ways to search for funding opportunities
(Last update: 1/9/08)
Go to the UNH Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) web site for:
> 2008-2009+ DEADLINES: Ongoing and Time-Sensitive Funding Opportunities
from Federal, State, Foundation and Other Sponsors
> Funding Opportunities for Specific Groups or Needs, including grant programs for Young Investigators/Junior Faculty and grant programs for Major Instrumentation/Equipment
> Internal (UNH) Funding Opportunities
> Do a SPIN Database Search. A link for the UNH service can be found on the SPIN/SMARTS/GENIUS page of the OSR web site.
> Register for the SMARTS Notification Service - individually-tailored, e-mail notification of funding opportunities from the SPIN database. A link for the UNH service can be found on the SPIN/SMARTS/GENIUS page of the OSR web site. Assistance from OSR-PPD is strongly recommended for best results.
Go to UNH OSR Program and Proposal Development (PPD) Office [Room 104, Service Bldg.]:
>
Use the PPD Bookshelf, a physical resource library that includes NH foundation directories, directories of sponsors for specialized types of funding, and background information about sponsors
> Work directly with the Manager of PPD to identify potential sponsors and programs. This can include a search of the Foundation Directory Online.
Use grants.gov:
(As of October 1, 2003, all Federal agency competitive grant announcements are posted on grants.gov).
> Use “FIND” to search for competitive grant opportunities from all 26 Federal grant-making agencies.
> Searches can be done by key word, topic area, 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.
> For more information about grants.gov, see the OSR Grants.gov page
Use List-servs and Electronic Mailing Lists:
Some federal agencies have their own list-servs to which you can subscribe to be notified by e-mail when the agency issues announcements of funding opportunities (e.g., NSF Update, NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices (The NIH Guide TOC), etc.). Procedures to register can be found at each agency’s website. The Foundation Center's RFP Bulletin is a free e-mail service that presents upcoming opportunities from grant-making foundations.
Develop Personal Contacts:
Faculty and other research personnel are great sources of information. Find them in your own department, in your college, across the university, at professional meetings, and at other institutions. Industry representatives who attend professional meetings often can be the link to project funding from their companies. Other researchers’ c.v.’s also can yield interesting information -- Who has funded them in the past? Where do they have proposals pending now?
Check Professional Societies:
Many societies have grant programs, particularly for Young Investigators/Junior Faculty.
Look at Professional Journals:
Financial support for the research reported in journal articles usually is noted as a footnote to the title or in the “Acknowledgements” section at the end, just before the “References Cited” section.
Do Web Searches:
(google.com; ask.com; yahoo.com, etc.)
This type of search casts a broad net, with lots of incidental information to sort through, but often can be useful when other searches aren’t fruitful or to confirm that you’ve found most, if not all, of the viable sponsors for a given topic area.
> To search for all sponsors, enter a topic keyword, then semicolon, then “grants.”
> To find foundation sponsors, try using the keywords “Philanthropy + State” (State of the organization for which you are seeking funding). This yields multiple public, private, community and corporate foundations that fund work regionally; you will need to sift through the objectives of the foundations in the generated list to find organizations that fund programs aligned with your work objectives.
Use On-line Bulletin Boards, University Web Sites, Other Grants-related Search Engines:
>Some useful ones can be found on the OTHER SEARCH TOOLS AND RESOURCES page of the OSR web site.
>A search with Google or other search engine often helps you find these sites.
Purchase Subscription Notification Services and Memberships:
Services similar to SMARTS can be purchased on an individual basis from other vendors. The Foundation Center has a subscription system for access to their extensive database of grant-making foundations; the Chronicle of Philanthropy has a similar service. See the OTHER SEARCH TOOLS AND RESOURCES page of the OSR web site for links to some of these vendors’ websites.
