Keynote
The 90% Rule: Why Institutions Win Grants Before They Write a Single Word
A keynote for boards, cabinets, executive teams, and system-wide leadership convenings. Frames external funding as a structural outcome — not a writing outcome.
Watch
Dr. Lewis introduces the 90% Rule.
A short overview of the framework behind the Lewis Readiness Index™ and the case for measuring institutional readiness before the next grant cycle.
Summary
The keynote reframes the grant conversation for the people who actually set institutional priorities.
It walks through the misdiagnosis at the heart of most grant-improvement efforts, introduces the GRANTS Architecture™ as a way to see the six dimensions of institutional readiness, and gives leaders a clear frame for the decisions in front of them.
It's a working session with executives, not a motivational talk.
Who it's for
- · Boards of trustees, cabinets, executive committees
- · Presidents, provosts, deans, VPs for research
- · Academic medical center and health system leadership retreats
- · HBCU / MSI convenings, association and consortia meetings
- · Foundation and nonprofit executive gatherings
What audiences leave with
- · A working language for institutional readiness (the GRANTS framework)
- · A structural, not personality-based, view of external funding performance
- · Clarity on which conversations to have next — and with whom
- · A directional sense of where their own institution likely sits
Why Dr. Lewis
Dr. Lewis brings more than four decades of professional experience in academic, research, and institutional leadership, including nearly three decades in academic leadership across five universities. He speaks from inside the room — as a former dean, department chair, and PI who has worked through the exact structural questions the keynote surfaces.
Read The 90% Before the Proposal — Dr. Lewis's executive white paper on institutional grant readiness.
Speaker materials and sample clips are available upon inquiry.
Book Dr. Lewis
Inquire about speaking availability.
Speaking fees are discussed privately after a fit conversation. Send a brief note with the audience, date window, and format.
Grant writing is the last 10%. Organizational readiness is the first 90%.
How ready is your institution?