Week 3 update

To: Dr. Holmevik
From: Diana Thrasher

Introduction

This project proposes to develop a set of guidelines for the new grant writer in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities to use in developing an idea that conforms to the larger overall goal of a funding agency. This project will not contain instructions on how to do research. This guide will focus on how to seek out funding opportunities and write a winning proposal. A new grant writer needs to be able to identify the needs of the targeted funding agency or approach an agency with an unsolicited request. This project will look at successful versus unsuccessful proposal submissions, and attempt to understand how the project fits into the philosophy and mission of the agency or organization targeted. This manual is designed as a new reference document that will be housed in the Office of Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. It will also be available on the AAH Research web site, and will be incorporated into the training cycle conducted by the research office.

Work Completed

As of today I have met with my POC regarding the project section of the proposal. It was suggested I add more research methodology in this section to show the reader(s) how and why I will gather the data to put my project together. I also revisited my current situation. Looking at it through a critical lense, I felt it necessary to add more of the MAPC readings to this section. Writing of the introduction and conclusion was still a challenge even after working through the outline in class. Referencing our class readings to date was very helpful in narrowing down my thoughts for these two sections. I put together the bibliography and put the proposal together to submit the first draft.

I also have reviewed various media for the multimedia project. I am not sure if I can acquire enough footage on the topic to use Final Cut or Movie Maker. Adobe Presenter may be the best package to use. I have downloaded various clips related to our college that I may be able to incorporated into the project.


Future Work

I will revise my first draft of my proposal based on the comments I receive. I will move forward with my multimedia project. I anticipate I will draft a few options and move forward with the one that I feel will be most suited for my project.

Conclusion

I am pleased with my progress to date. I feel the text book we are using in this class is a really good fit for proposal writing, whether the proposal is for academia, business or an external sponsor. There is still a great deal of work to do and a limited amount of time to complete it.