Proposal Writing Resources
Top Reviewer Cristcisms
Lessons Learned from 10,000 Proposal Reviews: Top Reviewer Criticisms and How to Avoid Them
Institutional Information
Institutional information frequently required in proposals.
Data Management Plans
IDC Rates
UNC's current Federally-negotiated indirect cost (IDC) rates.
Fringe Rates
Fringe benefit rates for salaries to be used for proposal budget development.
New! Faculty Grant Writing Groups
Committing time to grant writing can be a challenge for faculty. The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs exists to serve UNC faculty members. One of ORSP's roles is to facilitate the creation and management of Faculty Grant Writing Groups where faculty can dedicate time to work on grant and other research-related writing.
More Proposal Writing Resources
Additional resources include: developing and writing proposals; agency-specific info; budget development; logic models; and more.
- Developing and Writing Proposals
- Developing Competitive Proposals - Grants Resource Center
- A Proposal Writing Short Course - Foundation Center
- Guide for Writing a Funding Proposal - S. Joseph Levine
- Developing and Writing Grant Proposals - Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)
- On the Art of Writing Proposals - Social Science Research Council
- Grant Writing for Educators - NEA Foundation
- A Practical Guide for Writing Proposals - Alice Reid
- A Guide to Proposal Planning and Writing - Jeremy T. Miner and Lynn E. Miner
- Approaching the Foundation - W. K. Kellogg Foundation
- Applying for a Foundation Grant: Basic Advice for Grantseekers - W. K. Kellogg Foundation
- How to Develop and Write a Grant Proposal - Congressional Research Service
- Grantwriting Checklist for Research Proposals - modified from the NIH checklist
- Art of Grantsmanship - Dr. Jacob Kraicer
- Agency Specific Proposal Writing
National Science Foundation
- A Guide for Proposal Writing
- Proposal Preparation & Submission
- Grant Proposal Guide
- Examples of Broader Impacts Criterion
- 12 Steps to a Winning Research Proposal
- Award Search (for examples of successful projects)
National Institutes of Health
- NIH Grant Tutorials
- NIH Grant Application Basics
- Planning Your Application
- Writing Your Application
- Video of NIH Tips for Applicants
- Preparing Area Proposals (audio file) (transcript)
- Samples and Examples
- Sample Applications & Summary Statements
- NCI Quick Guide for Grant Applications
- Strategy for NIH Funding
- New & Early Stage Investigator Policies
- Peer Review Policies & Practices
- Video of NIH Peer Review Process
- Search Funded NIH Awards
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Education
- How to Get A FIPSE Grant by Eulalia Cobb, former FIPSE Program Officer
- Grantmaking and ED
- DoED Research & Statistics
- Search Funded IES Research Grants
Department of Health & Human Services
- Developing Competitive SAMHSA Grant Applications
- Award Search (for examples of successful projects)
- HRSA: Tips for Writing & Submitting Good Grant Proposals
- Developing Proposal Budgets
- A Grantwriting Project Planner Spreadsheet - David Bauer's Excel spreadsheet for proposal planning and project development
- The Grant Proposal Guide Budgets - National Science Foundation
- Plan Your Budget - National Institute of Health
- Proposal Budgeting Basics - The Foundation Center
- Developing Logic Models
- Logic Model Development Guide (pdf) - W. K. Kellogg Foundation
- Logic Model Builder - Innovation Network Point K Learning Center: Register for free, log in, and go to "Tools" at the bottom of the menu on the left of the screen to find the link to the Logic Model Builder, an interactive tool that guides the user through the process of developing "program goals, activities and resources, and how those elements work together to produce your program's intended outcomes". Register and log in to view this tool.
- Logic Models - Usable Knowledge Training - an interactive logic model tutorial including audio and text.
- Designing Project Evaluations
- User-Friendly Handbook for Mixed Method Evaluations - National Science Foundation
- Evaluation Plan Builder - Innovation network Point K Learning Center: Register for free, log in, go to "Tools" at the bottom of the menu on the left of the screen to find the link to the evaluation Plan Builder, an interactive took that helps the user determine "what program success will look like before the fact" and "how to tell that success has been achieved after the fact". The EPB may be used for outcomes evaluation, implementation evaluation, or both. Register and log in to view this tool.
- Evaluation:A Tool for Program Improvement - Justice Research & Statistics Association - more than program evaluation, this online tutorial covers documenting problem statements, implementing evidence-based programming, developing performance measures and creating a logic model, and incorporation evaluation tools into program management.
- MEASURE Evaluation - Training materials and tools on M & E topics for use by researchers, program managers, trainers, policy makers, students, and other public health professionals.
- Basic Guide to Program Evaluation - Free Management Library
- Evaluation Handbook - W. K. Kellogg Foundation
- Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches in Program Evaluation - The World Bank
- Grant-writing and Career Development
- The Academic Scientist's Toolkit - From the Journal Science
- Preparing a Successful Manuscript: Research Writing Advice - From the Maternal and Child Health Bureau
During this recorded webinar, two leading editors speak about how to prepare a successful manuscript for publications, describing the organization and key elements of a research paper and considering both quantitative and qualitative presentations and suggestions regarding making a paper ready for submission. The Grants Resource Center reports that "the strategies presented have broad applicability across disciplines and audiences, and incorporate many of the principles of effective grant proposal writing".
- National Data Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau - starting place for census data
American Fact Finder - population, housing, economic, and geographic data - National Center for Education Statistics Data Tools
School District Profiles - Inter-University Consortium for Political & Social Research (ICPSR)
Find & Analyze Data - Federal Bureau of Investigation
Crime Statistics - Bureau of Justice Statistics
- Department of Education, Institution of Education Sciences
Education Statistics - Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
National Center for Health Statistics - U. S. Federal Statistics
FedStats - Bureau of Labor Statistics - databases and tools
- Small Business Administration - research and statistics
- United Nations
Demographic and Social Statistics
- U.S. Census Bureau - starting place for census data
- Colorado Data Sources
- StateMaster.com - a statistical database that allows research and comparisons of data on US states.
It includes information from sources such as the Census Bureau, the FBI, and the National
Center for Educational Statistics. StateMaster provides pie charts, maps, graphs and
scatterplots
StateMaster - Colorado - Colorado Department of Education
Colorado Educations Statistics
SchoolView - Interactive portal for the Colorado Growth Model and school performance data
Special Education Data Records
CDE Data Dictionary - Great Education Colorado
Statistics & FAQs - Colorado Department of Higher Education
Higher Educations Database
Data Collection - Bureau of Labor Statistics
Colorado Economy at a Glance - Colorado Department of Local Affairs
State Demography Office - Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade
Business in Colorado - Annie E. Casey Foundation - Kids Count
Compare the status of children in Colorado with children nationwide on 10 measures of well-being - Colorado Department of Labor & Employment
LMI Gateway - Colorado Department of Corrections
Reports & Statistics - Colorado Bureau if Investigation
Crime in Colorado - Annual Reports - Colorado Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Justice
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs & Statistics - Colorado Department of Human Services
Youth Corrections - Reports & Evaluations - Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
Colorado Health & Environmental Data
- StateMaster.com - a statistical database that allows research and comparisons of data on US states.
It includes information from sources such as the Census Bureau, the FBI, and the National
Center for Educational Statistics. StateMaster provides pie charts, maps, graphs and
scatterplots
- Writing Guides (proposal writing is not the same as academic writing)