How to Find Funding

• An Introduction to Finding Funding
• Funders, Private and Public
• Funding Amounts: Small vs. Medium vs. Large
• Letters of Inquiry or Intent

Introduction

The general rule had always been that research with the potential for a broad impact on the public interest often appealed to public funders, while specialized research was more likely to appeal to private funders.  However, in recent years these distinctions have blurred dramatically.  Trends in funding have shifted towards larger, interdisciplinary, multi-component projects with several funders.  It is thus beneficial to explore all of your funding options, both public and private.

Researching Funders

Regardless of the type of funding you are seeking, you should always do sufficient research in advance to ensure that the objectives of your research match those of the funder. Be sure to view the section on Process before you begin.  Do this before sending out letters of inquiry or intent, and certainly before beginning to prepare the proposal.  This will save you considerable time and frustration in the long run. Articles like Lessons in Grantsmanship can also help you gain insight on the proposal process. Debunking Some Myths About Grant Writing discusses some myths surrounding this process and offers tips for sucessful grant writing results.  As detailed below, you have several options for researching funders.

OSP Program Resources Library

The NYU Office of Sponsored Programs maintains a library of materials that can help you locate appropriate funding sources.  The library’s resources are paper only.  Make an appointment with one of the staff members for expert guidance in your funding search.  If you specify your area of research, they will contact you by e-mail. The most recent 990 tax forms filed by funders may also be found at the OSP library.  All private foundations with gross receipts over $25,000 annually must file 990 forms. Such forms are valuable tools for grantseekers since they provide information on funder expenditures, assets, grantmaking, and board members.

Human Subjects Resources

The Web site of the University Committee on Activities Involving Human Subjects (UCAIHS) is designed to help you determine if your work must be reviewed and approved by the UCAIHS; understand federal regulations and NYU policies concerning human subjects in research; prepare an application for review and approval to the UCAIHS; and respond to any concerns or requested revisions the UCAIHS may request after the initial review.

Foundation Center Resources

The Foundation Center is located right up the street (79 Fifth Avenue and 16^th Street).  It offers exhaustive resources, including grantwriting assistance, public and private grantseekers’ databases, a comprehensive library, and a database of 990 tax forms. You can also access many of their resources online at www.fdncenter.org.

Web Sites With Searchable Funding Opportunities

The Illinois Researcher Information Service (IRIS)
www.library.uiuc.edu/iris
 
Community of Science
www.cos.com
 
Sponsored Projects Information Network Services (SPIN)
Spin2000.infoed.org/new_spin/spinmain.asp
Oryx
www.oryxpress.com

For 990 Tax Forms

www.guidestar.com
www.grantsmart.com
www.fdncenter.org/searchzone/990search.html

Funders, Private and Public

Depending on the nature of the request or project you have in mind, the search for private funding may entail a series of steps, or only a few. Be sure to refer to the Process section. In most cases the following fundamental matters must be considered:

Defining the Scope and Nature of the Request

After you have determined the shape of your idea for external support, further thought should be given to the fundability of the project.  Is the best strategy to pursue funding for the entire project, which may have a number of components and involve several years?  Or, is it best to seek support for an initial phase, with a later request for renewal of funds?

Different strategies may sometimes be needed for the pursuit of a project’s distinct components.  For example, you may have designed a project with a research effort at its core that should be attractive to prospective funders.  However, such a project might also contain other elements (perhaps the publication of a book or other dissemination activities) for which it may be more difficult to obtain funding.

Deciding what Written Material to Submit

Once the central funding idea is set, and you have considered which aspects need support first, you will want to think about the nature of the written material needed for different types of funding prospects. Discuss choices with chairs and staff as described in the Process section.

In order to obtain public funding you will apply to a specific agency, department or institute.  Each such governmental entity has its own specific proposal guidelines and/or process that must be followed.  Before setting out to complete a full proposal to any government agency, you should contact the program officer where you wish to apply.  You should be prepared to briefly explain (under two minutes) your idea and have a one page description that you can e-mail the officer that explains your idea.  Once you receive feedback from the program officer you should then proceed with the formal application following the school and university guidelines.   

The search for private sector funding – from foundations, corporations, not-for-profit associations, individuals – typically involves the preparation of proposals that are far shorter than those required for funding by government agencies. 

Many foundations and corporations have Web sites that describe the type of initial write-up they require, and the nature of its contents (as well as any attachments).  It is usually wise to follow these guidelines, but exceptions can be made.  For example, if you have prepared an excellent full proposal, it may be best to submit it rather than the short project description requested by the potential funder.  It may be prudent in this case to contact the funder before sending materials that deviate from what they explicitly request.

