And Another Year Has Come and Gone

It’s the end of the 2025–2026 academic year which in some ways went by faster than the first year. Fast or not, the Monmouth University grants community didn’t disappoint. Our diligent, hard-working principal investigators were out and about being innovative and inspirational. They created collaborative, interdisciplinary opportunities for students and peers to interact within. Please see the informational table below.

The Office of Research & Sponsored Programs is reporting that we ended the 2025–2026 school year with 48 submitted grant applications totaling $16,383,753.15. Nineteen (or 39.5%) of these submitted grants were awarded in the amount of $6,282,279. Due to the government’s reorganization efforts many government applications are currently stuck in review/pending status. To date, we still have 15 funding requests considered pending in the amount of $10,101,474.15. The award decision should be made during the next fiscal year. I will keep you posted.

Sponsor	Principal Investigator	Project Title
Stony Brook University Subcontract	Keith Dunton	Defining the Ecological & Conservation Importance of the Rockaway Atlantic Sturgeon Aggregation Area
1 – New Jersey Historical Commission 2 – The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation	Kurt Wagner	Visualizing the Jersey Shore: Archiving the Dorn Historic Photography Collection
AKRF	Jason Adolf	AKRF BOP eDNA
Orstead	Jason Adolf	Preservation eDNA
Hudson River Foundation	Jason Adolf	HEP Culverts
New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium – NOAA	Dane Ward	Restoring Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in New Jersey’s Back Bays
NJAHPERD	Jeremy Lackman	Croquet: A Game for Outdoor Fun!!
NJ State Council on the Arts	Vaune Peck	General Operating Support
Office of the Secretary of Higher Education	Xochil Ramirez	Hunger-Free Campus Grant
NYSERDA	Keith Dunton	Atlantic Sturgeon
Independent College and Universities of NJ	Jonathan Quellet	Selecting for First Glucose Aptamer
MARCO/CSSF	Tony MacDonald	Portal App Development Phase 2
New England Fishery Management Council	Thomas Herrington	Assessing Marine Fish and Shellfish Habitat Use and Ecology Using Species Distribution Models
NJ Dept. of Education	Michelle Schpakow	Climate Change Learning Collaborative at MU
National Science Foundation IUSE Grant – Beyond Benign Subcontract	Nikita Burrows	Green Chemistry Professional Mentoring Network
Navy Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Mid-Atlantic	Thomas Herrington	Modification to Existing Cooperative Agreement N400852220002 with the US Navy to extend performance period and add additional funding
Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey	Torrey Gallagher	On the well-posedness of infinite quantum star graphs

Shout Outs

I am beyond happy with how our final grant numbers came out for the 2025–2026 fiscal year. I’m doing the tracking and analysis, but the above PIs are doing the real work. The Monmouth University grant culture is changing in big and little ways in which I could go on and on about. What I especially want to call out is that five awarded grants out of 19 awarded grants didn’t come from a principal investigator with a science background. This is (26%) of this year’s awarded grants. What an accomplishment! Grants is a world of infinite possibilities and you are proving it consistently.

Funding Opportunity Research

Researching for grant funding opportunities can easily feel like you are Alice in Wonderland falling through the rabbit hole. Don’t do it! It’s easy to get overwhelmed because there are so many ways to start that it can be difficult to know where exactly you need to be. Your best bet is to be as targeted as possible. Targeted research is a method used to focus on specific issues derived from a broader research base. You can narrow down your research by asking yourself the following questions:

• What type of funding do you need?
  • Seed Money: grants awarded for a pilot program not yet in full-scale operation. Seed money gets a program started but other monies are needed for expanding the program.
  • Capacity Building: grants are designed to strengthen the internal effectiveness and long-term sustainability of your organization, enabling you to deliver your mission more effectively and adapt to changing needs. These grants typically support:
    • Program Innovation: pilot projects, public-facing program expansion.
    • Communications and Partnerships: outreach, collaboration, and public education.
    • Strategic Planning: clarifying priorities and long-term direction.
    • Leadership and Staff Development: training, succession planning, and board strengthening.
    • Financial Health: fundraising strategies, business model planning, and flexible funding.
    • Operations and Technology: administrative upgrades, AI tools, and data systems.
  • Capital Grants: grants specifically designated for the acquisition, construction, or renovation of physical assets. These grants are typically used for:
    • Building or Facility Improvements: Funding to construct new buildings or upgrade existing facilities.
    • Equipment Purchase: Buying essential equipment, such as computers, vehicles, or machinery.
    • Property Acquisition: Purchasing land or buildings for organizational use.
  • General Operations Costs: grants for general line-item budget expenses that are necessary to support the agency operations.
  • Program Development: grants to pay for the expenses related to expanding an existing program or funding a new program.
• Does my project/program align with the funder’s mission, vision, and goals?
• Are we serving the same constituents? Is there a certain type of community or demographic subsets of that community or geographical region that they serve?
• Does the funder work in my geographic area? New Jersey or, more specifically, Monmouth County.
• What size grants does the funder offer? You don’t apply for a large sum grant to a funder who only funds small grants each year and the opposite is also true.
• Does the funder have grant ranges?
• How many grants do they give out per year?
• Does the funder fund new projects from first time applicants? First-time funder rates are important.
• Who are their past awarded grantees?

