Grants Review - Fall 2007 Edition
Tips and Strategies for Researching Grant Opportunities
From The Office of Sponsored Programs, Teachers College, Columbia University
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:
- What potential benefits are there from this research or project?
- Who would be interested in the results of this research or project?
- What potential applications are there for this research?
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, an activity or activities 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:
- Who will benefit from this project?
- Does the project improve on existing practice at TC or elsewhere?
- Will the project produce outcomes that might be reproduced at other institutions?
- How will curriculum development or major equipment purchases improve retention and/or assist students in a pipeline to advanced study in a particular field or discipline?
- Can the institution support the program after the funding period?
Again, the key at this stage is to focus less on what you want to do with the money and more on why a sponsor might want to support a particular activity.
Grant Opportunities
EDUCATION
Department of Education – NIDRR: Research Fellowships Program
Deadline: September 21, 2007
Contact: Donna Nangle
Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW Room 6030
Potomac Center Plaza
Washington, DC 20204
Email: donna.nangle@ed.gov
Web: www.ed.gov/programs/resfel
Spencer Foundation
The National Academy of Education / Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowships
The National Academy of Education
500 Fifth Street, NW, #333
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-334-2341
Email: info@naeducation.org
Web: http://www.naeducation.org.
The Dissertation Fellowship Program is administered directly by the Foundation.
Deadline: Friday, November 2, 2007.
Contact: Carrie McGill Simkins
Phone: (312) 274-6526
Email: fellows@spencer.org.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation: Youth and Education
Deadline: None
Web: www.wkkf.org
Ford Foundation:
Programs: Knowledge, Creativity and Freedom program [Education, Sexuality, Religion; Media, Arts & Culture];
Deadline: None
Web: www.fordfound.org/program/program_main.cfm
HEALTH / MENTAL HEALTH
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - Campus Suicide Prevention Program
Deadline: October 31, 2007
Contact: Nancy Davis
Phone: 240-276-1866
Email: nancy.davis@samhsa.hhs.gov
Web: www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2008/fy2008opps.aspx
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - Campus Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment
Deadline: October 31, 2007
Contact: Tom Stegbauer
Phone: 240-276-2965
Email: tom.stegbauer@samhsa.hhs.gov
Web: www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2008/fy2008opps.aspx
HUMANITIES
2008-09 National Humanities Center resident research fellowships
Deadline: October 15, 2007
Contact: Fellowship Program
National Humanities Center
P.O. Box 12256
Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27709-2256
Email: nhc@ga.unc.edu
Web: www.nhc.rtp.nc.us/
The National Endowment for the Humanities
Web: www.neh.gov
Grants for Learning and Teaching Resources and Curriculum Development
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.162
Deadline: October 1, 2007
Phone: Division of Education Programs - 202-606-8380
Email: education@neh.gov.
Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
Digital Humanities Start-up grants
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.169
Deadline: October 16, 2007
Email: dhi@neh.gov
Hearing impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930
Challenge Grants
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.130
Deadline: November 1, 2007
Phone: 202-606-8309
Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
Email: challenge@neh.gov
Collaborative Research Grants
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.161
Deadline: November 1, 2007
Phone: Division of Research Programs - 202-606-8200
Email: collaborative@neh.gov.
Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
2008-9 Mellon Fellowships in Asian studies, history of art and visual studies, philosophy, and romance studies.
Deadline: October 1, 2007
Contact: Program Administrator
Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
Society for the Humanities
Cornell University
A.D. White House
27 East Avenue,
Ithaca, N.Y. 14853-1101
Phone: (607) 255-9274
Email: humctr-mailbox@cornell.edu
Web: www.arts.cornell.edu/sochum
2008-9 Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships for resident research at Wesleyan University's Center for the Humanities.
Deadline: November 1, 2007
Contact: Jill Morawski,
Center for the Humanities,
Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship Program,
Wesleyan University,
95 Pearl Street,
Middletown, Conn. 06459
Web: www.wesleyan.edu.chum
Library
NEH- Implementation Grants for Humanities Programs at Libraries and Archives
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.164
Deadline: January 23, 2008
Phone: Division of Public Programs - 202-606-8269
Email: publicpgms@neh.gov
Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
Web: www.neh.gov
Mathematics and Sciences
Fellowships from the National Research Council for independent postdoctoral and senior scientific research, to be conducted at participating laboratories of the U.S. government.
