What Funders Look For in a Successful Proposal Tuesday, April 30, 2013

What Funders Look For in a

Successful Proposal

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Objectives1. Gain insights about foundations and funding strategies i.e. cycles, specific interests.

2. Explore strategies for emphasizing sustainability of projects/research.

3. Understand approaches to strengthening relationships with foundations and funders. 

Speakers

1. Christina Spellman, PhDExecutive Director, Mayday Fund

2. Erin WestphalProgram Director, The SCAN

Foundation

3. Debra Barksdale, PhD, RNPCORI Board of Governors

The Mayday Fund:How to work with a

small family foundation

The fine art of studying what a potential funder is interested

in and able to doChristina Spellman, PhD

Executive Director, Mayday Fund

How to start a conversation

• Review website or any public materials to identify funder’s interests– Web-published mission statements– Guidelines for grants– Listings of previous grants already made

How to start a conversation

• Each foundation or individual philanthropist has own strategy for grantmaking– Wide range of variation– Especially with small foundations often variation in goals from year to year

How to start a conversation

• Work with Office of Sponsored Research and/or Development Staff – Understand relationships already in place

– Learn what they might know about the target

How to start a conversation

• Follow the instructions (if available) on how to inform the Trustees or staff about your work

• Mayday: always interested in the ‘rationale’ – Why a project has the possibility of helping us achieve the Fund’s mission

Communicate clearly

• Goal may be to support pilot study for data needed to apply for NIH funded study: – Please be explicit

• Lay board members: help to understand:– Why project is important– How it will help us to relieve pain– Why this work is exciting and important to you

Communicate clearly

• Provide support materials• May be asked to provide names of possible peer reviewers– Confidential review process but also want to understand sense of who and what is important in the field

– Past grantees often become reviewers

Maintaining Communication

• Welcome hearing from potential and established grantees

• Each funder varies in openness to ongoing communication

• If successfully funded, inform funder if successful in building on that work

Maintaining Communication

• If you are not funded, but organization has shown some interest in your work, ask if you may keep in touch

• Try to remember you are an important possible resource for helping the foundation achieve its goals

What Mayday looks for in a proposal -- meaningfulness

• Letter of inquiry– Overview of project– Estimate of timeline and budget – Rationale for why the project might hold promise for the field of pain

What Mayday looks for in a proposal -- meaningfulness

• Remember basic questions of journalism:

• Who, what, where, when, how and why– For academic this may seem simple, but the Fund has intelligent lay board who will look for those details when deciding whether they will request a proposal that may then be sent for peer review

What Mayday looks for in a proposal -- meaningfulness

• Some projects compelling on basis of the letter of inquiry – Agree to support project at initial stage

• Others request a proposal– Less complex than NIH – Includes typical information on literature review, methodology, etc.

Network Building – One strategy for sustainability• Pain: tough issue

– Fairly defined (if small) group of researchers/clinicians addressing it

• The Trustees view the Fund’s grants as contributing to building networks

Network Building – One strategy for sustainability• Through work with fellow foundations, like the John A. Hartford Foundation, the Mayday Trustees hope to build momentum for the better care of pain

• Innovation– The Trustees intrigued with finding new and better solutions to the challenges of understanding what causes pain and how to relive it

Compassion

• Stories / narratives: powerful means of communication – Speak to importance of a project– Why your work is important

• We recognize searching for funds is difficult– Out of comfort range of most researchers– The Trustees take deliberations seriously: Know stakes are high for the research community

Compassion

• Most importantly: keep on look out for small funders, often community-based and have personal reasons to see work done that will improve care at the bedside

• Above all, we wish you great success!

www.TheSCANFoundation.org

What Funders Look for in a Successful Proposal

Erin Westphal, MSGProgram Officer

www.TheSCANFoundation.org

Overview

• Overview of The SCAN Foundation• What Funders Look for in a Successful

Proposal• What is on the Horizon……

www.TheSCANFoundation.org

Mission: To advance the development of a sustainable continuum of quality care for seniors.

Our Mission and Vision

Vision: A society where seniors receive medical treatment and human services that are integrated in the setting most appropriate to their needs and with the greatest likelihood of a healthy, independent life.

www.TheSCANFoundation.org

What Funders Look for in a Successful Proposal

Starts with an idea….

www.TheSCANFoundation.org

Finding a Partner

•Understand what they do and do not fund

•Build a relationship

What Funders Look for in a Successful Proposal

www.TheSCANFoundation.org

What’s in a Proposal

1.Summary/Cover page

2.Organizational Information

3.Specific Project – why, what and how?

