Grant Funding Course Suite

Harvard Catalyst, Harvard Medical School · Digital learning product suite · 2024–2025

Digital collage of grant-writing course product cards over a faded photograph of people working around a table, with the Harvard Catalyst logo.

Starting in 2024, I led the full curriculum on grant funding at Harvard Catalyst. The suite includes six courses covering NIH, non‑NIH government, industry, and foundation funding, plus a new standalone elevator‑pitch course. All courses moved to on‑demand delivery and redesigned for clarity, usability, and scale. Retention gains ranged from 133% to 280%.

What I Built

The suite helps researchers navigate the full funding landscape. My focus was to simplify complex processes, create reusable interaction patterns, and give learners practical tools that they could use immediately.

  • Six coordinated courses with shared design patterns and consistent learner experience
  • New activity types that model real grant‑writing and review workflows
  • Lo‑fi and hi‑fi tools for planning, comparison, and language refinement
  • On‑demand architecture that reduces operational load and scales across programs

My Role

  • Owned product strategy, experience design, and delivery across all six courses
  • Recruited and coached faculty across the suite
  • Managed budgets, timelines, LMS operations, and vendor integrations
  • Designed interaction systems reused across the curriculum

Interaction System

I designed a set of reusable interaction types that made the suite more engaging and easier to maintain. These patterns now support multiple courses and future expansions.

  • Hotspots for workplans and multi‑step reasoning
  • Flipcards for program officer guidance
  • Simulators for grant review and scoring
  • Adjusters for tailoring language to funder expectations
  • Compilers and forums for elevator‑pitch development

The Courses

Each course shares the same design philosophy: clear structure, practical tools, and interactions that work like real grant‑writing tasks. Below are the highlights that distinguish each one.

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Techniques to Writing a Competitive Grant

On-Demand Course
Harvard Medical School

A course that introduces clinical researchers to the core components of a competitive grant proposal using structured steps and self-reflective interactive tools.

  • 280% retention increase
  • Workplan hotspot, program officer flipcards, grant review simulator
  • Printable workbook for offline planning

Learn more at the Techniques to Writing a Competitive Grant enrollment page (opens in new tab).

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NIH Funding

On-Demand Course
Harvard Medical School

A course that explains NIH mechanisms, expectations, and review criteria supported by a grant‑review simulator modeled on NIH scoring.

  • Grant review simulator modeled on NIH scoring
  • Streamlined content architecture for clarity and flow

Learn more at the NIH Funding enrollment page (opens in new tab).

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Non-NIH Government Agency Funding

On-Demand Course
Harvard Medical School

A course that lays out federal funding opportunities outside the NIH and provides tools for comparing them and judging which ones fit.

  • Printable comparison table for funding sources
  • Hi‑fi interactive version for deeper exploration

Learn more at the Non-NIH Government Agency Funding enrollment page (opens in new tab).

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Industry Funding

On-Demand Course
Harvard Medical School

A course that introduces industry‑sponsored research funding and helps learners tailor proposal language to industry priorities.

  • Industry grant language adjuster

Learn more at the Industry Funding enrollment page (opens in new tab).

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Foundation and Philanthropic Funding

On-Demand Course
Harvard Medical School

A course that outlines the foundation and philanthropic funding landscape with tools for identifying leads and refining proposal language.

  • Foundation funding lead generator
  • Foundation grant language adjuster

Learn more at the Foundation and Philanthropic Funding enrollment page (opens in new tab).

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Craft an Elevator Pitch for Funding

On-Demand Course
Harvard Medical School

A course that helps researchers draft, refine, and share a concise grant‑focused elevator pitch using guided tools and peer review.

  • New standalone course created from consolidated lessons
  • Pitch compiler and peer‑review forum

Learn more at the Craft an Elevator Pitch for Funding enrollment page (opens in new tab).

Overall Impact

  • 133%–280% retention gains across the suite
  • Reduced operational load through on‑demand delivery
  • Clearer, more intuitive learning experience
  • Reusable templates and interactions adopted across programs
  • Stronger alignment between faculty, product, and engineering teams

How It Scales

  • Shared interaction patterns reduce development time for future courses
  • Lo‑fi → hi‑fi workflow now standard across the portfolio
  • On‑demand architecture supports modular expansion and microlearning
  • Suite structure can be extended to new funding topics