Overview
OAPS houses printed resources to assist scholars in locating appropriate grants, scholarships, and fellowships to support their projects. There is also a good collection of books and pamphlets about grant writing as well as samples of successful proposals for consultation.
Available Printed Materials
Applying for Research Funding: Getting Started and Getting Funded
Carl G. Leukefeld and Joanne B. Ries. Sage Publications, 1995.
This source focuses on developing a competitive application. Topics are presented in seven areas, beginning with the decision to write an application, and including sections focusing on making contacts, writing persuasive arguments, and dealing with what happens after a proposal is submitted.
The Art of Grant Writing
Wendy H. Anderson. Words Publications, 2001.
This helpful book has an easy-to-follow format, contains step-by-step instructions on how to write winning proposals, and provides useful worksheets to get the student started. A sample proposal is included.
Beyond Winning: National Scholarship Competitions and the Student Experience
Suzanne McCroy. University of Arkansas Press, 2005.
Essays focus on the advising and application process from successful advisors at various universities, how the U. K. higher educational system differs from that in the United States, and the key issue of ethics in the application process. All the essays demonstrate that the scholarship application experience itself is a valuable one that is more about learning and service than it is about winning.
Demystifying Grant Seeking: What You Really Need to Do to Get Grants
Larissa Golden Brown and Martin John Brown. Jossey-Bass, 2001.
This book is written to inspire year-round grant seeking. It provides grant seekers with systematic ways to search for the perfect grant. It also offers suggestions for evaluating past grant proposals in order to make the most out of future proposals. It includes a number of forms and checklists.
Designing Successful Grant Proposals
Donald C. Orlich. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, 1996.
The book guides the reader through all of the steps that contribute to compiling successful grant proposals. It covers topics such as organizing ideas, establishing the needs of the project, beginning elements of the proposal, calculating a budget, preparation of the research proposal, and submitting the proposal. Also includes a model of a funded project in the appendix.
Financial Resources for International Study: A Guide for U.S. Nationals
Marie O'Sullivan and Sara J. Steen (Eds.). Institute of International Education, 1996.
This book serves as a comprehensive reference source on financial assistance available for international study, compiled by the Institute of International Education. It provides information on agencies that offer awards for US nationals to study, teach, carry out research or pursue other educational objectives abroad.
Finding Funding: The Comprehensive Guide to Grant Writing
Daniel M. Barber. Daniel M. Barber, 2002.
This is a “how-to” resource for finding funding from the government, foundations, and corporations. It includes a glossary of terms and a computer diskette with sample texts, funding sources, sample budgets, and other templates.
Funding for United States Study: A Guide for International Students and Professionals
Marie O'Sullivan and Sara J. Steen (Eds.). Institute of International Education, 1996.
This book is a comprehensive reference source on financial assistance available for foreign nationals to pursue educational objectives in the United States. It is intended to be an information resource on scholarships, grants and fellowships available from public and private sources in the United States and abroad.
Getting Funded: The Complete Guide to Writing Grant Proposals
Mary Hall and Susan Howlett. 4th ed. Portland State University Press, 2003.
This guide offers an easy to understand, step-wise approach to proposal writing. Part 1 outlines how to develop your idea and how to select a funding source. Part 2 targets writing and submitting the proposal. The appendix includes a comprehensive proposal development checklist.
Graduate Admissions Essays: Write your way into the graduate school of your choice
Donald Asher. Ten Speed Press, 2000.
A professional resume writer advises prospective applicants to graduate school, not just on the mechanics of the process, but the style, approaches, and other nuances as well. This book removes all the mystery and most of the stress from the admissions process, helping students choose the right school or program, secure the best letters of recommendation, write a winning essay, and time their applications effectively.
Grant Seeker’s Toolkit: A Comprehensive Guide to Finding Funding
Cheryl Carter New and James Aaron Quick. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1998.
The purpose of the book is to help the reader get his or her grant proposal in the top 10%. Sections of the text address designing a fundable project, finding a funding source, developing the final project, and writing the proposal. In the appendix, there is a quick reference language tools guide that offers tips on how to simplify and clarify wording. The book comes with a floppy disk.
Grant Writing beyond the Basics: Understanding Nonprofit Finances
Michael K. Wells. Continuing Education Press, 2006.
This book explains finances in clear language to a general audience. It is well-designed to give a grants professional the knowledge that they need to understand an organization's finances from reading financial statements to 990's. Michael Wells communicates complex concepts clearly with an engaging writing style.
Grant Writing for Dummies
Beverly A. Browning. Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2001.
The author addresses common grant writing questions in a clear and succinct manner. It includes useful tips and two complete examples of grant application narratives.
Grant Writing in Higher Education
Kenneth T. Henson. Pearson Education, Inc., 2004.
This is a practical resource that is designed to help readers develop effective grant proposals. The author identifies different attitudes that prevent serious grant writers from writing effective proposals, as well as positive attitudes that are key in moving proposals toward acceptance.
