Finding Funding

How Do I Find Grant Funding?

Grant funding for your work can come from a variety of local, regional, national, and public, and private sources. Below are some funding search engines and funding opportunity lists that may help you identify new sources of funds.

Grantsmanship Series: Finding Funding
In this professional development session you will learn about the different types of grant funding available and how to find specific grant opportunities, including an introduction to Foundation Directory Online and Pivot. The session will also include a discussion of how to evaluate a funding opportunity for "fit" with your project and a brief summary of key challenges you should be aware of as you look for funding opportunities. The session is a recording of a live session that was offered on July 16, 2020. Handout (PDF)

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Deal or No Deal?

A critical part of successful grant seeking is making sure you pursue only those grant opportunities that are a tight fit with your project, personnel and timing. The Deal or No Deal (PDF) handout is a tool you can use to consider the key questions that will determine whether a particular grant opportunity is worth pursuing or not.

Resources Provided by MU

Pivot Funding Opportunities Database: Provides a comprehensive database of federal and private funding opportunities and an expertise database to help you identify potential collaborators within MU. The website also allows users to set up automated funding alerts based on keywords and areas of interest. Pivot is a subscription service provided free of charge to all faculty and staff by the MU Office of Research.
Major funder list: Explore an extensive list of major funding sources, such as the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
MU Limited Submissions: In some cases, sponsors limit the number of applications an organization may submit and require the organization to determine which application(s) will be submitted. The list is hosted on InfoReady (link above) and you must follow the application procedures. Update notifications are delivered through the OSPA listserv.

Other Resources

Philanthropy News Digest

Publishes foundation requests for proposals (RFPs) and notices of awards from foundations as a free service for U.S.-based grant-making organizations and nonprofits. At this link, users can search open RFPs and sign up for weekly email alerts.

Philanthropy News Digest

MoCAP

Although MU faculty and staff are not eligible for MoCAP’s technical support and consulting services, you can still join MoCAP’s mailing list to receive a monthly email of federal and private funding opportunities in health.

MoCAP mailing list

Grant Station Insider

A free weekly list that highlights a handful of national, regional and federal grant opportunities in a wide variety of funding areas (e.g., health, youth development, conservation, etc.). Users can sign up for a weekly email or view the current edition of Grant Station Insider.

Grant Station Insider

Local Funding Sources

There are also sources of funds that exist at the community level. Look around your community for the following types of organizations that may provide grant or philanthropic funds:

Local companies (e.g., Dollar General, Aldi, Wal-Mart, local banks)
United Ways (e.g., United Way of Southeast Missouri)
Service Clubs (e.g., Lions, Rotary, women’s clubs such as Impact 100 Ozark and Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund)
Fraternal Associations (e.g., Elks, Shriners)
Junior Leagues (e.g., Junior League of Springfield, MO; Junior League of Kansas City)
Faith-based groups