Page 234 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

GRANTSMANSHIP n 201

support services over the course of a year. with their topic. Reviewers have competing
Results indicated significant improvements responsibilities and priorities and greatly
in a number of health attributes, including appreciate a well-written, clear proposal that G
vitality, physical role functioning, emotional flows logically and answers their questions
role functioning, and mental health. before they have a chance to stumble on the
Further research on the well-being of question.
custodial grandparents is needed, includ- The grant writer wants to impress the
ing longitudinal studies to determine the reviewer with the soundness, importance,
long-term impact of this form of caregiving. and creativity of the proposal. Among the
Randomized clinical trials are required to major evaluative criteria for most grant appli-
identify intervention strategies that are effec- cations, particularly ones submitted to fed-
tive in improving the health of this popula- eral funding agencies, is the significance and
tion. Policy-related research is necessary to innovation of the proposed project. A good
address the impact of the 2010 federal health grant writer strives to stimulate an excitement
care reform legislation as well as the finan- that turns the reviewer into an advocate or
cial, social service, and housing needs of enthusiastic champion of the proposed pro-
grandparents raising grandchildren. ject. Achieving a balance between generating
enthusiasm and adhering to somewhat rigid
Susan J. Kelley form requirements in writing grant applica-
tions is an artful enterprise.
Grant writing, itself, is not particularly
creative. Rather, it may be viewed as a type
Grantsmanship of formula writing where good basic writing
skills are essential. The grant writer cannot
afford a lengthy, boring, or flowery intro-
Grantsmanship is the art behind the sci- duction. Rather, the grant writer should grab
ence. Although the focus here is on research the reviewer with the first sentences of the
grants, grantsmanship skills apply equally to proposal. When it comes to grant writing,
writing grants to fund social and health pro- one never gets a second chance to make a
grams and grants to fund training and educa- good first impression. These first sentences
tion programs. Artful grantsmanship cannot should communicate the importance of the
make bad science or bad programs fundable, proposed project and quickly set the stage
but poor grantsmanship can keep good sci- for the specific aims of the proposed pro-
ence and good programs from receiving the ject. The specific aims of a project are just the
favorable review needed to be funded. A clear, specific goals that the investigator will
sound programmatic or scientific plan is a accomplish with the proposed project. They
necessary prerequisite for success in obtain- are critical to and drive the rest of the pro-
ing funding, but good grantsmanship is what posal and application. The reviewer should
makes it shine. As such, grantsmanship can have no questions about what the investiga-
be viewed as a type of salesmanship. tor intends after reading this first part of the
everything a grant writer does to make proposal.
the grant reviewer’s job easier is part of good The grant writer also must methodically
grantsmanship. Grant writers can become walk the reader/reviewer through a well-
extremely immersed in their particular constructed logical argument and plan. The
proposed project. This creates blind spots reviewer should be able to picture exactly
and the grant writer needs to constantly what the investigator plans to do and how
step back and remember that reviewers are the investigator will do it. As previously said,
not as invested in or as intimately familiar a good grant writer anticipates reviewers’