The cost of attending the webinar is $95, and attendees will receive a copy of The Grant Application Writer’s Workbook, which has been written to complement and extend upon the material presented in the webinar. There are multiple agency specific workbooks to select from, including workbooks for NIH, NSF, USDA, and Any Agency. For more information about the workbooks, visit the GWSW workbooks page. The slides presented during the webinar will also be provided. This webinar is presented by John D. Robertson, Managing Member, Grant Writers’ Seminars & Workshops, LLC. 

Registration and payment are due by December 16, 2024. Registration is now closed. 

Please note: due to our licensing agreement with our speaker, this workshop is NOT recorded.

Overview

This two-part, virtual seminar comprehensively addresses the practical, conceptual, and rhetorical aspects of writing competitive grant proposals. Dr. Robertson will cover:

1. Critical steps for organizing and planning your proposal (all of the things you need to do before you start writing a full proposal in order to have a competitive edge)
2. Understanding the role (and mindset) of your reviewers
3. Our 4-paragraph rhetorical strategy for writing a compelling Specific Aims page (NIH), or the equivalent for other funding agencies.
4. Specific strategies and tips for each major section of a grant proposal

Emphasis is placed on doing the “extra” things that can make the difference between being funded versus not. Regardless of the target agency, participants are taught to write with a linear progression of logic, which leads reviewers through an application without them knowing that they are being led. We also emphasize the fact that applicants are writing for two different audiences – the assigned reviewers, who read the application in its entirety, and non-assigned reviewers who may have read little, or none, of the proposal before the meeting of the review panel.

This seminar is appropriate for junior through senior faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral students who have had some exposure to writing grant applications, either through training, mentoring, or personal experience. All participants may use the seminar for new ideas on gaining a competitive edge in “proposalship”, how to write for a broad spectrum of reviewers, and/or for strategies in how to mentor others in proposal writing.

Note that the majority of this content will be relevant and usable for individuals applying to various funding entities (e.g., private foundations, professional organizations, and state/other federal agencies). This is because the core structure/format of most grant proposals, and the review criteria for most grant proposals, are very similar across funding entities, often merely called something different.

Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services, and activities. Accommodation for persons with disabilities may be requested by contacting (517) 355-0306 or bakijata@msu.edu.