Grants for Foreign & International Programs
Foundation Center, 2006.
This directory lists over 11,000 grants of $10,000 or more with a total value of $2.84 billion. The listings include grants to institutions and organizations in foreign countries, and to domestic recipients for international activities.
Guide to Funding for International and Foreign Programs
Gina Marie Cantarella (Ed.). 5th ed. The Foundation Center, 2000.
This directory is intended as a starting point for grant seekers looking for foundation, corporate, and other charitable support for international and foreign programs. It contains over 1,300 entries of organizations that have shown substantial interest in international and foreign programs, either through stated fields of interest or through reported grants of $10,000 or more.
The “How-To” Grants Manual: Successful Grant seeking Techniques for Obtaining Public and Private Grants
David G. Bauer. 5th ed. Oryx Press, 2003.
The first section of the book helps the grant seeker see the proposal from the grantor’s point of view. It also provides information on the development and refinement of a proposal. Sections two and three outline the process of finding and applying for funding from both private and public funding sources. It includes a CD-ROM that contains worksheets included in the text.
How to Write a Winning Personal Statement for Graduate and Professional School
Richard J. Stelzer. Peterson's, 2002.
This book describes the mistakes that applicants commonly make, and offers advice on how to make your statements as effective as possible. The book dedicates 60 pages to display 40 winning personal statements, as practical examples of what should be included and what not in order to write the essay that could give you the unconditional acceptance to the grad school or program of your choice.
How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters
Mal Warwick. Jossey-Bass, 2001.
This book is devoted to crafting fundraising letters. The text takes the reader through the steps involved in writing a fundraising letter, such as motivating your audience, planning to write the letter, and customizing your request. It includes sample letters and real-world examples, in addition to a helpful “Letter Writer’s Toolbox” which the author describes as “a bag full of treatments for the dread disease of writer’s block.”
I’ll Grant You That: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Funds, Designing Winning Projects, and Writing Powerful Grant Proposals
Jim Burke and Carol Ann Prater. Heinemann, 2003.
This book is geared toward those in education writing grants for school or community projects. The chapters take a grant writer from the beginning to the end of the project. The text comes with a CD-ROM which includes annotated sample grants as well as internet links. Sample proposals include a sabbatical proposal as well as a proposal for the NEH summer institute.
Money for International Exchange in the Arts
Jane M. Gullong and Noreen Tomassi (Eds.). American Council for the Arts, 1992.
This book serves as an accurate and comprehensive guide to the various resources available to support artists and arts organizations in the field. While support for international work in the arts can be difficult to find, this book guides readers to multiple sources of support and information, and includes profiles of 160 supporting organizations.
The Only Grant-Writing Book You'll Ever Need
Ellen Karsh and Arlen Sue Fox. Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003.
This book, written by two authors who have won millions of dollars in grants, provides a comprehensive step-by-step guide for grant writers, de-mystifying the process while offering indispensable advice from funders. The book shows readers how to figure out what a grantmaker really wants, and how to make the most effective pitch.
Open Immediately! Straight Talk on Direct Mail Fundraising: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why
Stephen Hitchcock. Emerson & Church Publishers, 2004.
This book is written specifically with nonprofit organizations in mind. The author dispenses valuable advice about how to succeed long-term through the successful implementation and management of direct response fundraising.
Practical Grant Writing and Program Evaluation
Francis K. O. Yuen and Kenneth L. Terao. Wadsworth, 2002.
This book focuses more on program development and evaluation rather than the grant writing process. The product description reads, “Readers will learn the development and the implementation of grant proposals, program evaluation plans, data collection and analysis, and report writing.”
Proposal Planning and Writing
Lynn E. Miner and Jeremy T. Miner. 3rd ed. Greenwood Press, 2003.
This book focuses on developing persuasive and successful grant proposals. Part I outlines how to find a sponsor and how to use the Internet to aid your search. Part II and III address writing private foundation, corporate, and government proposals. Part IV includes information on writing and editing techniques.
Storytelling for Grant Seekers: The Guide to Creative Nonprofit Fundraising
Cheryl A. Clarke. Jossey-Bass, 2001.
This book presents an organic approach to proposal writing which uses elements of a short-story to organize the proposal. The author highlights the creative aspect of writing, and this creativity helps the grant writer add uniqueness and originality to the grant proposal.
Writing Personal Statements and Scholarship Application Essays: A student handbook
Joe Schull. Thomson, Brooks/Cole, 2006.
Joe Schull's book demystifies the art of writing of personal statements and application essays with practical strategies for self-reflection, composition, and revision. Critiques of sample essays and resumes for graduate school and scholarships provide effective models for students to consider in their own essays. It summarizes the advice and selection criteria of many of the scholarship committees who read personal statement.
Writing Successful Science Proposals
Andrew J. Friedland and Carol L. Folt. Yale University Press, 2000.
Although aimed at the undergraduate and graduate science student, this book may be helpful to any student scholar. It contains helpful information on articulating project objectives and writing a compelling summary statement.