You have a good idea for a project. Your department head agrees, and so does your dean or unit head.
Where can you go for money to implement it? Where does money come from? Funds come from various individuals and agencies, who annually make some $600 billion available to support projects. Obviously, there's a lot of money out there to claim, and some of it can be yours if you go after it.
Various electronic and printed avenues exist for matching your interests with those of possible funding agencies. SMARTS is a state-of-the-art subscription service available through ORD to EMU faculty and staff. Customized to your particular interests and needs, it brings the latest funding opportunities directly to your email box. SMARTS is a timely, completely automatic, user-controlled delivery of programs of the sort that you indicate you wish to receive information about. Look at ORD's home page or the SMARTS Website.
Still another electronic service is SPIN, which stands for Sponsored Programs Information Network and can be reached through theSPIN Website.
ORD also maintains a library of printed references that list funding agencies. Some titles of are in the appendix under Printed Grant References and Resources....
Major Funding Sources
Several sources for funding exist. The federal government provides the most through a variety of avenues. In addition, some $8 billion come from corporations and foundations and about $54 billion from individuals. The staff at ORD can help you decide which of these areas is the best one for you to approach:
Regardless of the funding agency to which you apply, keep certain matters firmly in mind:
Know your sponsoring agency's objectives.
Determine the sponsoring program's focus.
Determine whether or not geographic limitations exist.
Identify the funding limits.
Find out when the deadline is and meet it; be aware of the length of time for the review and the date when the awards will be announced.
Determine whether or not there are any other award policies that might have a bearing on your project.
Federal, State, and Local Government Agencies
Government agency guidelines are specific, and their deadlines are exact and nonnegotiable. Lead times vary in length, and the agencies may request concept papers, preliminary proposals, or full proposals. It may be helpful for you to contact in advance the staff of the particular government agency for advice about guidelines and about the relevance of your proposed idea to the sponsor's interests.
You should inform yourself about the kind of project (general support, challenge, or seed money, for example) that the foundation you are interested in typically funds and about whether or not it favors a particular geographic area. The foundation may also prefer to support certain endeavors, like education, poverty, or at-risk youth. The type of project you are proposing dictates the foundation you approach.
In general, the major foundations look for innovative projects that address pressing national or regional problems, are capable of serving as a model or stimulus for further or related work in their general area, can be continued after the end of the funding period without the foundation's help, and are ineligible for support from governments or the investigator's own institution.
Since sources of information about foundations usually list the organization's funding interests in broad terms, it may be hard to tell whether your project falls within its range for support. You might be able to determine your proposal's possibilities for acceptance by reviewing a list of projects the foundation has previously funded or by examining its annual report. ORD maintains a file of annual reports.
If you know someone personally at the foundation, you might contact that individual about the appropriateness of your idea to their interests. Another avenue is to approach the foundation's Program Officer. In a brief letter, describe your project, stressing what is unique and innovative about it and how you think it advances their objectives.
Since foundations usually respond within a few weeks, you can draw up a list of those you feel are the most likely possibilities and approach them in order without losing much time.
National Foundations,like the Mott Foundation, have large assets and well-defined goals for using their money. They seek proposals with regional or national impact and receive many applications annually.
Corporate Foundations,of which Dow Corning is an example, sponsor projects in line with their corporate interests and usually also intend their funding to have a public-relations impact. Since corporate foundation assets are smaller than those of the national foundations, more grant limitations may apply.
Community Foundationsare really public charities. Typically, community foundation grants are smaller and are limited to efforts serving the local region. An example is the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, which supports innovative programs and projects of various sorts within the city's service area.
Family Foundations,for example, the Hartwick Foundation, support endeavors that reflect areas of current family interest or the particular founding person's interests. Family foundation assets normally are limited, guidelines are few, fewer grants are awarded annually, and the geographic area is restricted.
Special Interest Foundationssupport single fields. The Thompson Foundation, for instance, serves only the frail elderly. Special interest foundations may specify a geographic limitation, and approach is usually by letter of inquiry.
Corporations
Major corporations, like General Motors and Philip Morris, may support projects through avenues independent of their foundations. These efforts also aim to enhance public relations as well as benefit the public. The funding interests are typically diverse, and guidelines and restrictions are few.
Professional Associations
Professional organizations, like those in the sciences, sometimes sponsor specific projects for which they solicit applications from their members. Notices appear in professional journals and newsletters. Although the awards may be small, there are advantages to this kind of support. The results of the research are disseminated throughout the discipline, gain wide attention, and, as a result, can lay the groundwork for larger investigations through other, more substantial support.
Civic Organizations
Occasionally such civic groups as the Lions offer awards for particular projects. These may be publicized through journals, the media, and letters to people the organization feels might participate or are in positions to locate investigators with the desired expertise. Sometimes letters seeking applicants are sent to agencies like ORD. As these opportunities become available, the ORD office publishes notices about them.
