Funding Resources - External Funding Resources

Northwestern's research community should utilize all potential resources to expand the breadth and depth of the University's research base while furthering the University's goal of conducting innovative research. The below links represent a sampling of major funding sources.

Resource/Topic	Description
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)	OMB is a federal agency that assists in the development and implementation of budget, program, management and regulatory policies.
Northwestern	Subscriptions to several on-line funding resources available to Northwestern researchers.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)	NIH is one of the world's foremost medical research centers and the federal focal point for medical research in the United States.
National Science Foundation (NSF)	NSF funds research and education in science and engineering, through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. NSF accounts for about 20 percent of federal support to academic institutions for basic research.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)	USDA funds are provided to researchers to address national problems and needs related to agriculture, the environment, human health and well being, and communities.
Department of Education	The US Department of Educations offers grants for educational research.
Department of Energy (DOE)	DOE is one of the largest sponsors of basic and applied research and development in the United States. DOE provides funding and support to researchers in academia, other government agencies, non-profit institutions, and industry.
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)	DARPA is the central research and development organization for the Department of Defense. DARPA manages and directs selected basic and applied research and development projects for the Department of Defense and pursues research and technology for traditional military roles and missions.
The Army Research Office (ARO)	ARO's mission is to seed scientific and far reaching technological discoveries that enhance Army capabilities. Basic research proposals from educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private industry are competitively selected and funded.
The U.S. Office of Naval Research	ONR coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the United States Navy and Marine Corps through schools, universities, government laboratories, and nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
The U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)	AFOSR continues to expand the horizon of scientific knowledge through its leadership and management of the Air Force's basic research program. AFOSR accomplishes its mission by investing in basic research efforts for the Air Force in relevant scientific areas.
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Director's Innovation Initiative	NRO's Director's Innovation Initiative (DII) program is designed to identify technical and scientific solutions to problems challenging the NRO in the 21st century. The DII program is designed to provide initial feasibility funding to a wide range of ideas, with the goal of transitioning the most promising ideas to other NRO offices for further development and potential acquisition.
National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineers, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council	The National Academies brings together committees of experts in all areas of science and technology. These experts serve on a pro bono basis to address critical national issues and give advice to the federal government and the public.
Department of Justice (DOJ)	DOJ offers funding opportunities to conduct research, to support law enforcement activities in state and local jurisdictions, to provide training and technical assistance, and to implement programs that improve the criminal justice system.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)	The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities.
The Commerce Business Daily	Grants.gov allows organizations to electronically find and apply for competitive grant opportunities from all federal grant-making agencies.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)	The online Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance gives you access to a database of all federal programs available to state and local governments (including the District of Columbia); federally -recognized Indian tribal governments; territories (and possessions) of the United States; domestic public, quasi-public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups; and individuals
Agency for International Development (USAID)	USAID works throughout the developing world in support of U.S. national interests, and solicits creative new approaches to development problems
State of Illinois	Provides easy access to Illinois agencies, boards and commissions
Grants Net	On-line resource for information for funds for training in sciences and undergraduate science education
Community of Science (COS)	COS is the leading global resource for hard-to-find information critical to scientific research and other projects across all disciplines.
Illinois Researcher Information Service (IRIS)	IRIS offers three Web-based funding and research services: The IRIS database of federal and private funding opportunities in all disciplines The IRIS Alert Service TThe IRIS Expertise Service