Organizations needing grants for research funding have options through both the Federal government and private or foundation funding.
Research grant applications are typically some of the most demanding application to construct.
Some government agencies, such as the National Institute of Health often have what are called in the grant writing field “back story” information that may materially affect the way the grant application is written. When applying for any research grant, try to form a relationship with the program officer. That contact is found on the original RFP/RFA and can prove to be a lifeline during the process.
Research grants are offered in many areas of interest. While most people tend to think of research grants as being medically or scientifically focused, there are research categories for aviation, education, agriculture and housing, to name just a few.
Research grants may fund salaries for the research staff, materials, and occasionally even infrastructure needs. They are often targeted to schools and universities, as well as non-profits.
Research grants offered by corporations that fund development of specific processes or physical products may require that the product or process licensing rights become the property of the funder. Applicants should read the RFP/RFA carefully to assure that this provision will meet with the approval of the applicant agency’s board members.
Federal research grants are one of the few areas that may allow awards to individuals. This is particularly true of funds for doctoral dissertations. The Office of Policy and Research (a division of HUD – http://www.huduser.org/portal/about/pdrabout.html) is one source of information regarding research grants.
Keyword searches incorporating the specific focus of the desired research grant funding will often lead to links to both private and corporate funding opportunities. Even for-profit firms can be eligible for funding, and many research grants are targeted to government entities, such as agricultural research stations or city and county programs.
