Quick Start Workflow

Writing to request funding requires forging a relationship between what you want to do and the tools and support you will need to do it. Successful applications also align project goals and scope with those of the funding source or sources. This form of writing is highly iterative, and the more effort you put into defining your research project and specifying your needs, the more likely you are to be selected for funding.

1. Define your project + Identify your needs

 

What do you want to do? What do you need to do it? What funding source matches your goals and needs?

  • Retrace why and how you became interested in a subject area. This initial reflection can help turn a general feeling of interest or curiosity into a concrete research question. Evidence of your passion for your work will also make your application stand out. 
  • Develop a key research question or hypothesis. What are you seeking to study or do? You can refine by considering scope, methods, and deliverables.
  • Research funding sources by field, location, and topic. Consider tangential fields and topics and try alternate search terms. 
  • Establish realistic goals. What can you reasonably accomplish given the amount of time and funding you will have?
  • Assess your needs. Clearly state why funding is vital to the project and the impact it will have on your work. Try to avoid over and underselling this impact and be as realistic and specific as possible.
  • Articulate the value. Why is your research/project important? What is its significance?
  • Sketch a project budget and timeline.
  • Define deliverables clearly.

2. Identify potential funding sources

  • Research funding sources both inside and outside your discipline/field. In many cases, your research question will be intriguing for different kinds of stakeholders.
  • Find projects similar to yours and find out how they were funded.
  • Ask other students who have done projects and traveled how they were funded.
  • Determine your category: dissertation, archival, experimental, fieldwork, or manuscript? Funders will usually list these categories in the CFP.
  • Do some “market research” into your potential funding source. What projects have they funded in the past few cycles? Look at news articles to see what work the funders are currently engaged in.
  • Most importantly, apply early and often.

3. Develop a proposal

A grant proposal must always: have a clear research hypothesis  + demonstrate that the project is aligned with the goals of the funding institution.

 alt=""     Follow the application guidelines exactly

alt=""       Adjust your project to fit the CFP guidelines. Does the methodology align with your project budget and timeline?

alt=""     Be clear and concise. Use images, diagrams, drawings, and maps where applicable

alt=""     Use active, persuasive language when describing outcomes

alt=""   Seek feedback and write many drafts!

Notes on Style

Writing for proposals is not the same as for academic work. It needs to be highly accessible with limited use of industry-specific terminology. Do not assume that the reviewer of your application has expertise in your field.

  • Use short, clear sentences
  • Employ an active voice (I or we)
  • Remain future-focused
  • Commit to strong, persuasive phrasing
  • Convey enthusiasm and confidence

Introduction/Abstract

  

As early in the proposal as possible, identify and explicitly state the question your research will answer. Avoid empty verbs like “shaped,” “influenced,” “sheds light,” “nuances,” and “complicates” that allude to the existence of an argument but do not state what that argument is. You might consider writing the abstract last even though it will be the first thing readers see in your proposal.

Though all grant CFPs (calls for proposals) vary, most call for a “grant narrative.” If they don’t ask for a separate abstract, incorporate the abstract into the first paragraph of your narrative.

A successful grant introduction or abstract will accurately reflect the proposal and should quickly address:

  • Key question (what will you do?)
  • Research methodology (how will you do it?)
  • Deliverables (what are the outcomes?)
  • Relevance to the funding institution (why should they fund it?)

Reviewers will have to sort through dozens or even hundreds of applications so state the who, what, why, where, when, how, how much, to what end(s) clearly and early. You can elaborate in the body of the grant narrative. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Body

In the body - sometimes called a grant narrative - establish your general topic before you introduce your own argument about that topic. Expand upon the Who, What, When, Where, and Why that you addressed in the introduction. Introduce people to your general topic before you introduce them to your own argument about that topic. You can go into more detail there about the historical and theoretical background to the project and tease out some of the research you've already done that led you to your key questions.

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Offer avenues for reviewers from other fields (historians, ecologists, sociologists, etc) to enter your design world by relating your research questions to broader issues.​

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Clarify your intervention: make your projects relevance to the field evident. Communicate urgency!

