Determine your need.
Consider your career track, goals, and milestones (e.g., tenure, promotion, change in research track/interests).
Determine what kind of funds do you need, and when (e.g., continuation of start-up funds, preliminary results, demonstration of effectiveness, planning or implementation, bridge funding, time, travel, students).
Determine if your work could involve others; could it be multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, involve community partners, involve undergraduate research? Involve collaborators in the planning process.
Is it fundable?
Know the landscape. Do a literature review to see if it fills a gap in knowledge/services.
Know what has already been funded.
Build on what others have done, as an innovative extension (not an obvious next step).
Make a long-term plan and check funding opportunities for fit.
A plan will keep you focused; it will keep you from getting off track; it will keep you from getting overwhelmed; and it will allow you to say “no” to grants that aren’t the right fit.
Create both a long-range plan (3-5 years) and a plan for each academic year.
Revise your academic year plan at the start of the fall semester.
Discuss your long-term plan with your chair, dean, colleagues, mentors.
Let OGRD know of your plan.
Remember, though: it’s a flexible plan!
Develop a proposal brief to have on hand, such as an “elevator pitch,” or Specific Aims page.
It can be adjusted when you find funding opportunities.
Gather boilerplate language as well (organizational mission, background/history of project, basic statistics)
Position yourself for success.
Gather preliminary results, run demonstration programs, get published, collaborate!