The Hawaiʻi mini-Hub will hold its first Proposal Writing and Grant Management Workshop May 29-June 1. Organizers are sharing presentation material in advance—and inviting participants to complete a small pre-conference homework assignment.
By Frankie Hayes-Ellis (Harriss)
The TCUP HUB Proposal Writing and Grant Management Workshop will convene May 29 – June 1, 2026 at the Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, bringing together faculty, staff, administrators, and grant professionals from TCUP-eligible institutions for four days of professional development focused on strengthening STEM proposal development and grant management capacity.
To support participant engagement and reduce the burden of extensive note taking during sessions, workshop presentations and resource materials are being made available here. These materials are also being shared as a broader professional development resource for those who may not be able to attend the workshop in person.
Workshop sessions will address NSF-TCUP proposal design, strategic institutional alignment, evaluation and reporting readiness, merit review, fiscal management, University of Hawai‘i grant processes, and effective grant implementation practices.
Several presentations and resources may be of particular interest to a wider audience beyond workshop attendees, including:
- The NSF/TCUP Program: Strands, Deadlines, and Other Information
- Thinking Strategically: Alignment with Institutional Goals (see also the pre-session homework)
- Elements of an NSF TCUP Proposal: Required Components, Strand-Specific Elements, and Supporting Documents
- Project Summaries: First Impressions – Effective Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts Statements
- Preparing to Write a Proposal: Goal Setting and Project Design
- Designing for Success: Building Evaluation and Reporting Readiness into Your Proposal
- Core Principles of Merit Review: Proposal Review Process
- Overview of Project Fiscal and Fund Management: Allocable, Allowable Costs, and Budget Management
- Creating a Compelling Proposal
- Sponsored Programs Special Interest Group (SIG)
- Maximum Impact, Minimum Stress: Navigating the UH Grant Process
- Grant Management in Practice: Key Processes, Pitfalls, and Transitions
- Funding Your STEM Programs
- Evaluation and Reporting: Improving Performance and Demonstrating Impact
Additionally, workshop participants and others are invited to review the Thinking Strategically Session Advanced Workshop Homework: Strategic Alignment Scan — a practical pre-session exercise designed to help participants identify institutional priorities, external drivers, workforce needs, and funder alignment opportunities that can strengthen proposal competitiveness and strategic positioning. The resource may also be valuable for faculty, staff, and grant teams across the TCUP community seeking a structured framework for early-stage proposal planning and alignment discussions.
Finally, a copy of the program’s full three-day agenda has been finalized and can be downloaded here.
The workshop reflects the continuing mission of the TCUP HUB to expand STEM capacity, networking, and professional development opportunities across TCUP-eligible institutions while fostering practical tools and resources that can continue benefiting the broader TCUP field beyond the workshop itself.
Dr. Frankie Hayes-Ellis (Harriss) heads the Hawaiʻi mini-Hub.
