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Funding can help you take your SciComm platform to a whole new level. You can use it to develop your brand further, expand your influence, and engage with a wider audience. The question is- how do you get it? Is it the same process as applying for business funding?

In her last interview on the GradBlogger podcast, Niba from NotesByNiba explained how and why you should rebrand your SciComm website. Now she shares tips for acquiring the funding that can increase your exposure and momentum.

Securing funding for your SciComm platform

Niba said that brand deals are typically offered to those with a strong, unique presence and sizable following. She recommended that you start out by negotiating smaller deals yourself after getting advice from other science communicators who have already been through the process.

“See what numbers they ask for and how they justify the rate (and) the amount of content. Then establish a baseline of what the market standard is. There are a lot of calculators and resources available online for you to input your information and your metrics and figure out how much you’re worth.”

Niba also recommended a bit of soul-searching. Why do you want this brand deal? Is it for the money? Is it because you want to be able to say, “I’ve worked with this person?” She pointed out that the opportunity to work with a particular organization or influencer is worth more than the money.

“Brand deals are a tricky thing to navigate, but for establishing good negotiation practices, I highly recommend an 80-page book called Getting to Yes,” Niba said. “It’s absolutely amazing. It talks about how you can look at the quantitative things that go into negotiation and how you can find options that will mutually benefit the two of you.” 

There are three principle ways that brands can find and work with affiliates:

  • In-house, with people who are already known to them
  • Networking
  • Working with agencies who have access to potential affiliates

Whichever way they find you, Niba has a key piece of advice: “Don’t promote stuff that you don’t care about. Don’t promote stuff just because they’re giving you money, because people will find out eventually and you don’t want to deal with that PR nightmare.”

Mentors and investors are especially beneficial during the earlier stages of your journey.

Mentors provide critical feedback about your work and someone is there to guide you when you have questions or need clarity about something. When Niba received a fellowship from the STEM Advocacy Institute, she worked with an excellent mentor who gave her critical feedback about her work. 

“I cannot emphasize how amazing they are and how much they’ve helped me navigate not just the growth of my own work, but also in terms of understanding where I fit into the larger model of communications and science communications and journalism.”

In addition to the STEM Advocacy Institute, Niba recommended the following organizations and initiatives for those seeking mentorship and funding:

There may also be options available at your university or within a network that your university belongs to. Many high-profile science organizations like NASA, which has summer internships for video, print, web, and even Snapchat. Some listservs will publish funding opportunities and calls for proposals as they become available.

I think it helps just narrowing it down by what you’re interested in and what your medium and target audience are,” she explained.

If you apply for grants, Niba recommended talking to the professors involved in the application process and seeing if you can provide a science communication service to them, whether it be editing a video or creating a social media campaign.

“A lot of professors are starting to move into the realm of using Twitter or using websites and that sort of thing. A couple of them have had me help with their websites and a couple of them have had me help with editing their multimedia at the end. I wish almost that I had reached out more in the beginning,” she said. 

Although every application is different, the framework is generally the same.

What is the problem that exists? What service do you provide and how does it seal known gaps? “Having a vague outline or even just a dump with the information for each of these points is pretty helpful as you start applying to many things,” Niba said.

When asked about her future plans, she laughed, “Well, I’m taking my own advice here. I’m going to be starting an internship at Stanford shortly: I will be doing some YouTube work and creating some cool content for them. I’m pretty stoked about it because it’s going to be a chance to get an inside look of what higher education at that level does. I love building my own brand and doing stuff there, but I want the chance to learn more about how other people are doing their own stuff from a variety of places.”

If you have questions about funding applications and opportunities for your SciComm platform, you can find Niba at her website, Notes By Niba. You can also reach her on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Do you have any funding tips or resources to share? Questions about how to make most of each application? Leave us a comment below!