With laptops open and notes spread across the table, 11 Cal State Fullerton faculty members spent four days this summer in a grant writing boot camp, where they focused on writing time, peer feedback and proposal development. The boot camp is part of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs’ Grant Writing Academy, which supports faculty professional development and helps strengthen CSUF’s capacity for externally funded research, creative and scholarly activities.
Those four days gave faculty something that is hard to find during the academic year: uninterrupted time to write and revise, plus immediate feedback from colleagues and mentors. Participants worked to strengthen proposal narratives, clarify project significance and anticipate reviewer expectations as they prepared their next submissions.
The Grant Writing Academy operates across three levels — beginning (101), intermediate (201) and advanced (301) — providing faculty with a structured pathway for developing grant writing skills and advancing projects from early-stage concepts to external submission. The levels are led by faculty fellows and supported by ORSP’s Office of Research Development.
More than 100 faculty members representing all eight colleges have participated in at least one academy cohort, and in recent cycles, the program has also included faculty participants from other California State University campuses, underscoring broader interest in structured grant writing support.
“Seeing faculty come together for focused writing time and peer feedback is exactly what Fullerton Forward is getting at when we talk about supporting professional growth and retention,” said Binod Tiwari, associate vice president for research and sponsored programs. “The Grant Writing Academy helps faculty build grantsmanship and, in turn, strengthens CSUF’s capacity to increase externally funded research and scholarly activities.”
For participants, that support shows up in practical ways, especially in cohort settings like the GWA 201 boot camp, where faculty can test ideas, get feedback and keep writing.
“Grant Writing 201 offered a valuable venue for brainstorming and helped me refine my proposal from a fresh perspective,” said Desen Lin, assistant professor of finance. “The boot camp was also a great opportunity to learn from faculty across disciplines. Their diverse perspectives strengthened how I think about presenting my work to a broader audience.”
While the boot camp is the culmination of Grant Writing 201, most faculty begin in 101, where they learn the fundamentals of proposal development and create a template they can use to pursue internal funding opportunities. GWA 101 is led by Lana Dalley, professor of English, comparative literature and linguistics, who has served as a faculty fellow with the academy for the past three years.
“Grant writing can feel like this big, mysterious thing until you actually sit down and start breaking it into pieces,” Dalley said. “In GWA 101, we help faculty build the foundation and leave with a proposal template they can use to apply for CSUF intramural grants, giving them a starting point to build from.”
Faculty seeking external funding opportunities continue into GWA 201, where the focus shifts to developing compelling proposal narratives and preparing competitive submissions. GWA 201 is led by Joe Carlin, associate professor of geological sciences, who served as a program officer in the National Science Foundation’s Division of Ocean Sciences from 2022-24.
“A lot of proposals don’t get funded for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the research. It is usually about clarity and framing,” Carlin said. “Having worked at NSF, I’ve seen what makes a proposal easier to champion, and 201 helps faculty get their ideas across in a way reviewers can quickly understand and support.”
The academy culminates with 301, an advanced course designed for faculty refining and resubmitting major external proposals. The course provides structured feedback and individualized support as participants strengthen and prepare submissions for external review. GWA 301 is led by Hanover Research, a global research and grant consulting firm.
As competition for external funding continues to grow, academy leaders say the program helps faculty develop skills that extend beyond a single proposal or funding cycle.
“Our goal is not simply to help faculty submit one grant,” Tiwari said. “It’s to help them develop the knowledge, strategies and confidence to pursue funding throughout their careers. That not only benefits faculty, but it also creates new opportunities for students to participate in research and applied learning, and it strengthens the university’s research enterprise.”
Applications for Grant Writing Academy 101 and 201 are now open for the fall semester. The deadline to apply is Sept. 4. Visit the Grant Writing Academy webpage to learn more and apply.
By Nico Xepoleas