  We surveyed 113 astronomers and 82 psychologists active in applying for
federally funded research on their grant-writing history between January, 2009
and November, 2012. We collected demographic data, effort levels, success
rates, and perceived non-financial benefits from writing grant proposals. We
find that the average proposal takes 116 PI hours and 55 CI hours to write;
although time spent writing was not related to whether the grant was funded.
Effort did translate into success, however, as academics who wrote more grants
received more funding. Participants indicated modest non-monetary benefits from
grant writing, with psychologists reporting a somewhat greater benefit overall
than astronomers. These perceptions of non-financial benefits were unrelated to
how many grants investigators applied for, the number of grants they received,
or the amount of time they devoted to writing their proposals. We also explored
the number of years an investigator can afford to apply unsuccessfully for
research grants and our analyses suggest that funding rates below approximately
20%, commensurate with current NIH and NSF funding, are likely to drive at
least half of the active researchers away from federally funded research. We
conclude with recommendations and suggestions for individual investigators and
for department heads.
