Researching Grant Opportunities--Basic Tips and Strategies
In the earliest stages of
the grant development process, it helps to conceive of your research in its
broadest possible areas of application. It is extremely rare to find a
program or a Request for Proposals (RFP) that is an exact match to your
research plan; therefore too narrow a focus at this stage can lead you to
overlook worthwhile opportunities. Think in terms of potential outcomes
rather than the actual research design. Some useful questions to ask at this
stage:
These are the questions sponsoring agencies are asking when they formulate their funding guidelines, even when they seek to fund basic research. Thinking in terms of how your project addresses the needs and goals of a sponsor from the outset will help you throughout the grant development process.
On a related note, OSP often gets requests, particularly from administrators and program directors, to find funding to support a particular program or to buy or upgrade equipment. This is an unproductive way to approach grant funding. While there is funding available to support programs and program development and improve facilities, this money is distributed according to many of the same criteria as research funding. As with a research proposal, you need to think of your program development activities and equipment needs in terms of a specific project, limited in duration with specific, measurable outcomes. The three questions posed above still pertain, and there are some other questions you should keep in mind as well:
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SPIN (database search) |
The above link takes you to SPIN (Sponsored Program Information Network) a comprehensive, web-based searchable database of funding opportunities from all sources (federal, state, local, private and foreign). You must access SPIN from a computer logged on to the Internet via a TC/CU connection. The system allows you to do a quick search by keyword as you would a bibliographic or library database. The advanced search feature allows you to refine your search by specifying other criteria and has the added functionality of allowing you to save your search criteria and receive updates on a periodic basis of your choosing.
In order to take advantage of this feature, choose the "advanced search" option near the bottom of the SPIN screen. This will take you a page that allows you to specify criteria for each of 20 or so fields contained in the entries for each funding opportunity. Most of the time, you will want to do a search by keyword (the upper leftmost field). You can either do a free text keyword search, or click on "keywords" to bring up a list of words by broad subject area that the system uses to index entries. In order to bring up the most relevant "hits," we suggest also specifying criteria in the next two fields, "Applicant Type" and "Award Type." For example, if you're a faculty member doing research into the effectiveness of substance abuse intervention programs, you can use these two fields to filter out grants to non-profits to provide such intervention services.
Run the search to make sure you get results that are useful, and adjust the search criteria if you come up with too few or too many hits. Once you are satisfied with your search results, click "save search." You will be asked to provide an email address and to specify the frequency of your updates.
Other Resources
SPIN is not the best
tool available for finding foundation grants. Through Columbia University
Library's online database tools, the college now has access to the
The Foundation Grants Guide is particularly useful. It can often be difficult to decide whether or not your particular project is a good fit to a foundation's funding objectives, which are usually stated in broad terms. The Grants Guide indexes actual awards made by over 32,000 corporate and foundation givers, with fully searchable abstracts of each. This makes it much easier to determine if a given sponsor actually makes awards in your area, and can turn up unexpected resources. OSP has also compiled a list of 50 foundations to which TC faculty staff have applied for or received funding.
Graduate students, especially those of you in graduate programs, will want to check out the 2007-2008 OSP Guide to Funding for Graduate Students. The Cornell University Graduate School Fellowship Database is another convenient resource for finding funding.
Other helpful websites
for grantseekers can be accessed at the following
link provided by
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International Projects |
In recent months, there has been an increasing interest at TC to conduct international research and teacher training programs. There are two main sources of information for funding opportunities for international projects. One is the State Department's Request for Grant Proposals webpage. The other is the Institute for International Education (IIE). IIE is the organization that administers the Fulbright program, but their website contains comprehensive information on corporate and foundation funding for international research and training programs as well.