4.Staff and Board

5.Financial Information

6.Attachments

What Funders Look for in a Successful Proposal

www.TheSCANFoundation.org

Submitting a Proposal

•Follow Instructions

•Proof Read

What Funders Look for in a Successful Proposal

www.TheSCANFoundation.org

Review Period

•Internal/External Review

•Site Visit

•Board Review

What Funders Look for in a Successful Proposal

www.TheSCANFoundation.org

Horizon

www.TheSCANFoundation.org

Our mission is to advance the development of a

sustainable continuum of quality care for seniors.

Our vision is a society where seniors receive

medical treatment and human services that are integrated in the setting most appropriate to the their needs and with the greatest likelihood of a healthy, independent

life.

For more information andto subscribe for email alerts,

please visit us at

www.TheSCANFoundation.org

Follow us on Twitter@TheSCANFndtn

Find us on FacebookThe SCAN Foundation

PCORI Funding Opportunities and MoreDebra J. Barksdale, PhD, FNP, FAANP, FAANBoard of Governors-PCORIAssociate Professor, University of North Carolina-Chapel HillApril 30, 2013

30

About PCORI

An independent non-profit research organization authorized by Congress as part of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Committed to continuously seeking input from patients and a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work.

Core Duties: Establish national research priorities Establish and carry out a research agenda Develop and update methodological standards Disseminate research findings

31

Our Mission and Vision

MissionThe Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) helps people make informed health care decisions, and improves health care delivery and outcomes, by producing and promoting high integrity, evidence-based information that comes from research guided by patients, caregivers and the broader health care community.

VisionPatients and the public have the information they need to make decisions that reflect their desired health outcomes.

32

Research Done Differently

PCORI is focused on funding research that: Is patient-centered Is innovative and demonstrates potential for improving

patient health Appropriately incorporates relevant healthcare

community members (patients and stakeholders)

33

What makes PCORI funding different?

Authentic patient & stakeholder engagement

User-friendly funding announcements to encourage broader range of applicants

Researchers required to produce dissemination and implementation assessment

Research plans are transparent and reproducible

Rigorous methodology standards

34

What roles should patients and stakeholders play in research teams?

The engagement of patients and stakeholders should include:

Participation in formulation of research questions

Defining essential characteristics of study participants, comparators, and outcomes

Monitoring of study conduct and progress

Dissemination of research results

35

Criteria for Research Outlined by Law

36

National Priorities for Research and Research Agenda

37

PCORI Funding Announcements (PFAs)

PCORI Funding Announcements (PFAs) are issued to support a portfolio of comparative clinical effectiveness research based on PCORI’s National Priorities for Research and Research Agenda.

www.pcori.org/funding-opportunities

38

Cycle I Cycle II Cycle III

Online system open May 15 Sep. 17 Jan. 15

LOI Due Jun. 15 Oct. 15 Feb. 15

Application Deadline Aug. 15 Dec. 15 Apr. 15

Awards Announced Dec. – Jan. Apr. – May Aug. – Sep.

PCORI Pilot Projects Program

50 projects in 24 states and Washington, DC

$31 million (over two years)

39

PFA Cycle I Awards

25 projects in 17 states

$40.7 million (over three years)

40

Examples of Approved Projects

41

PCORI’s First Targeted Research Topics

Identified several high-priority, stakeholder-vetted topics for targeted PFAs

Jumpstarts PCORI’s long-term topic generation and research prioritization effort

Leverages stakeholder input from before PCORI’s existence

Allows us to build on our engagement work

Research Topics:

42

Engagement as a Path to Rigorous Research

43

Suggest a Research Question

www.pcori.org/questions

P44

We want to know what health care question you

may be facing

Your input can help us refine our research

agenda

Become a Reviewer of Funding Applications

PCORI invites professional and lay audiences to be reviewers of research applications

Help us support research that will be both scientifically rigorous and truly patient-centered

Learn more and apply online: www.pcori.org/get-involved/reviewers/

45

Micro-Contracts

October 2012 workshop participants identified that few resources have been directed to non–research entities for: community development capacity building infrastructure development for engagement in research as

partners

Support PCORI’s long-term engagement goals: build community engage community evaluate engagement science

46

PCORI Challenge

47

Competition to create a system for connecting healthcare researchers and patient partners to advance patient-centered comparative effectiveness research

Prizes: Conceptual Model - $10,000 Prototype - $40,000

Key Dates: December 14, 2012 - Submission period began April 15, 2013 - Submission period ended May 15, 2013 - Winners notified Spring 2013 - Winners announced at a national health conference

Join Our Mailing List

Sign Up to Receive Special Announcements Meeting & Event

Notices Funding

Announcements Requests for

Engagement Input and Public Comment

www.pcori.org/subscribe

48