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Connecting you with foundation support

The Office of Foundation Relations manages relationships between CMU and the foundation community. Our staff has deep expertise in the foundation world and are ready to help faculty members secure funding for their projects.

  

For All Faculty

This page is for you! It is designed to help you understand the funding process, answer frequently asked questions about the process or our team, and explore resources and opportunities for funding. If you have a research project that requires support, but don’t have a funder in mind, you can also reach out to discuss options with your Foundation Relations representative.

Please note: Any proposals that require a budget must be approved by OSP prior to submission. All foundation grants are subject to the university’s overhead cost recovery policy.

For Early Career Faculty

Foundation Relations is excited to assist you in your new faculty role as you seek funding from private foundations. There are certain foundation awards that are targeted specifically to early-career faculty which you can view here, or by sorting the below external funding database by that attribute. Our team is available to help you as you start your CMU journey.

Please note: If you need assistance transferring an existing foundation grant from your former institution, please reach out to your CMU department’s research administrator.

External Funding Opportunities


  •  Limited Submissions - Foundation Relations also works with the Office of the Vice President for Research to manage Limited Submission funding opportunities, which are generally run through an internal competition process at the college level. Reach out to Leah Picker, director of foundation relations, with any questions about this process.

Additional Resources

Internal

External

  • CLP Main Foundation Resource Center: Provides free access to print and online resources on all aspects of managing, fundraising and grantseeking within the nonprofit sector. Also provides both free and fee-based programs on topics of interest to the local nonprofit community, and access to databases including Foundation Center and Guidestar Premium.

  • Foundation Center proposal writing short course: overview of a proposal’s standard components and the information that is required.

  • Guidestar: Free basic access allows user to search for information including organization’s full address and contact information, 990 forms, revenue and expense data for the current fiscal year, and CEO, Board Chair, and Board of Directors information.

  • Science Magazine’s guide to searching for funding: Collection of private and governmental sources of science funding.

Proposal Process

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Frequently Asked Questions

Foundations are independent legal entities set up for charitable purposes and funded by a family, a company or a group of like-minded individuals. Please note: Foundation Relations does not work with government entities like the National Science Foundation (NSF) or the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Foundation Relations does work with other nonprofits such as collaborative funders. Contact the foundation relations liaison for your college or school to learn more about this avenue of funding.

There’s never a wrong time to reach out to us! We can help you:

  • When you have seen an RFP for which you would like to submit an application
  • When you are interested in pursuing foundation funding, but don’t have a funder in mind
  • When you are contacted by a foundation or are working with a partner at a different institution who is pursuing foundation funding
  • When you are aware that a foundation representative will be on campus
  • When your current award is coming to a close, and you’d like to discuss next steps

We are here to make the process easier for you. The Foundation Relations maintains a database containing current funding opportunities that you can access. You can contact the Foundation Relations staff member who liaises with your school or college to talk about opportunities. 

Most foundations do not provide endowed funds, but please reach out to your Foundation Relations liaison to discuss.

Most foundations do not sponsor events, but please reach out to your Foundation Relations liaison to discuss.

All budgets submitted to a funder must be prepared by a business manager and approved in SPARCS. Foundation relations maintains access to a variety of foundation portals and, in those instances, we will submit your proposal for you.

The first step is to Contact your school’s associate dean of research:

Then review the Limited Submissions webpage for more information!

Email us at foundation-relations@andrew.lcsgxgy.com for assistance from our post-award team.

We are here to help! The Foundation Relations team will send you a reminder one month in advance and work with you to complete and submit your narrative report by the stated deadline. Please note: You will also need to work with your research administrator or business manager on any required financial reporting.