For Proposal Assistance, Please Follow Up Directly With These Highly Recommended Proposal Consultants

Rick Schumaker

Specializing in NSF proposals, as well as large-team and center-level proposals to federal agencies.

Rick served in a consultant with Academic Research Funding Strategies, providing targeted support to faculty and research teams preparing competitive federal grant proposals, particularly for the NSF. His consulting work includes proposal review, narrative development, and strategic advice for institutions pursuing large center-level, STEM research and education grants, as well as single-investigator NSF CAREER proposals. His perspective is grounded in a deep understanding of federal agency priorities and team-based proposal development.

Rick’s 25-year leadership trajectory spans program management, strategic planning, fiscal oversight, and facilitation across diverse institutions, departments, and disciplines. Rick is known for troubleshooting organizational barriers, mediating differences, and guiding teams through critical stages of project development and execution.

Rick J. Schumaker is also the Associate Project Director for Idaho’s NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) program, where he co-leads and manages large, multi-institutional research initiatives that build statewide academic capacity. He has played a central role in developing and implementing multiple multi-million-dollar projects—including a current five-year, $24 million NSF-funded initiative—focused on fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and advancing Idaho’s research infrastructure.

Rick began his academic career as a Science and Engineering Proposal Writer at the University of Idaho and previously worked on grant-funded applied watershed science projects. He holds master’s degrees in civil engineering (University of Minnesota) and environmental science (Washington State University), where he also earned his B.S. degree summa cum laude. He is currently completing a Ph.D. in Policy Evaluation through the University of Westminster, London.

His background in science and engineering enhances his ability to design and evaluate complex research projects involving multiple disciplines. Through both his statewide leadership and national consulting work, Rick is recognized for his collaborative approach, strategic insight, and commitment to advancing research excellence.

Contact: rsmbbkesh@gmail.com

Nancy Holmes

Specializing in NSF, NIH and private foundation proposals with a special emphasis on social science and education

Nancy Holmes offers 12 years of experience assisting faculty with the preparation of grant proposals across all academic disciplines, specializing in social science and education. She reviews and edits proposals for submission to state and local funding sources, federal agencies such as NSF, NIH, NEH, NASA, and USDA, private foundations including Spencer, Templeton, ACLS, and corporate entities.

Most recently, Nancy worked as a consultant for Academic Research Funding Strategies. Her prior roles at the University of Idaho include conducting social science research and serving as a proposal development specialist within the Office of Research.

Nancy participated in NSF’s inaugural Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS) Research Impact Professional training program. She holds a B.S. in Natural Resources and Communications from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in Conservation Social Science from the University of Idaho.

Contact at Holmes Consulting LLC: ncmholmes@gmail.com

Mary Paster

Specializing in Social Science and Humanities Proposals to NSF and Other Agencies

Mary Paster is Professor of Linguistics and Cognitive Science at Pomona College and previously served as a Program Director at NSF in the Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences division of the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences directorate. At NSF, she administered the Linguistics program and Dynamic Language Infrastructure - Documenting Endangered Languages, a collaborative program with NEH. At Pomona College she has served as Associate Dean of the College in charge of internal research grant administration, overseeing the college's Research Committee and IRB. She also served for several years as a journal editor. Her research, which has been funded by the Foundation for Endangered Languages and by a Graves Award from the American Council of Learned Societies, focuses on the theoretically informed description of underdescribed languages and on the documentation and revitalization of endangered languages.

Dr. Paster holds degrees from The Ohio State University (BA, linguistics and anthropology) and University of California, Berkeley (MA and PhD, linguistics).

Contact: Mary.Paster@pomona.edu