Deadline: November 1, 2007
Contact: National Research Council
Phone: (202) 334-2760
Email: rap@nas.edu
Web: www.national-academies.org/rap
Undergraduate Research and Mentoring in the Biological Sciences (URM)
Deadline: September 18, 2007 (Preliminary Proposal); March 4, 2008 (Full Proposal)
Contact: Sally E. O'Connor, Program Director
Phone: 703-292-8470
Email: soconnor@nsf.gov
Room 615 N
Web: www.nsf.gov
NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics(S-STEM)
Deadline: October 10, 2007 (Letter of Intent); November 13, 2007 (Full Proposal)
Contact: Duncan E. McBride, Program Director
Phone: 703-292-4630
Fax: 703-292-9015
Email: dmcbride@nsf.gov
Room: 835 N
Web: www.nsf.gov
Graduate Research Fellowship Program(GRFP)
Interdisciplinary Fields of Study
Deadline: November 1, 2007 (Full Proposal)
Mathematical Sciences; Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering
Deadline: November 2, 2007 (Full Proposal)
Social Science; Psychology; Geosciences
Deadline: November 6, 2007 (full Proposal)
Life Sciences
Deadline: November 7, 2007
Engineering
Deadline: November 8, 2007
Chemistry; Physics and Astronomy
Deadline: November 9, 2007
Contact: GRF Operations Center
Phone: 866-673-4737
Email: help@nsfgradfellows.org
Web: www.nsf.gov
PUBLIC SAFETY
The Office on Violence Against Women
OVW aims to curb violent crimes against women on campus.
Deadline: Open
Contact: Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)
800 K Street, N.W., Suite 920
Washington, D.C 20530
Phone: 202-307-6026
Fax: 202-3074-3911
Web:www.usdoj.gov/ovw/campus_desc.htm
Other
Fulbright Scholars Program
Web: http://www.cies.org/
Fulbright Programs for U.S. Scholars
Programs that offer U.S. faculty, administrators and professionals grants to lecture or do research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields, or to participate in seminars.
Fulbright Global Programs for U.S. and non-U.S. Scholars
Programs that offer joint collaborative opportunities for U.S. and non-U.S. scholars, alumni and institutions. NCS...
Fulbright Scholar Grants for Institutions
Opportunities for U.S. institutions to host Fulbright Visiting Scholars and professionals from abroad to lecture at U.S. colleges and universities.
Fulbright Programs for Visiting Scholars
Programs that support the research and teaching of visiting (Non-U.S.) scholars at U.S. colleges and universities.
Fulbright Scholar Grants for Institutions
Opportunities for U.S. institutions to host Fulbright Visiting Scholars and professionals from abroad to lecture at U.S. colleges and universities.
Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program
Deadline: Oct 15, 2007 (Applications Available: August 29, 2007.)
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: October 15, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): January 31, 2008.
Ethnic Minority and Women's Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship for Careers in Athletics
Deadline: December 6, 2007
Contact: Nicholas Castro
Diversity and Inclusion
NCAA
P.O. Box 6222
Indianapolis, IN 46206-6222
Email: ncastro@ncaa.org
Featured Foundation
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (www.mellon.org)
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation currently makes grants in six core program areas:
- Higher Education and Scholarship
- Scholarly Communications
- Research in Information Technology
- Museums and Art Conservation
- Performing Arts
- Conservation and the Environment
Within each of its core programs, the Foundation concentrates most of its grantmaking in a few areas. Institutions and programs receiving support are often leaders in fields of Foundation activity, but they may also be promising newcomers, or in a position to demonstrate new ways of overcoming obstacles to achieve program goals.
The Foundation’s grantmaking philosophy is to build, strengthen and sustain institutions and their core capacities, rather than be a source for narrowly defined projects. As such, the foundation develops thoughtful, long-term collaborations with grant recipients and invests sufficient funds for an extended period to accomplish the purpose at hand and achieve meaningful results
For more information about this Foundation, visit their web site at www.mellon.org.
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