Funding Sources, Tools, and Protocols
PI (Principal Investigator)
- Discuss your proposal/project idea with your Chair or Dean. Consider logistical and cost sharing requirements of your project, including course release, facilities, equipment, technology and other needs, as well as ongoing support they require.
- Begin the search for sponsors using funding search tools and information from colleagues, collaborations and conferences/journals.
- Notify OSP or RICF of potential grant deadlines as early as possible. Proposals must be submitted through one of these offices, as determined by the nature of your project. The appropriate office must be notified of your intent to meet a grant deadline to ensure a timely submission.
- Institutional approval is required for ALL funding proposals, whether submitted through OSP or RICF.
OSP (Office of Sponsored Programs)
- Research, identify, and inform faculty of potential funding opportunities in areas of institutional priority and faculty expertise. Sponsors may be public agencies or private foundations.
- Support faculty in identifying potential funding and securing institutional approval. Assist in program development, as appropriate.
- Build relationships with other academic institutions and external agencies to expand RIC's opportunities for collaborative research and program funding.
- Remain knowledgeable of public and private funding trends to help faculty take advantage of new areas of opportunity.
- Collaborate with RICF wherever possible to expand funding opportunities from a full range of sources.
- Submit grant applications with an academic focus when a RIC-associated faculty/staff member(s) identified as the PI(s) is conducting research, implementing a program, and/or undertaking a specific project with deliverables. The project supported by funding generally has a term.
PIs are encouraged to search for funding opportunities utilizing the following resources:
Federal Opportunities
GrantForward
GrantForward at www.grantforward.com is a search engine dedicated to helping institutions and individuals find grants to fund their research.
- GrantForward covers more than 15,000 sponsor sources to provide a comprehensive database of more than 64,000 funding opportunities linked with over 3,000 pre-solicitations and 1.3M funded awards that continues to grow with the most up-to-date information.
- GrantForward’s powerful search system helps to lessen the hassle of searching for grants with advanced search filters and specialized search features.
- GrantForward researcher profiles allow researchers to highlight their research achievements and interests to receive personalized grant recommendations for grant opportunities that match their research needs.
Grants.gov
Grants.gov is the Federal portal for all grant funding opportunities. Anyone can search Federal agencies by keyword or CFDA number, or sign up for email alerts based on similar criteria.
Funding in the Sciences
Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC)
RI STAC as an agency of the CommerceRI maintains a funding opportunity section on its website that is updated weekly.
ScienceCareers.org
The sciencecareers.org funding search tool is a specialized service for those in the sciences seeking funding information.
PIs are also encouraged to consider the following funding opportunities, provided through committees and grants.
Committee on Faculty Scholarship
The College, through its Committee on Faculty Scholarship (CFS), makes grants for research and development projects conducted by full-time faculty. Funding for these awards is provided through generous support of the college and RICF. Please visit the Committee on Faculty Scholarship page more information, application instructions and deadlines.
Reassigned-Time for Scholarship, Creative Endeavors, Public Service and/or Applied Research
Through an Agreement between the RIC/AFT and the Rhode Island Board of Governors of Higher Education, the Administration provides at least 48 faculty load hours per semester for the purpose of reassigning faculty from direct teaching responsibilities to specific and approved projects. These projects involve scholarship, creative endeavors, public service, and/or applied research (including, but not limited to, research on student performance). Please visit the Faculty Resources page for more information and application instructions.
Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)
The RI EPSCoR program, funded through a National Science Foundation (NSF) statewide grant award and supported by the RI Science & Technology Advisory Council (STAC), provides funding to local colleges and universities to encourage new and innovate science projects and research. Rhode Island College hosts an internal competition for faculty summer fellowships with its share of EPSCoR funds. Information and application instructions for the fellowship program are typically announced in the spring of each year through the College Briefs weekly email bulletin. Interested parties can also contact Anabela Resende Da Maia to see if funding is available.
Idea Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE)
The RI-INBRE program, similar to EPSCoR, is a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded grant to stimulate innovative biomedical and behavioral scientific research in the state of Rhode Island. While Rhode Island College does not host an internal competition for these external funds, interested science faculty should contact Jaime Towle-Weicksel to see if funding for new investigators is available.
- Engage in an open, transparent process with all information (dates, award amounts, eligibility, reporting requirements, etc.) made public;
- Issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) or other announcement for specific areas of research or types of programs that address identified priorities of the agency;
- Provide application and administration information through program officers, who may limit the information given personally due to the public nature of the process;
- May have one deadline, or a multi-year program with recurring application dates;
- Allow indirect costs at specific negotiated or capped rates to offset operating and administrative costs of the grant. Cost sharing may be required;
- Pay awards through a cost-reimbursement process (managed at RIC by the Grant Accounting office); and
- Require a more formal, research-driven proposal writing style.
- Range in size and scope from small local foundations (<$50,000 grants) to large international foundations making multi-million dollar awards;
- Provide differing levels of information, depending on their size and resources. The only required public information is IRS tax filing known as Form 990 (available on GuideStar.org);
- RFPs typically issued by large foundations only. Stated funding priorities determine awards, with eligibility determined by geography, subject area, program type, and other factors;
- Are more dependent on personal, often long-term, relationships and information to establish credibility of the grantee and proposed project;
- Have different deadlines, ranging from rolling to quarterly to annual;
- Typically pay the grant award at the start of the project. May have minimal accounting requirements. Multi-year grants may require reports before releasing continuation funds;
- Reporting requirements may be minimal. Reports or follow-up letters should be sent annually at minimum, even when not required, to develop and maintain the long-term relationship that can enhance credibility and improve chances of long-term funding.
- Typically do not allow, or allow only minimal, indirect costs in the budget request. Are more likely to require cost sharing, particularly for operating costs such as space, technology, etc.
- Require a more informal and personal writing style.
This fund was established in 2008 by Anne '66 and Bob DeStefano to provide funding for student undergraduate research. Students are selected by a faculty committee on the basis of the academic merit of faculty/student proposals. In 2011, the DeStefanos agreed to increase their endowment to support the entire undergraduate research program. In acknowledgement of their generosity, the fund is now referred to as The Anne and Bob DeStefano Undergraduate Research Program
Awards typically range from $50 to $500 and are made each semester. The award process is administered by the College Honors Program. Application information is available through the College Honors Program
Application information is available through the College Honors Program.
