Grant-Seeking from Private Foundations: What Investigators Should Know

Seeking external research funding is an increasingly competitive process and preparing a successful grant application can be challenging and time consuming. In addition to the many government sources of funding, private foundations can also be an important source of research support. It is important however, to recognize that foundations differ from government sources in their funding priorities; they generally tend to have more constrained resources and target their funding for more specific purposes. In this panel session, program staff from the Russell Sage Foundation and the William T. Grant Foundation—two of the nation's most prominent funders of social, political, economic and policy research—will provide an overview of foundation programs and priorities, new initiatives, and the basics of grant-seeking from private foundations. With extensive experience in evaluating proposals as part of the grant-making process, panelists will also discuss what investigators should consider when writing a grant application. This panel is designed to be especially useful for early career scholars but is also informative for more experienced investigators.

Speakers: Leana Chatrath, Russell Sage Foundation; Jenny Irons, William T. Grant Foundation