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federal agencies and services

 

National Endowment for the Arts
(http://www.arts.endow.gov/)

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the federal government that provides national recognition and support to significant projects of artistic excellence, thus preserving and enhancing our nation's diverse cultural heritage.

The NEA supports research on arts participation, arts education, artist employment, and other aspects of the nation's cultural life. As part of the Office of Policy Research and Analysis, the Research Division collects and analyzes information on trends and conditions in the arts. Principal areas of study are: artists, arts organizations, audiences, and the arts and the economy.

The Division periodically sponsors national surveys of arts participation. It also publishes Research Division Notes, four- to six-page summaries describing current research results and updating an ongoing information series. Publication lists are available on the Web site.

National Endowment for the Humanities (http://www.neh.fed.us)

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. It is the largest funder of humanities programs in the United States.

The Endowment's mission is to enrich American cultural life by promoting knowledge of human history, thought and culture throughout the nation. The Endowment accomplishes that mission by providing grants for high-quality humanities projects in four funding areas: preserving and providing access to cultural resources, education, research, and public programs.

NEH grants typically go to cultural institutions such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television and radio stations, and to individual scholars. The grants:

- preserve and provide access to cultural and educational resources essential to the American people;

- strengthen teaching and learning in the humanities in schools and colleges across the nation;

- facilitate research and original scholarship in the humanities;

- provide opportunities for lifelong learning in the humanities for all Americans; and

-strengthen the institutional base of the humanities.

According to the 1965 National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act, "The term ‘humanities’ includes, but is not limited to, the study of the following: language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life."

National Institutes of Health (http://www.nih.gov)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the Federal focal point for medical and basic biological research in the U.S. The NIH mission is to uncover new knowledge that will lead to better health for everyone. NIH works toward that mission by: conducting research in its own laboratories; supporting the research of non-Federal scientists in universities, medical schools, hospitals, and research institutions throughout the country and abroad; helping in the training of research investigators; and fostering communication of medical information.

The NIH is one of eight health agencies of the Public Health Services which, in turn, is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is comprised of 27 separate components, mainly Institutes and Centers.

The NIH publishes on its Web site various grants-related information, including the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. The Guide announces scientific initiatives and provides policy and administrative information to individuals and organizations who need to be kept informed of opportunities, requirements, and changes in extramural programs administered by the National Institutes of Health.

Various NIH forms may be downloaded at
http://www.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm

Standard receipt and review dates for ongoing programs can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm

National Science Foundation (http://www.nsf.gov)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting research and education in science, mathematics, engineering and technology. It does this through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements.

Each year, NSF receives approximately 30,000 new or renewal support proposals for research, graduate and postdoctoral fellowships, and math/science/engineering education projects; it makes approximately 9,000 new awards. These typically go to universities, colleges, academic consortia, nonprofit institutions, and small businesses.

The agency operates no laboratories itself but does support National Research Centers, certain oceanographic vessels, and Antarctic research stations. The Foundation also supports cooperative research between universities and industry and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

NSF funding opportunities are divided into broad program areas:

Biology
Computer and Information Sciences
Crosscutting Programs
Education
Engineering
Geosciences
International
Math, Physical Sciences
Polar Research
Science Statistics
Social, Behavioral Sciences

Funding opportunities also can be searched by these categories:

For Educators and Faculty
For Students and Post-Doctorates
Multidisciplinary and Joint Agency Programs
Small Business Programs

Information about NSF programs is compiled annually into the Guide to Programs and updated and supplemented by periodic Program Announcements and Solicitations. The Guide inclueds news about NSF programs, deadline dates, publications, meetings, and contact information for Program Officers for the various programs.

All submissions to NSF must be done electronically via their Fastlane system. Go to https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/fastlane.jsp for detailed instructions.

United States Department of Agriculture (http://www.usda.gov/)

Two agencies within the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) support university-based research:

(1) Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)
(http://www.csrees.usda.gov/)

The mission of CSREES is to advance knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health and well being, and communities. Its primary functions are:

- Program leadership to identify, develop, and manage programs to support university-based and other institutional research, education, and extension; and

- Fair, effective, and efficient administration of Federal assistance implementing research, education, and extension awards and agreements.

(2) Economic Research Service (ERS)
(http://www.ers.usda.gov/)

The Economic Research Service (ERS) is the main source of economic information and research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The mission of ERS is to inform and enhance public and private decision making on economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food, natural resources, and rural development.

The Food and Rural Economics Division conducts economic, demographic, sociological, and geographical research on policy issues of importance to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In addition to intramural research, the Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program (FANRP) funds a portfolio of extramural research topics designed to meet the critical information needs of program managers, policy officials, the research community, and the public.

Information on the competitive grants and cooperative agreements programs can be obtained from the ERS website:
http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/FoodNutritionAssistance/funding/

Grants .gov
(http://www.grants.gov)

As of October 1, 2003, all Federal agency competitive grant announcements have been posted at this site.

It has a “Find” feature that facilitates searching for information on competitive grant opportunities from all Federal grant-making agencies from one location. These agencies include:

- Agency for International Development (AID)
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Corporation for National and Community Service (Corp. for Natl. Service)
- Dept. of Agriculture (USDA)
- Dept. of Commerce (DOC)
- Dept. of Defense (DOD)
- Dept. of Education (US ED)
- Dept. of Energy (DOE)
- Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
- Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- Dept. of the Interior (DOI)
- Dept. of Justice (DOJ)
- Dept. of Labor (DOL)
- Dept. of State (State)
- Dept. of Transportation (DOT)
- Dept. of the Treasury (Treasury)
- Dept. of Veterans Affairs (Veterans Affairs)
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Food and Drug Adminisitration (FDA)
- Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
- National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
- National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
- Small Business Administration (SBA)
- Social Security Administration (SSA)

Searches can be done by topic area as well as by agency, date of publication, and other identifying parameters.

Registration to be notified automatically of future grant opportunities as they are added to the site also can be done at this site.

In the future, grants.gov will be the single portal through which applications for funding for all the agencies will be submitted.

For more information in a variety of formats, go to http://www.grants.gov/Communications

Federal Business Opportunities (http://www.fedbizopps.gov/)

FedBizOpps is the single government point-of-entry (GPE) for Federal government procurement opportunities over $25,000. Research opportunities listed in FedBizOpps also are listed at grants.gov.

CBDNet
(http://cbdnet.access.gpo.gov/)

CBDNet is the official online listing of Government contracting opportunities which were published in the Commerce Business Daily on or before January 4, 2002, when its publication was suspended. CBDNet is now an archive database which will be maintained indefinitely.

Opportunities previously published in the CBD are now available through Federal Business Opportunities (http://www.fedbizopps.gov).

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (http://www.cfda.gov/)

The CFDA lists all Federal programs available to State and local governments (including the District of Columbia); federally-recognized Indian tribal governments; Territories (and possessions) of the United States; domestic public, quasi-public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups; and individuals.

The database can be searched by a variety of parameters.

Also available at this site are several aids that provide guidance for writing of a proposal to apply for these programs.

SearchGov.com
(http://www.searchgov.com/)

This site provides links to virtually all Federal branches, departments, executive agencies, and independent agencies, as well at to State and Local government sites.

It also has links to:

SearchEdu.com (http://www.searchedu.com/) -- Over 15 million university and education pages indexed and ranked in order of popularity; Useful Reference Links; and Calculators, Constants and Conversions

SearcheBooks.com (http://www.searchebooks.com/) -- Online books

SearchMil.com (http://www.searchmil.com/) -- Over 1 million military pages indexed and ranked in order of popularity

Last Updated: 6/13/05