GRANT Writes

Fall 2025 marks a decade of CSU Writes supporting research writers across campus. We are deeply grateful to the thousands of writers who have participated in CSU Writes events, supported one another, and helped build a professional research writing community of excellence at CSU.

Grant Writes is a series of co-sponsored, co-developed offerings for CSU faculty, postdocs, researchers, and graduate students. 

Each semester Grant Writes offers a variety of options–from drop-in writing sessions to workshops and retreats. In the Spring semesters, Grant Writes emphasizes NSF Career projects. For those writers who seek NSF funds from non-deadline divisions, you can use GRANT Writes to set your own deadlines to get the proposal submitted.

CSU Writes partners with resident experts to provide low-stakes grant writing support and feedback. Our partners include such avid writers as Dr. Stu Tobet of Biomedical Engineering, Dr. Jeff Wilusz of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Dr Izabela Ragan of Biomedical Sciences, and the OVPR’s Research Acceleration Office. 

We have supported CSU researchers and scholars write successful grants, from NIH-R01 to NSF-Career, DARPA, USDA, Boettcher, and other granting agencies.

SPRING 2026

GRANT 1-Day Intensive Retreats | IN-PERSON

8:30am – 4pm | Morgan Library 173

FEB 27

APR 24

CSU Writes and the Research Acceleration Office (RAO) partner to support CSU writers of NSF, NIH, and other grants.  These retreats are open to all grant writers at CSU.

Each GRANT retreat will feature a guest presenter.

In-person writing retreats provide faculty, postdocs, and research writers with the time and community to make progress on their manuscripts and proposals. This one-day retreat is a great place to limit semester distractions to focus on a project for 5+ hours on a Friday. CSU Writes’ monthly retreats help participants produce more and with greater ease over the semester.

Coffee/tea and healthy energy snacks provided. Participants will receive information via Outlook Calendar about what to expect and how to prepare.

Register for GRANT retreats

Early Career Grant Program (registration opens early February)

CSU Writes and Research Acceleration Office (RAO) Collaboration

Offerings to support multiple types of proposals

Note: select offerings are designated for NSF-Career; however, participants can work on proposals from other agencies and funders.

  • Webinars: Program, Sentence-Level, Early-Career Writing, and NSF Career 
  • Retreats: GRANT and FACULTY Writes retreats to prioritize proposal generation.
  • Special Topics Training with RAO
  • Working Groups: NSF-Career draft and review groups
  • Special Reviews with RAO
  • Weekly Check-Ins for accountability

Event Schedule

Grant Writing Overview – Early Career Focus
 
Webinar TBA
Webinar TBA
 
APRIL
APR 24  | 9am-12:30pm (optional working session 1-3:30pm) | Morgan Library 173 | Retreat: GRANT Writers: Guest Presenter: TBA

Previous GRANT WRITES Offerings

FALL 2025

CSU's NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

October 6, 4-4:50pm, ZOOM

Open to all junior/senior undergraduates and graduate students interested in applying for the NSF GRFP. 

SPRING 2025

Early-Career Grant Program

CSU Writes and Research Acceleration Office Collaboration

Offerings to support multiple types of proposals

Note: select offerings are designated for NSF-Career; however, participants can work on proposals from other agencies and funders.

  • Webinars: Program, Sentence-Level, Early-Career Writing, and NSF Career 
  • Retreats: GRANT and FACULTY Writes retreats to prioritize proposal generation.
  • Special Topics Training with RAO
  • Working Groups: NSF-Career draft and review groups
  • Special Reviews with RAO
  • Weekly Check-Ins for accountability

Event Schedule


 
 
JUNE
MON-WED, JUN 2-4, 8:30-4pm | Retreat for Early-Career FACULTY (in-person)