Understanding the funder’s priorities and past funding history can provide valuable insights to the researcher.

Reviewing the funder’s previous grant recipients and their projects can aid in gauging what types of initiatives resonate with the funder. Below are some methods on doing a deeper dive into funders.

• Check out the funder’s website. It will have a lot of information on it including but not limited to: mission, vision, goals, telling key words, and language you could incorporate into your proposal.
• Keywords: address many aspects funders are looking for, including general subject area and funding type. Consider your subject area, population served, geographic location, and the purpose of the funding. Nouns make good keywords. The next step will be to use these keywords to search for potential funders by looking for common interests.
• Social Responsibility: Giving guidelines 
• Informational Brochures: are a great way for institutions to share their mission, values, and accomplishments with the world. They tell you which program and serves are the most important to them.
• Annual Reports: a public-facing document that highlights an organization’s achievements, financial transparency, and impact over the past year while engaging and thanking supporters. Its main goals are to educate stakeholders about the organization’s mission and initiatives, demonstrate impact through data and storytelling, and build confidence among donors, volunteers, and partners. You are a potential partner.
• Tax Returns, 990s, Financial Statements, or Audits: provides details on the organization’s mission, revenue, expenses, board members, and executive compensation. It is here that you would get the most accurate account of who the funder gave money to and how much. This information is vital to grant strategy.

Once you asked your questions and dug deeper into the funder’s giving profile/history, you start to develop an action plan or a funding plan. You can start being strategic and create a Funding Calendar that aligns with your grant department. An important point to remember is some funders fund multiple times a year while others only fund once a year. I would create an action plan that allows you to meet as many of these due dates as possible. When awarded, having multiple funders at different times, helps you create a sustainability plan and ensures the success of your program.

TIP #1: It’s More Than Just A Good Idea

funders don’t give money away because your mission sounds nice. They’re investing in organizations that are structured, prepared, can actually execute, and can prove it. Here’s what they’re really paying attention to:

• Clarity: Can you clearly explain what you do, who you serve, and what problem you solve? If they have to guess, you’ve already lost them.
• Defined Programs Not Ideas: Funders want to see exactly how your services work, what you’re offering, and how it’s being delivered.
• Measurable Impact: What results are you producing? How many people are you serving? What outcomes are you tracking? What change is actually happening? If you can’t measure it, it’s hard to fund it.
• Strong Leadership: Who is behind the organization? Your board, your team, your leadership all matter. Funders want to know the people handling the money are capable.
• Financial Responsibility: Do you have systems in place? A realistic budget with a plan for how the money will be used. If your finances are messy, they’re not funding you.
• Sustainability: What happens after the grant runs out? They want to see long-term vision, not something that’s going to fall apart in six months.

Funders are funding your ability to execute. You stand out immediately when you’re clear, structured, and prepared. Funding goes to organizations that are ready to handle the grant.