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Draw on extant methodologies to communicate to your reviewers how (and within what intellectual tradition) you’ll be conducting research. ​What are your deliverables? What will you do? What will you make? ​

Research/Methodology

  

This section tells the reviewers how you intend to find answers to your research question. Your methodology does not need to be original and may not require much explanation. The main objective of this section is to draw on extant methodologies to communicate to your reviewers how (and within what intellectual tradition) you will be conducting research. Be specific about how you will gather and analyze evidence and include the main steps of your research process and an explanation of why you are choosing those steps.

For a comprehensive list of methodologies in the design fields, see the Research Methodologies section of the Start Your Design Research guide.

  

Institutional Goals

  

A successful project will address the goals of the funding institution. Sometimes these goals are clear (example: the grant is for dissertation research, and you need funding to travel to an archive to finish your dissertation). However, you will usually need to construct an argument relating your project to the aims of the CFP. Find the mission statement for the institution that offers the grant. Use this statement to identify how your research will advance the institution’s goals. Figure out the reason the funding exists and devote serious thought to how your project relates to that reason. Even if the relevance seems obvious to you, clearly state it; the grant review committee goes through a mountain of applications, so don’t trust that they will make these connections on their own. Also, articulate the specific reasons why you need this money. What will it allow you to do that you couldn’t do otherwise? And why are you the best person to do this project?

  

4. Write a budget

A grant budget is usually comprised of two things: a spreadsheet of how the grant will be used on expenses and a budget narrative (justification). A budget narrative is a paragraph that explains the expenses. Even when proposal guidelines do not specifically mention a narrative, we suggest including one. This budget narrative can exist at the bottom of the table and should provide a brief overview of the budget. Make sure that all budget items meet the funding agency’s requirements. Check with the grant funder if you are unsure whether the grant is taxable.

In the spreadsheet:
 
  • Use a Table with columns for: Item Name, Quantity, Cost, Justification, and (if applicable) a link to the item online.
  • Itemize your expenses and quote specific prices.
  • Include the entire budget for your project. If it exceeds the grant size listed on the CFP, note what funding you are seeking from other sources (or note funding matches and in-kind contributions).

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In the budget:
 
  • Personnel expenses: Will you need a site guide, translator, research assistants, drone operators, etc.?
  • Recurring expenses: Will you have consumables, licensing fees, annual website fees, etc.?
  • Traveling expenses: Have you itemized airfare, ground transportation, and lodging?
  • Daily expenses: You might use your destination’s stated “per diem” allowance to estimate how much $ you need per day to cover meals and incidentals.

   

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Certain grants will ask for a timeline in your budget proposal. This timeline should list all the activities you will need to carry out to meet each of your objectives. Your timeline may be written as a narrative, but it can also be put into a table. A visual representation of your timeline may be easier for reviewers to understand.

Divide your timeline by quarters or months, depending on how long the funding period is. Place each activity into a quarter or month as opposed to specifying specific dates. These activities might include preliminary research, fieldwork, visits to archives, installation, model-making, publication design, etc. Include all activities from the day funding is awarded to the last day of funding.

Include when deliverables will be finished (or when you will fulfill reporting deadlines) and when/how you will assess the project’s progress and address any inadequacies.  If collaborating with other designers and researchers, be sure to address who is responsible for completing each task. Keep the timeline realistic.  

5. Write a Personal Statement

Foreground previous research and community outreach. Also:

  1. How you became interested in the research
  2. Struggles you encountered and how you overcame them
  3. Connections you made between your research and other labs/institutions
  4. Collaborations you made with your research and help from another lab/institution
  5. Connections you made between your research and community outreach opportunities

6. Solicit Recommendations

Ask for recommendations at least one month in advance of the deadline. Focus on senior faculty who know you and your research well​. Ideally, this is someone who:​

  •  Knows you well enough to trust that your project will succeed​
  •  Is willing to offer project guidance and advice​
  •  Is respected in the field​

Funding Opportunities