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Funding from Federal Agencies
Funding from federal agencies is often seen as the holy grail of research funding. Faculty are able to secure larger amounts and often garner more prestige for these awards compared to foundation and internal awards. However, federal funding is very competitive, so make sure you have built a solid research history and publication record from smaller sources of funding before pursuing federal funding.
Funding from Foundations
Funding from foundations may serve as a source of pilot funding or replace traditional federal funding. It is particularly important when seeking foundation funding to understand the mission and agenda
of that foundation. Some foundations have very narrow interest or
are managed by a small board or family structure. In these cases, you often must be invited to submit a proposal or have a “connection.” Other foundations function much like federal grant agencies and have competitive funding opportunities. Note: At FAU, access to support related to foundation funding is managed through two separate but related entities: Sponsored Programs and University Advancement. Contact your college’s research administrator or dean if you need guidance in navigating foundation funding.
In the meantime, check out these resources for foundation funding:
• Grant Forward
• FAU Foundation Relations
Funding in the Humanities
Research funding of interest to university faculty in the humanities is most often focused on scholarly research, which differs, in most cases, from funding for the technical disciplines and the social and behavioral sciences. There is also a distinction between funding for institutions
with a humanities-related mission focus (museums or other cultural institutions), and programs that seek funding to promote the humanities to a wide public audience or advance it through teacher training (like funding from the NEH or the U.S. Department of Education.) Funding for scholarly research in the humanities is distributed widely across a vast number of institutions such as museums, libraries, collections, centers, archives, associations, endowed programs and institutes. Note: some humanities grants are paid directly to individuals while others disburse funds to the institution; review the funding announcement carefully for these distinctions.
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