Funding Opportunity Resources
The University provides access to numerous online funding resources (see below) for Northwestern researchers. These resources house a tremendous number of funding opportunities and provide powerful ways to search them. If you have questions about using any of the following tools, Northwestern researchers can contact:
Resource Categories
Limited Submissions Competitions
Limited Submissions competitions are those which limit the number of applications Northwestern can put forward in either a preliminary or full proposal stage. The Limited Submissions process is managed by the Office of Research Development.
Pilot and Feasibility (Seed) Funding
The Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) offers a comprehensive listing pilot and feasibility (seed) funding resources at Northwestern and the region. Generally, these programs fund the early stages of research. Some opportunities are restricted to members of a specific center or institute.
Physical Sciences - Oncology Center Request for Proposals – Pilot Project Program
Release date: March 16, 2011
Proposal submission deadline: May 17, 2011
The Northwestern University Physical Sciences - Oncology Center, one of 12 national centers funded by the National Cancer Institute, is focused on research organized under the umbrella theme of “Coding, Decoding, Transfer and Translation of Information in Cancer”. The Center’s website www.psoc.northwestern.edu presents comprehensive information on the Center’s work and mission.
As part of its charter, the NU-PSOC awards funding for 1 to 2 pilot projects each year to researchers with innovative projects, closely aligned with the central research mission of the Center. Selected projects will be funded for one year up to $100,000 direct costs per year with the possibility of competitive renewal for a second year. Applications will be solicited annually.
Funding for Instrumentation Grants
For inquiries about funding for instrumentation grants, please consult the Office for Research webpage on Shared and Core Facilities to determine whether the instrument you are considering is already available in an existing facility or whether it might make sense to propose placing it in one of them. If you would like to discuss these options or other possibilities, please contact Philip Hockberger, Director of Core Facilities.
Comprehensive Search Engines
SciVal Funding™ - Subscription (Free to Northwestern Campus)
Innovative web-based tool to help you find new opportunities.
Find the right funding opportunities
• Search and browse comprehensive, accurate and current funding opportunity content.
Analyze the funding environment
• Access award database; learn what publications are linked to the funding programs, find collaborators and learn about potential competitors.
Tailor the alerts to your personal profile
• Receive targeted funding recommendations and alerts based on pre-populated research profile.
A large funding database that contains awards from the government, philanthropic, and industrial sectors in all fields, email notifications can be sent daily, weekly, or monthly.
A large funding database that contains awards from the government, philanthropic, and industrial sectors in all fields, email notifications can be sent daily, weekly, or monthly.
InfoEd SPIN - Subscription (Free to NU faculty/staff/students with NetID)
A large funding database that contains awards from the government, philanthropic, and industrial sectors in all fields, email notifications can be sent daily, weekly, or monthly.
GrantSelect - Subscription (Free to NU faculty/staff/students with NetID)
Updated daily, more universities, community colleges, libraries, K-12 school districts, community nonprofits, researchers, and individuals are turning to GrantSelect for its extensive list of funding opportunities and flexible pricing. Offering more than 10,000 funding opportunities and the largest collection of sponsored research opportunities, GrantSelect is the most effective and comprehensive tool available for any grant seeker.
We offer a complete funding opportunities alert service for researchers, including every opportunity in every discipline that you can apply for. From stem cells to fuel cells, you can rely on us to ensure you never miss out on funding again.
Thompson Publishing Group's GrantsWire - Subscription (Free to NU faculty/staff/students with NetID) Contact ORD for username & password
GrantsWire is a new tool to get reliable grants information, providing the subscriber with all of the just-released grant opportunities of federal agencies and foundations. Weekly email digest available only through paid annual subscription.
Grant Advisor Plus - Subscription (Free to NU faculty/staff/students with NetID)
Grant Advisor Plus - the on-line information service for grantspersons and faculty in higher education. Our service is designed exclusively for U.S. colleges and universities, and their faculty. We provide subscribers with a monthly newsletter and with listings of grant and fellowship opportunities for their institutions and faculty.
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Federal and Local Government Search Tools
Official federal grants and contracts search site, provides weekly email service.
