How I Will Apply Skills and Knowledge Gained in the Course in Grant Writing Process

There are various knowledge and skills gained in this course that will be useful in the grant writing process. One of these skills is literature review skills. The review of literature will help me to understand the prevalence of malaria in the target community and to know the interventions that have worked in the past as well as those that have not. Additionally, by review of primary and secondary sources of information regarding malaria, I will be in a position to provide the data that will be needed to convince the organizations providing the grant to award the funding. That is, through literature review will be useful in obtaining data required to justify the need for the financing.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

I have also acquired essential data collection skills in this course. I am well-versed with qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques. Qualitative research enables the researchers to assess research participants' thoughts and feelings, thus allowing them to understand the meaning that the participants ascribe to their experiences (Sutton & Austin, 2015). Also, qualitative methods are helpful in understanding how and why certain behaviors are taking place. On the other hand, quantitative research approaches are essential in determining the number of individuals who engage in certain behaviors (Sutton & Austin, 2015).

Qualitative data collection approaches include focus groups and interviews (Guest, Namey, Taylor, Eley, & McKenna, 2017; Sutton & Austin, 2015; Meanwell, 2017). These techniques comprise of verbal exchanges whereby the interviewer asks questions, the interviewees verbally respond, and the responses are inductively probed. According to Nyumba, Wilson, Derrick, and Mukherjee (2018) focus group discussions are aimed at obtaining data from a purposive sample of participants rather than a statistically representative sample of the whole population. They have been reported to generate large amounts of qualitative data and maximize face-to-face interviewer-interviewee contact than others qualitative methods (Flynn, Albrecht, & Scott, 2018). Consequently, using focus groups, I will be in a position to understand the community needs as well as the challenges and opportunities available in the control and prevention of malaria.

On the other hand, quantitative data collection techniques use structured data gathering instruments that fit respondents' diverse experiences into predetermined response categories (Stufflebeam & Zhang, 2017). Examples of these data collection approaches include pre-scaled questionnaires, rating scales, and survey instruments. The use of quantitative data collection approaches will help me in determining the prevalence of malaria in the target community, the frequency of use of malaria prevention methods, the mortality rates, the morbidity rates, and the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing the prevalence of the disease. These data will be critical in persuading the funders to invest in my program.

Lastly, I will utilize stakeholder engagement strategies learned in the course in identifying suitable stakeholders that will provide information necessary for conducting a needs assessment. The key stakeholders in the proposed malaria prevention and elimination program include community health workers, nurses from local hospitals, local NGOs involved in related programs, and community leaders. These stakeholders are essential in providing information related to the challenges that currently exist in the elimination of malaria. Additionally, they will provide the opportunities that are in the community. The data obtained from these stakeholders is vital in justifying why the program is worth funding. Stakeholder involvement has been reported to lead to improved quality of healthcare (Leviton & Melichar, 2016; Malfait, Van Hecke, Hellings, De Bodt, & Eeckloo, 2017), yields relevant, responsive, credible evidence (Concannon et al., 2015), and helps in setting health priorities (Morton et al., 2017).

Strategies that I will employ in submitting RFP and an FOA

One of the strategies that can be employed when submitting an RFP and an FOA is what is referred to as pre-sale. This strategy involves staying close to potential funding sources and making sure that my organization is positioned as a strong business partner and solution. Additionally, pre-sale entails having a clear understanding of the funder and its needs. Also, when submitting an RFP or an FOA, it is vital to build relationships, test assumptions, and communicate a unique selling proposition to the potential funders.

It is also essential to develop a positioning strategy for RFP or FOA response. Positioning is the process of developing an image of the organization in the minds of the agencies issuing the FOA or the RFP. When developing a positioning strategy, it is critical to assess whether the organization fits in the marketplace. This is done by evaluating customer perceptions of the organization. The funders' perception of the organization applying for the grants relative to others determines whether the organization will get the grants or not. Another key strategy is differentiation. With the ever-growing competition for grants amidst a shortage of funding sources, it is crucial for an organization seeking for grants to own unique space in the competitive market. Consequently, it is important not to own a space similar to that currently owned by a competitor who is currently seen as a favorite for funding.

References

Concannon, T. W., Fuster, M., Saunders, T., Patel, K., Wong, J. B., Leslie, L. K., & Lau, J. (2015). When and how are we engaging stakeholders in health care research?. Retrieved https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9820.html

Flynn, R., Albrecht, L., & Scott, S. D. (2018). Two approaches to focus group data collection for qualitative health research: maximizing resources and data quality. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 17(1), 160940691775078. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917750781

Guest, G., Namey, E., Taylor, J., Eley, N., & McKenna, K. (2017). Comparing focus groups and individual interviews: findings from a randomized study. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 20(6), 693-708. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2017.1281601

Leviton, L. C., & Melichar, L. (2016). Balancing stakeholder needs in the evaluation of healthcare quality improvement. BMJ Quality & Safety, 25(10), 803-807. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2015-004814

Malfait, S., Van Hecke, A., Hellings, J., De Bodt, G., & Eeckloo, K. (2017). The impact of stakeholder involvement in hospital policy decision-making: a study of the hospital's business processes. Acta Clinica Belgica, 72(1), 63-71. https://doi.org/10.1080/17843286.2016.1246681

Morton, K. L., Atkin, A. J., Corder, K., Suhrcke, M., Turner, D., & van Sluijs, E. M. F. (2017). Engaging stakeholders and target groups in prioritising a public health intervention: the Creating Active School Environments (Case) online Delphi study. BMJ Open, 7(1), e013340. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013340

Nyumba, T., Wilson, K., Derrick, C. J., & Mukherjee, N. (2018). The use of focus group discussion methodology: Insights from two decades of application in conservation. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 9(1), 20-32. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12860

Stufflebeam, D. L., & Zhang, G. (2017). The CIPP evaluation model: how to evaluate for improvement and accountability. New York: The Guilford Press.

Sutton, J., & Austin, Z. (2015). Qualitative research: data collection, analysis, and management. The Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 68(3). https://doi.org/10.4212/cjhp.v68i3.1456

Xerri, D. (2018). The use of interviews and focus groups in teacher research. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 91(3), 140-146. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2018.1436820