Proposal Development Toolkits & Resources

This page contains a selection of grant-writing guides and resources. 

Additional resources, including workshops and trainings, are available in the Training section of this website.  For complete information about submitting a proposal at UMass Amherst, please visit the Submission Process section.  For information about early-stage proposal development staff support, please contact the a member of the Research Development office.

• National Science Foundation (NSF)

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)

• Department of Energy (DOE)

• Department of Defense (DOD)

• US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

• US Department of Education

• SBIR/STTR

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• National Endowment for the Humanities

• National Endowment for the Arts

• Budget Development Tools

• Foundation Proposal Development Tools

• General Proposal Development Resources

National Science Foundation (NSF)

• OGCA Toolkits for NSF
• NSF Data Management Plan Guidelines
• Sample NSF budget
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) On Proposal Preparation and Award Administration

• Frequently Asked Questions about GRFP Fellowship Terms and Conditions for NSF GRFP Fellows March 2012

• Grant Proposal Guide, NSF 13-1, Effective January 14, 2013
• Summary of Significant Changes to the Grant Proposal Guide Effective January 14, 2013.  RECOMMENDED VIEWING
• Grants.gov Application Guide - January 2011
• Fastlane Homepage
• NSF Home Page
• How to Prepare Your Proposal
• Merit Review Broader Impacts Criterion: Representative Activities (pdf)
• A Guide for Proposal Writing
• Twelve Steps to Writing a Winning Proposal (pdf) (by George A. Hazelrigg, NSF)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

• OGCA Tool Kit for NIH
• Salary Cap Policy
• NIH/OGCA deadline calendar
• NIH Home Page
• The NIH Grant Cycle
• Grant Application Basics (NIH)
• Grant Writing Tip Sheets (NIH)
• Dissecting and Demystifying an NIH Grant Application (The Scientist - requires subscription)
• Tips for New NIH Grant Applicants (NIGMS)
• Common Mistakes in NIH Grant Applications (NINDS)
• Annotated R01 Grant Application and Summary Statements (NIAID)
• How to Plan a Grant Application (NIAID)
• Preparing Grant Applications (NCI)
• Quick Guide for Grant Applications (NCI)
• Resources for Applicants and Grantees (including human subjects, research animals, biodefense, and more)
• Grant Writing for Success (pdf) (by Anthony Coelho, Jr., Ph.D, Review Policy Officer, NIH)
• Peer Review of Research Grant Applications (pdf) (by Anthony Coelho, Jr., Ph.D, Review Policy Officer, NIH)
• The NIH R01 Tool Kit (Science)

Department of Energy (DOE)

• OGCA Took Kit for DOE

Department of Defense (DOD)

• OGCA Tool Kit for DOD (coming soon)
• Office of Naval Research Homepage
• DOD Proposal Tips (Under Reconstruction) Please call Marcia Day with any questions (413) 545-0674

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

• National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

US Department of Education

• OGCA Tool Kit for DOED

SBIR/STTR

• STTR-SBIR Steps - outline of the process
• Procedure for SBIR
• Procedure for STTR

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Grant Writing Tutorial (Purdue/EPA)
• Tips on Writing a Grant Proposal (EPA)

National Endowment for the Humanities

• Do's and Don'ts of Applying for NEH Fellowships (College of William & Mary)
• NEH: The Time Has Come (.ppt from McDaniel College)
• Reasons for Rejecting a NEH Grant Proposal (.PDF from Pallisades Museum of Prehistory)

National Endowment for the Arts

• Communications and Fine Arts Funding Opportunities (Troy University)
• Tips for Applying to NEA (Alliance of Artists Communities)
• Tips for Writing Successful NEA Proposals

Budget Development Tools

• Basic Budget Building Tutorial (from OGCA)

Foundation Proposal Development Tools

• Proposal Writing Short Course (Foundation Center)
• Contact the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations

General Proposal Development Resources

• How to Fail in Grant Writing (By Elizabeth Jakob, Adam Porter, Jeffrey Podos, Barry Braun, Norman Johnson, and Stephen Vessey from the Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/5/10).
• 12 Steps to a Winning Research Proposal (George Hazelrigg, NSF Program Director for 18 years)
• Grantwriting and Academic Fundraising (Extensive List of Resources from Michigan State University)
• Art of Writing Proposals (Social Science Research Council)
• Guide for Writing a Funding Proposal (with examples from Michigan State University)
• Developing and Writing Grant Proposals (The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance)
• Texas A&M Office of Proposal Development Proposal Resources
• Hints on Preparing Research Proposals (American Astronomical Society)
• Human Frontier Science Program: The Art of Grantsmanship (Dr. Jacob Kraicer)
• Proposal Writing: The Business of Science (Whitaker Foundation)
• Grant Proposal Development (Library of Congress Congressional Research Report)
• Some Frank Advice on Submitting an Individual Research Grant Proposal in the Humanities (University of Kansas)
• Proposal Writing Specialists Offer Suggestions For Success (The Scientist - requires subscription)
• Research Development & Grant Writing News: Competitive Strategies for a Difficult Funding Climate  (UMass NetID Required)
• Center-Level Programs (UMass NetID Required)
• "Entering Mentoring" by Jo Handelsman.  A series of workshops using case studies to develop yourself and your students as mentors.