How to Make a “Go / No Go” Grant Decision

• First, check the due dates of possible funding opportunities. Do the funder’s deadlines coincide with your time schedule? Most grants take at least three months to prepare. Use the deadlines to help you determine which grants to pursue. Ask yourself if the grant is feasible given the status of the program and the time you need to prepare your application which also includes all the required attachments, collaborative agreements, reports, budgets, and other financial documentation.
• Second, review the grant award amounts given. Once again, you don’t apply for a large sum grant to a funder who only funds small grants each year and the opposite is also true.
• Review the hidden costs in grants which can include processing application fees, administrative expenses, compliance requirements, and potential audit costs that may not be immediately apparent. Understanding these costs upfront is crucial for effective organizational budgeting. There are also the following hidden costs:
  • Indirect costs which may be capped at a different rate than your organization which can burden the general operating fund of an organization.
  • Matching funds and in-kind contributions.
  • Audit and reporting requirements which can incur significant costs.
• Strict guidelines and compliance on how funds must be used, limiting flexibility. Noncompliance with these guidelines can result in penalties or the need to return funds, adding to the financial burden.
• Honestly assess your internal capacity, including how much time and effort you put into writing a grant. Can you adequately prepare this grant application? Do you have the time and resources? If it takes you 30 hours to apply for a grant and it’s only for $1,000, it may not be worth the energy. Look at what is taking the most time and identify if there are ways you can streamline the process.
• Avoid confusing eligibility for competitiveness. Just because you are eligible for a grant doesn’t mean you have a good chance of winning it. Meeting the bare minimum requirements isn’t enough to justify applying. Also evaluate their “first-time funder rate”.
• What does evidence-based grant writing mean? Most organizations believe they have to have proof the project will work. This isn’t necessarily the case. Evidence-based grant writing simply means using unbiased data to make decisions.

In conclusion, the programs that perform best are the ones that make the most deliberate decisions about where to focus. Sometimes a different activity at the same cost produces a significantly larger impact. You have to be willing to ask what will actually move the needle. You must be strategic in your grant decisions.

Write Like You’re a Peer Reviewer

The best advice I’ve ever gotten and I often repeat to others is to write like you are the peer reviewer. Most nonprofits don’t lose grants because their mission isn’t strong enough. They lose those grants because the proposal didn’t align closely enough with the scoring rubric. Small details can make the difference between being funded and not being funded. Grant writers need to create stronger need statements, measurable outcomes, clearer impact data, and solid evaluation plans.

Grant reviewers are not just reading your proposal, they’re asking questions you never see and are not in RFP Guidelines. Some of these questions are as follows:

• Does this organization actually exist in the community they claim to serve?
• Do they have the capacity to spend this money and track it properly?
• Does their budget match what they’re promising to deliver? (Your budget must be realistic!)
• Is there anyone within your University who has done this before?

If the answers to those questions above don’t resonate on the page, your grant proposal can still lose despite being well-written. The strongest applications build a case for the organization behind it. A strong application tells a story of community presence, organizational track record, financial structure and stability, and a budget that tells a story, not just a number. This type of grant writing builds into something draft by draft, with someone who knows what reviewers are actually looking for. Ways to make your grant application stronger include but are not limited to:

• Integrate studies into your case statement or needs assessment: randomized controlled trials, cost-benefit analyses, surveys, case studies, and more can help add credibility to your proposals.
• Locate relevant peer-reviewed research: Semantic Scholar, PubMed, JSTOR, Embase, Google Scholar, Lexus Nexus Academic, ProQuest Criminal Justice, EBSCO, and Eric can be great resources.
• Use preliminary data if you have it: if you’re struggling to find the right data relevant to your organization, you can also use your own data, even if it’s not finalized. Preliminary data, predictive analytics, and projections can all help strengthen your grant proposals.

Key Lessons from Grant Peer Review Experiences

Several consistent lessons emerge about what works and what doesn’t in grant funding when drawing from both direct application review experience and broader research on peer review systems.

• Preparation and Thoroughness Matter: A successful application requires significant internal consultation and time investment. Blind reviewers often spot applications that are incomplete or rushed, so ensure all required sections are addressed and thoroughly developed.
• Read the Question Fully and Answer It Completely: Missing even a small part of a question can cost easy marks. Always check that your response directly addresses each prompt. If a peer reviewer has to look for your answer, you will get a lower score.
• Be Specific, Not Generic: Vague answers are often scored as “satisfactory at best.” Use concrete examples, measurable outcomes, and clear logic to demonstrate feasibility and impact.
• Use AI Tools Wisely: AI can help clarify and streamline writing, but avoid generating answers to the exact question framework which can lead to generic, unoriginal responses that reviewers spot.
• Follow Formatting and Technical Requirements Exactly: Ensure documents match the requested format and length. Poorly formatted diagrams or missing files can result in lost marks. Funders want the information they want, in the order and format they asked for, no exceptions!
• Link to Funding Guidance and KPIs: Explicitly connect your project to the funder’s framework and set measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) with targets to demonstrate alignment to the funder and accountability on the applicant’s behalf.
• Demonstrate Robust Compliance Systems: For public funds, reviewers want assurance that you have clear processes for managing claims, risks, and fraud prevention. Be specific about “who, what, when, and how.” Stress your strong institutional infrastructure, it is the backbone of your application.