The Most Powerful Federal Bid Alert System Available! The single government point-of-entry for Federal government procurement opportunities over $25,000. You can search, monitor, and retrieve product and services contract awards, procurement invitations, and subcontracting leads solicited by the Federal government.
See also: Federal Business Opportunities, a direct link with limited search capability (Free)
A weekly email compilation of new research opportunities from across the NIH
A daily news bulletin of new programs and findings from the NIH.
Recent publications in the "NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts" relevant to Behavioral and Social Science Research compiled and distributed by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research.
A daily email alert service with subscription options that include new research opportunities, upcoming deadlines, and other content categories.
An electronic Subscription Service available to obtain notification of the release of NASA research solicitation announcements.
Funding opportunities from CDC that are available to members of the sponsoring associations: Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) and the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR).
A list of all open announcements, not an automated search site.
The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. To subscribe to the Federal Register Table of Contents LISTSERV electronic mailing list, go to listserv.access.gpo.gov and select Online mailing list archives, FEDREGTOC-L, Join or leave the list (or change settings); then follow the instructions.
Serves as a resource and provides general information pertaining to funding opportunities of interest to the non-profits serving the citizens of Illinois.
Access to links to current Federal funding opportunities at various Federal agencies for faith-based and community initiatives.
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Foundation Resources
The Office of Foundation Relations is Northwestern's central office in support of fundraising from private professional foundations. The Office of Foundation Relations is available to work with Northwestern faculty who are planning to approach private foundations. We provide research information on foundations and identify those that might be interested in funding particular projects. We review proposals and letters of inquiry, provide editorial assistance, and help gather materials for submission. Our office also works closely with the Office of Sponsored Research to coordinate grant proposals and process awards.
Note: The Office of Foundation Relations is responsible for coordinating approaches to all foundations on behalf of Northwestern University.
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Foundation Relations maintains an RFP database that lists both current and past funding opportunities from private foundations.
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To initiate a search to identify foundations that might be interested in funding your project, complete a research request form. This service is only available to members of the Northwestern University community.
Philanthropy News Digest posts requests for proposals (RFPs) submitted by grantmakers every day. Each RFP listing provides a brief overview of a current funding opportunity offered by a foundation or other grantmaking organization. You can subscribe to RFP Bulletin, a free listing of new RFPs delivered weekly by e-mail by visiting the Newsletters page.
Foundation Finder offers basic information on grantmakers in the U.S. including private foundations, community foundations, grantmaking public charities, and corporate giving programs.
Provides comprehensive data on 80,000 U.S. foundations, corporate giving programs, and grantmaking public charities, and a database of a half million recently awarded grants. Print and CD-ROM available at no charge at the Evanston Public Library and Donors Forum of Chicago.
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Corporate Resources
A listing of current funding opportunities from Northwestern’s corporate partners.
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Domain Specific Resources
Funding (Federal and private) information for pediatric research and research at children's hospitals and affiliated research institutes.
It includes nearly 500 funding opportunities related to biomedical and behavioral sciences, with a special emphasis on researchers in the developing world and their collaborators. An addendum listing 100 grants specifically for short-term travel and externships.
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Research Administration Organization Resources
For: government funding and resources, general research administrator resources, private funding information, policy information & regulations, SRA international foundation list.
Grant Spy does the legwork for grant seekers in non-profits, government agencies, schools, police and fire departments, special districts, and other public organizations across the nation, so that they can spend less time searching for funding and more time writing proposals.
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Trainee Funding Resources
Information regarding internal fellowship competitions, including deadlines, eligibility, and length of award may be found on this page.
An electronic/email resource to find funds for training in the sciences and undergraduate science education supported by HHMI and AAAS.
A weekly email alert of postdoctoral and graduate student funding opportunities.
Largest source of local, national and college-specific scholarships with personalized scholarship matching. Search and compare colleges, find colleges with scholarship money, tools and tips to help you pay for college, and jobs and internships for students.
The premier financial aid, college scholarship and international scholarship resource for students wishing to study abroad. At this site, you will find the most comprehensive listing of grants, scholarships, loan programs, and other information to assist college and university students in their pursuit to study abroad.
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PK-12 Funding Resources
Your one-stop site for PK-12 school grant opportunities.
Here you will find information about PK-12 funding opportunities, as well as helpful links, downloads, research, and other resources.
