Transcript Slide 1

The Fountain of Funding:
Strategies for Securing Financial
Support for your Project
November 9, 2006
Lynn Fisher, Associate Professor, Sociology/Anthropology
Deb Koua, Coordinator, Grants and Contracts
Pamela Salela, Coordinator, Central Illinois Nonprofit Resource Center,
Brookens Library
Stacey Willenborg, Director of Development, Corporate/Foundation Gifts
University of Illinois at Springfield
Stacey Willenborg,
Corporate and Foundation Relations
 Find matches
 Conduct research on funders
 Set-up and attend initial
meetings
 Serve as a general resource
to help you find funding
Proposal Preparation
 Faculty and staff know their
projects best
 Tailor to your audience
 Use your contacts
 Talking points are helpful
 Ask for assistance
Deb Koua, Grants and Contracts
Services provided by G&C Office
 Identification of external funding sources
 Interpretation of sponsor guidelines and
requirements
 Assistance with all stages of proposal
development
 Official submission of proposals to outside
sponsors, including electronic submissions
through grants.gov, Fastlane, Etc.
 Assistance with protocols for research
involving human and/or animal subjects
 Assistance with intellectual property issues
 A webpage with links to relevant information,
and downloadable forms
Where to look for funding
 IRIS www.library.uiuc.edu/iris
 SPIN (coming in FY08)
 Google
 Association listserves,
funder newsletters, etc.
 Grants.gov
 Colleagues
UIS Provost Funding
 Summer Competitive
Scholarly Research Grant
Program (SCRGP)
 Strategic Academic Initiatives
Grant (SAIG) Program
 Collaborative Project Seed
Funding (CPSF)
 Scholarly Presentation
Support Program
UIS requirements for proposals & awards
All proposals submitted to
external sponsors by UIS
faculty, staff and students
require internal approval
using the UIS Internal
Clearance Form.
All awards must be officially
accepted by the campus, and
must be signed by the proper
authority.
Proposal Writing Tips
DO:
 Follow directions
 Learn as much about your
funder as you can
 Use language that is simple
and direct
 Repeat the funder’s language
back to them
 Include tables, flowcharts and
diagrams when they are useful
Tips continued …
 Proofread
 Have someone not familiar
with your work read your
proposal
 Prepare a detailed and
justifiable budget
 Talk to staff at the funding
agency if possible
 Ask for reviewer comments
Tips continued…
DO NOT:
 Go over the number of pages allotted
 Pad your budget with items that can’t
be justified
 Assume that reviewers are experts in
your field
 Wait until the last minute – to write or
to submit
 Send the same proposal off to multiple
funders
 Get discouraged!!
Central Illinois
Nonprofit Resource Center
http://library.uis.edu/findinfo/grants/index.html
Pamela M. Salela, Coordinator
Brookens Library
[email protected]
217-206-6783
University of Illinois at Springfield
Affiliations
 Foundation Center
http://foundationcenter.org
– Publications
– Training
– Reference Guide for Researchers
http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/guides/research.html
 Donors Forum of Chicago – Partner
http://donorsforum.org
– Publications
– Workshops (Chicago)
– 20% discount UIS
Resources
 Databases
– Foundation Directory Online campus only!
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/ipl.pl
– Foundation Grants to Individuals Online campus only!
http://gtionline.fdncenter.org/ipl.php
– Illinois Funding Source campus only!
http://ifs.donorsforum.org/
– Campus Only! – but… VPN client
 Reference Materials
– Directories
– Manuals
– Budget tools
Select Bibliography of Directories
 Directory of Research Grants
AS911.A2 D5
 Annual Register of Grant Support: A Directory of
Funding Sources AS911.A2 A67
 The Grants Register: The Complete Guide to
Postgraduate Funding Worldwide
AS911.A2 G734
 The Europa International Foundation Directory
HV7 .I56
Workshops
Community
Course specific
Faculty/Staff
How to get your project funded
(1 faculty perspective)
Lynn Fisher (SOA)
University of Illinois at Springfield
3 first steps in seeking external funding
 Develop a clear statement of project goals
 Find a grant program with a mission closely
matching your goals
 Demonstrate that the project is important
and present a workable plan
Finding the right funding source
 Develop a clear set of goals and an ideal
timetable for your project
 Conduct a wide search for potential
funding sources
– Bookmark IRIS and search often [auto-alert]
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/iris/
– Take time to browse the web pages of many
potential funding agencies
– Ask colleagues in your field
– Contact organizations who have already funded
your work
Match potential sources to your goals
 Read mission statements so you’re aware of
the types of projects typically funded
 Look at titles & abstracts of previously funded
projects
 Make sure the cycle of application and award
suits your plans
 Contact the program administrator with a few
sentences about your project, and ask if it is
appropriate for the particular grant program
Writing successful proposals
 Collect & read successful proposals
 Follow program guidelines carefully
 Communicate the intellectual significance
and broader impact of your project
 Demonstrate that your plan is workable:
– Present preliminary results or highlight a
previous project
– Clearly explain roles & expertise of project
personnel
 Get feedback
What to do if your project is not funded
 Read reviews carefully / ask for feedback
– Common problems:
 Project does not match grant program (topic,
scope, type of award)
 More information needed to evaluate workability
of plan (methods, budget, timetable, personnel)
 Be prepared to revise
 Add personnel? Clarify goals or methods?
Explain significance more fully?
 Seek internal funding to develop preliminary
results
 Keep trying