In some cases, a potential funder may wish to see only a brief concept paper describing an idea.  More often, however, the prospect – especially foundations and corporations – will ask for a letter of inquiry. The prospect may ask that the letter, usually 1 to 3 pages, briefly describe the project’s purposes, objectives, and basic operational steps, plus, perhaps, a summary budget and attachments.  The latter may include evidence of NYU’s tax-exempt status, and/or financial statements that we can obtain for you.

At other times, it may be best to proceed directly with the drafting of a full proposal. Variations can certainly be made, but the essential elements of such a piece typically include the following elements:

• Statement of the problem or need to be addressed
• List of the project's specific objectives
• Discussion of the action steps to be taken
• Description of the project team and its credentials
• Overview of the relevant department as well as the School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and NYU
• Project timetable
• Statement of the expected outcomes and impacts
• Detailed budget
• Selected attachments that will advance the presentation
  

Dawn Duncan, Assistant Dean for Development, and other colleagues can assist you in considering all of these matters, as well as questions of strategy at different points along the way.  John Johnson, Manager of Sponsored Research (Pre-Award), is available to help you in thinking about all the technical aspects of the proposal including detailed budgets, budget narratives, ect.  The Process section outlines these steps in more detail.  

Identifying Funding Sources

Besides those steps outlined in the Researching Funders section above, there are a variety of ways to identify prospective funders for your ideas and projects, both formal and informal.  It is important to be familiar with, and continuously seek up-to-date information about, the organizations and individuals that make financial contributions in your field.

Faculty members may use a variety of strategies to learn about organizations that provide funding in their field.  These include noting funders who support research and other projects as mentioned in journals and other publications, discussing the subject of external funding with colleagues here and at other universities, and through contacts made at gatherings, conferences and other events.

Faculty members may also wish to surf the web to identify potential funders or to visit the Foundation Center’s offices on Fifth Ave and 16^th Street in Manhattan.  The Foundation Center’s professional staff can provide overall guidance on how to use its materials and other resources.

The Office of Academic Affairs provides assistance with research development.  John Johnson is available to meet with you to discuss your research ideas.  He and other staff will then do a search of public databases to find funding possibilities, as well as keep an eye out for new possibilities as they become available. 

Dawn Duncan and the Office for University Development and Alumni Affairs can assist you in several ways.  The Office has a research staff available to conduct searches targeted to your funding topic. Dawn Duncan and her staff will try to identify several appropriate prospects to approach initially.  The number of potential funders that may be a suitable match for your project will vary depending on the nature of the issue, its timeliness, the sum of money requested, and the extent to which faculty members, The Steinhardt School of Education, and NYU have contacts among the prospect’s staff.

Government Agencies, foundations, corporations, and associations make their funding interests known in a variety of ways, including through Web sites, written guidelines, annual reports, or via the issuance of Requests for Proposals.  It is worth keeping track of the current and evolving interests of such potential funders as you become familiar with those that are a good match for your work.

Depending on the nature of the project, it may be possible to work with Dawn Duncan to identify individuals—particularly School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni—who will consider funding for your efforts.  Here, again, it is useful to keep her informed of research ideas so she can help make an appropriate match with an individual whose funding interests coincide with your research.   

Funding Amounts: Small vs. Medium vs. Large

Before you begin to search for funding sources, private and/or public, it is important to figure an estimate of the resources you will need for your project. Grants come in all award sizes, from several thousand dollars to millions . It is a definite concern to reviewers when the scope of the project doesn’t seem to correspond with the resources requested – either the project is too small or too large for the amount of funding available. Therefore you should first prepare a broad budget to cover the needs of the project, and that draft plan will help you decide on which funding agencies are worth your time and energy in applying. The plan will also assist you in developing a multiple proposal campaign, in which you apply to different agencies for different components of your research.

There is no set rule regarding the size of a grant or gift that should be pursued.  In many instances a small grant may provide critical support for an initiative that may be valuable in itself, or may lead to the possibility of renewed support at a much higher level.

Faculty members might require smaller levels of support:

• For projects necessitating brief initial planning, pilot field testing, or research and data collection, after which a larger project might be designed
• To prepare or finish a publication or other key document;
• For expendable scholarship or fellowship support for a few students, the full sum of which can be used during a relatively brief period of time (as opposed to an endowed fund); or
• For an effort to disseminate research or other materials to a broad audience, or for the convening of a conference or workshops on an issue or project related to your work.

Letters of Inquiry or Intent

The purpose of the Letter of Inquiry/Intent is to gauge a potential funder’s interest in your research. Always check with the program officer first – not all funding agencies require a pre-application letter. You must clear your letter with the Office for University Development before contacting a funder. For more details about clearing your letter, refer to the process section.

Guidelines may vary according to the funding organization, but letters of intent/inquiry are generally no more than two pages long, and should include the following components:

• Introductory Paragraph
• Mission statement
• Institutional history and accomplishments
• Statement of need
• Specific project
• Other funders and costs
• Timeline
• Closing and salutation