The Grant Wrangler Bulletin is a bi-weekly newsletter delivering the latest grants and awards for K-12 schools directly to your email box.
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Internal Grants Program
The University Research Grants Committee (URGC), a faculty committee administered by The Graduate School, reviews proposals from faculty for support of research and creative arts projects. University Research Grants are intended to support the research and creative projects of faculty in fields for which there is little or no external funding or start-up money available. Awards are restricted to faculty in Divisions II and III (social sciences and humanities) of the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Communication, the School of Education and Social Policy, and the School of Music. Regular full-time faculty, including tenure-track or tenured faculty at the assistant professor level or above, professional library staff members, and Artists in Residence or lecturers with continuing appointments are eligible to apply.
Northwestern Memorial Foundation Research and Education Grants Initiative
The Northwestern Memorial Foundation Research and Education Grants Initiative has one cycle per year with a deadline in the summer varying annually. Applicants may apply for 1 of 3 categories of grants. The three categories of grants are: the Priority Research Initiatives, Innovation Awards, and Young Investigator Awards. The Priority Research Initiative Awards are for 3 consecutive years with a budget of up to $500,000 per year, the Innovation Awards are for a 12-month period with a budget of up to $50,000, and the Young Investigator Awards are for a 12-month period with a budget of up to $25,000. Each award category may have certain restrictions. The program's top priorities are to provide limited-term "seed support" to new and/or junior investigators while they develop outside funding sources, to support pilot projects which are likely to lead to expanded studies with external funding, and to encourage research areas which advance patient care in keeping with the Northwestern Memorial Health Care (NMHC) mission and strategic plan. Northwestern Memorial Hospital and other affiliated staff (medical, dental, nursing, and administrative); junior investigators; fellows and residents with a faculty co-PI; and other associated community agency staff are eligible. Approximately 10-15 awards are made annually. Application packets will be emailed directly to all Medical Chairman, the Medical Staff Office, NMH Senior Management, NMH Directors and NMH Managers. Northwestern Memorial Foundation is located at 676 N. St. Clair St., Suite #2050, Chicago, IL, 60611.
Questions should be directed to the Northwestern Memorial Foundation (NMF) at (312) 926-2033 or to the NMF Grant Making Associate at (312) 926-9170.
IBNAM-Baxter Early Career Development Award in Bioengineering
The Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine (IBNAM) at Northwestern University seeks applications for a special program that supports young researchers in bioengineering.
The IBNAM-Baxter Early Career Development Award in Bioengineering provides up to two years of funding for postdoctoral fellows working in the field of bioengineering. The research must be interdisciplinary and dedicated to accelerating medical discovery and scientific collaboration in clinical medicine, engineering, physical sciences, and life sciences. Applicants must be recent doctoral recipients and one (or more) Northwestern faculty member(s) must sponsor each Early Career candidate. IBNAM is particularly interested in projects that will utilize the institute's core facilities in the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center, http://www.ibnam.northwestern.edu/facilities.html.
The submission deadline is April 30, 2011, and the earliest start date for fellowship funding is August 1, 2011.
The IBNAM-Baxter Healthcare Corporation partnership began in 2002. Baxter funds the program, which is administrated by IBNAM.
For more information on this funding opportunity, go to http://www.ibnam.northwestern.edu/ibnambaxter.html. Submit applications to ibnam-careers@northwestern.edu. Direct any questions to Kathy Burgess, Assistant Director for Administration at IBNAM, at (312) 503-3246 or k-burgess@northwestern.edu.
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Regional Grants Programs
The Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC)
The CBC (supported by The Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust) stimulates collaboration among scientists at Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Chicago that will transform research at the frontiers of biomedicine. The CBC offers three types of grant opportunities for investigator teams from two or more CBC institutions: Catalyst, Spark, and Lever.
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Awards-Made Databases
The resources below provide links to search for abstracts of funded grant proposals.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Health Services Research Projects in Process (HSRProj)
Institute of Museum and Library Services
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Recent Grant Awards
National Institutes of Health (NIH) RePORT
National Science Foundation
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Current Research Information System
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD): Congressionally Directed Medical Research
U.S. Department of Education (ED)
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Foundation Center 990-PF Search (foundation grants awarded)
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