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MEMO


TO: JESSICA JORGENSEN
FROM: MATTHEW SCOTT MS
SUBJECT: SEARCH ASSIGNMENT MEMO
DATE: APRIL 1, 2014



Introduction
This memo is a response to your request for an information search progress
report. A search into resources of guidance on grant writing and of funding for
a proposed psychology study was conducted. The most useful of the discovered
information will be shared here. The advice on the art of grant writing found
will be discussed first, followed by the findings on funding sources. Along the
way, information discovered unintentionally will be shared. This memo will
detail the most useful information found and briefly lay out an idea for a
project based on the results of the search.

Resources of Grant Writing Advice
A Google search for sample psychology research proposals turned up some
good results. The first of these was the William T. Grant Foundations website,
wtgrantfoundation.org. Though the foundations goals are only tangentially
related to my own, there was a link to five sample research proposals that
received funding. These examples can serve as excellent models for future
successful proposals.

The same search on Google also yielded a 44-page document written by Nancy
Guerra, a professor of psychology at the University of California-Riverside,
entitled Preparing Research Proposals in Psychology: The Graduate Student
Guide to Funding (www.psych.ucr.edu/grad/GradStudentGuide2Funding.pdf). This
document was every bit as useful as the title indicated. There were chapters
entirely devoted to describing the NSF and NIH, among many other
foundations. It had a glossary of terms. It had a poll-driven list of the top
websites for resources for grant writers. There was a long list of sources of
grants and fellowships. There was even a section devoted to what reviewers are
looking for and common mistakes grant writers make. This, I believe, will be
the most valuable source of technical information for this project.


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Resources of Funding
The search for funding sources began at Grants.gov, which proved to be useful.
Searching for psychology within the Science, Technology, and Other
Research and Development category yielded 20 results for research funders,
among them the NSF through a Social Psychology grant.

At the Foundation Centers Website, foundationcenter.org, a subscription to
their RFP Newsletter was begun and the Philanthropy News Digest was viewed.
Through one their links, the website for the Society of Personality and Social
Psychologists was discovered, which turned out to be a useful source of
research opportunities and open employment positions in the field nationwide.

A Google search for psychology grants led to apa.org, the website of the
American Psychological Organization. This website contains a wealth of
information. A search for grants can be refined by type of psychology, type of
recipient, and several other categories. A search for grants in cognitive
psychology yielded the Basic Psychological Science Research Grant and the
APA Dissertation Research award, both of which would be applicable to this
project.

Lastly, a search of PIVOT through NDSU was conducted with good results,
yielding two highly relatable NSF grants. The first one, from the NSFs Division
of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?org=BCS), is called
the Perception, Action, and Cognition Grant and would feasibly fund the study
proposed later in this memo. A second opportunity was found in the same
division through a similar grant for Cognitive Neuroscience, which would be a
good fit for a study of this type.

Project Possibilities
This exploratory search was done with the intention of funding a research
study in cognitive psychology. Specifically, the study was to be of attentional
capacity as a function of trait extraversion. The resources found in this search
make this seem like a promising idea. High quality examples of successful
proposals, writing tips, and possible funding sources have all been secured.
With the help of this information, a professional research proposal to an active
grant foundation can be created.