous grant proposals.
• Read examples of winning grants from the funder if they are available.

Build a framework: Develop a checklist

Using your notes from the RFP build a checklist.

• Documents to include
• Key elements of the grant
• Skeleton outline of sections

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Build a framework: Sketch an outline

Use the RFP to guide your outline

• Pull headers directly from the RFP
• Include a line for each required item

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(This is the outline we started with for our current grant, taken directly from the RFP. )

Proposal narrative (no more than 2,000 words)

Here are the six things the RFP says we gotta do — we need to flush out how we are gonna do this and then divide up the word count. 2000 words will go REALLY fast.

1. Commitment to methods, strategies, and practices of reciprocity and redistribution with non-university partners
2. Plans for graduate partnership and collaboration
3. Plans for collaborative partnership across the life of the grant
4. Plans for public- or community-facing events and dissemination
5. Significance of project and its relationship to “Humanities Without Walls”
6. Identification of proposed outcomes

Build a framework: Flesh out the outline

Flesh out each section

• Add bullets or numbered sentences that detail key information
• Review the outline as a team
• Brainstorm/comment
• Assign sections for drafting

Collaborative writing makes all the difference.�We are so much better together.

Write Collaboratively: Listen first

The most important skill for collaborative writing is learning to listen.

Active listening means that we’re not just listening to someone. We’re taking action to make sure that our teams create spaces for every team member to share their thoughts, opinions, and ideas. When we practice active listening, we also acknowledge the importance of team members’ contributions. It is important that everyone in a team has a voice.

Write collaboratively: Listen by repeating

In meetings, when someone speaks, not only is it important to listen to them, but someone else on the team should repeat back what that person says.

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This helps ensure that not only does everyone have a voice, but that they have a chance to be understood.

“What I hear you saying is…”

Write collaboratively: Listen with comments

When we create agendas and documents in Crow, we allow everyone to comment. Because comments are tracked, they must be acknowledged and/or resolved.

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Often comments on documents or agendas result in conversation about that comment. That allows each person time and space to share their thoughts.

Write Collaboratively: Listen with Suggestion

Writing in suggestion mode after initial drafting is important to our collaboration

Write collaboratively: Step-by-step

Writing as a team can be overwhelming, but you can find a rhythm.�This is our process:

1. Assign sections to members of the team and draft
2. Assign others to read and comment on sections others have written
3. Revise in suggestion mode, responding to comments.
4. Assign someone to read and accept changes, close comments that are addressed
5. Assign someone to line edit in suggestions mode paying attention to inconsistencies in voice or word choice.
6. Assign someone to proofread, resolve line edits.
7. Double-check the formatting and correct any errors.

Review for team-based grant writing

Manage your project

• Plan and communicate.
• Use consecutive meeting agendas.

Develop a framework

• Read the RFP!�Then read it again.
• Develop a checklist.
• Sketch an outline.
• Flesh out the outline.

Write collaboratively

• Listen first.
• Listen by repeating.
• Listen with comments.
• Listen with suggestions.
• Write step by step.

Activity Time!

For the next ten minutes work with your team:

1. What are the next three things you need to do for�your project?
2. What questions do you have for us?

Thank you!�Good luck with�your projects!

Dr. Michelle McMullin, North Carolina State University

Dr. Bradley Dilger, Purdue University