Developing your funding strategy

In this challenging research climate, the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (OCFR) and the Office of Research Development (ORD) have put together this summary of resources that you can use as you develop your funding strategy.

Please keep in mind that these resources are a starting point. The key to your success in obtaining funding will be developing proposal concepts that are well-aligned with a particular agency or foundation’s mission and programmatic priorities and fully addressing specific calls for proposal.

Private foundation funding

Private foundations are unique and varied, and they make grants in a variety of ways. Some regularly publish requests for proposal (RFPs) while others accept proposals via invitation only and rely on connections with program officers. Your strategy for seeking foundation funding should feature the flexibility to adapt to a variety of funders, while addressing questions in which a particular foundation shares an interest.

To jumpstart or continue your search, we have created a list of foundations that are likely to intersect with – and in many cases have already supported – Social Sciences faculty at Rice. View the list here.

See also our dedicated page for early career faculty from across disciplines.

Federal and state funding

The United States is home to 26 federal grant-making agencies, each of which has its own Congressionally mandated mission. You can find a complete list of these agencies, along with a brief description of their mission, vision, and grant program highlights, on Grants.gov. There you’ll also find a link to each individual agency’s website, where you’ll discover a plethora of information: an overview of the agency’s organizational structure; a description of its research programs; a rundown of its programmatic priorities; a database of its funded awards; and a list of current and/or upcoming funding opportunities. 

Your strategy should be to obtain a clear grasp of your target agency’s — and program’s — purpose so you can leverage that knowledge as you craft a proposal that is well-aligned with and supportive of that purpose. It’s always a good idea to draft a one-page summary of your proposed research idea, email it to your program officer, and make an appointment to talk about your idea with your program officer, as they can offer you clear guidance on how best to pitch your idea.

Our research development specialists are eager to help you through this process, and available to review, vet, and edit your proposal. To request our assistance, please fill out our request for proposal assistance form.

Our offices work together to support your pursuit of research funding across funders.

Corporate funding and engagement

The corporate relations team builds and maintains holistic, comprehensive relationships with corporate partners. These relationships include investments, sponsored research, campus engagement, and recruiting. OCFR can help you to understand what a company’s relationship at Rice looks like. They encourage individual relationships within companies and, indeed, these make up the fabric of our broad corporate partnerships. They do ask that faculty — particularly new faculty — let them know when you are approaching a company or meeting with a new contact within a company. In so doing, OCFR can share with you what the current relationship looks like so that you are more knowledgeable going in, and so that we can be coordinated and strategic in our approach with that company.

Resources

Research Funding Opportunities bulletin

These offices partner to offer a monthly email with a wide range of funding opportunities, as well as call-outs for resources, special events, and other useful information. Faculty are automatically added to the recipient list for this bulletin. Research administrators and other research-adjacent members of the Rice community who would like to receive the bulletin can email ocfr@rice.edu.

Pivot-RP

Pivot-RP is a global database of open research funding opportunities from foundations, corporations, and governmental sources. To create an account, visit pivot.proquest.com, click "Use login from my institution," select Rice University, and then follow the prompts to claim your pre-populated profile or create a new one. Once you create a profile, you can find, track, and share funding opportunities, save searches, and set up automatic alerts.

Halo

Halo is a platform developed specifically to connect companies to university researchers to work on projects that address urgent needs. These projects are specific and range from $25K - $200K generally, but they can lead to broader relationships and continued partnership. Halo releases RFPs monthly. You can sign up for regular updates and access is free and open to anyone who creates an account.

“Grants are relational. Foundations need information to help channel ideas. Conversations with foundations are an important way to relay this information. Start small and build up.” – Flávio Cunha

Attend a Social Sciences Faculty Funding Panel

Associate Dean for Research Pat Delucia coordinates an ongoing series of panels that feature faculty who present their funding strategies for federal, state, and foundations. Hearing directly from experienced faculty about strategy and tactics provides key insights to draw upon as you shape your own approach.

Contact us

Members of these teams welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss specific funding opportunities or your funding strategy as whole. They can also review your proposal drafts and provide edits and suggestions to help strengthen your message and explain your project and goals in an organized and compelling manner. In addition, they can help you to brainstorm broader impacts-related ideas and connect you with other offices on campus that you may want to include in your proposals. Furthermore, they can help to connect you with faculty and researchers in other schools, departments, centers, and institutes who might have interests that complement your own.

Tanya Karamchandani, PhD
Senior Research Development Specialist, Office of Research Development (ORD)
Office Phone: 713-348-3790
Email: Tanya.Karamchandani@rice.edu

Ted Walker
Senior Associate Director, Foundation Relations, OCFR
Office Phone: 713-348-5037
Email: tkw1@rice.edu

Leah Aschmann
Director, Corporate Relations, OCFR
Office Phone: 713-348-4361
Email: leah.aschmann@rice.edu