Axe ’Em, Jacks!
The two best resources for finding external sponsors include:
- Contact our office. We subscribe to various list servs and receive notifications from agencies about upcoming funding programs.
- Search the PIVOT funding database. Pivot combines the most comprehensive, editorially maintained database of current funding opportunities worth an estimated $33 billion. SFA faculty and staff are encouraged to register for an account. Pivot's proprietary algorithm then matches your customized profile with funding opportunities and potential collaborators.
We also provide PIVOT training to individual faculty and staff, to department meetings, and to classrooms. While students are not able to have an account, graduate students can search for fellowship opportunities.
Evaluating Funding Opportunities
Once a potential funding agency and/or program has been identified, ORGS staff will help you review program guidelines and proposal application materials. Before starting the proposal writing process, you need to determine if the opportunity fits your needs, if the proposal can be completed by the deadline, and if SFA is an eligible applicant.
ORGS staff will assist you in determining what required proposal information is already available, what documents/forms ORGS can complete, and which proposal items are developed by the PI/PD.
Evaluating opportunities
To determine if a funding agency announcement is appropriate for your project, consider the following
areas:
- Applicant eligibility requirements (SFA is an institution of higher education, a state agency, and a non-profit but not a 501 c3)
- Agency funding priorities and geographic limitations
- Timeline for the project
- Allowable expenditures and average award
- Cost-sharing or matching requirements
- Type and extent of reporting requirements
- Possibilities for subsequent funding
Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Applications (RFAs) and Program Announcements (PAs) are solicited proposals that normally include representations and certifications to be completed and executed by the University and may include contract terms and conditions.
For opportunities that require submission by a 501 (c)3, contact the Office of Development which can submit applications on behalf of the SFA Foundation.
Federal Grant Resources
Many grant-related subscription listservs are open to anyone. Grants.gov offers a listing of opportunities by federal agency. In addition, most federal agencies post grant information and grant guidelines on their individual websites.
Some of the federal sponsors SFA receives funding from most frequently are listed in the next section.
Seek federal funding
- Grants.gov – searchable databases of most federal funding announcements
- Department of Education (ED) and ED Application, Management, & Closeout Grantmaking at ED
- Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
- Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
- Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS)
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Forest Service (USFS)
- Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystems Study Unit (GLNFCESU) - facilitates grant applications to federal agencies for member institutions with a reduced IDC rate of 17.5% MTDC.
- Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystems Study Unit (GCCESU) - facilitates grant applications to federal agencies for member institutions with a reduced IDC rate of 17.5% MTDC.
- Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
- National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
- National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the NIH Grants Policy Statement: Nov 2016
- National Science Foundation (NSF) and NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, (PAPPG – most recent 10.4.2021)
State Grant Resources
Many state agencies post grant information and grant guidelines on their websites, and some offer listservs for grant notifications. The website, Texas egrants, allows you to search many state agency funding announcements.
Some of the state sponsors SFA receives funding from most frequently are listed in the next section.
Seek state funding
- Texas egrants – search many state agency funding announcements
- Under “Eligibility Category” select option 4a – Higher Education-Public
- Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA)
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
- Texas Comptroller
- https://comptroller.texas.gov/programs/natural-resources/research/calls-for-proposals/ - funds research on species that are petitioned or listed under the federal Endangered Species Act
- Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT)
- Texas Education Agency (TEA)
- Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)
- Texas Historical Commission (THC)
- Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD)
- Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC)
Private Grant Resources
If you seek cash gifts designated for any type of research, unrestricted cash gifts, or donations of equipment and other non-cash items used in research, contact the Office of Development.
If you seek private grant funding from individuals, foundations, and/or corporations, contact ORGS for assistance. Note that some foundations limit the number of applications that can be submitted from an institution, so coordination is essential. Also, some proposals are best submitted by the SFA Foundation rather than the University. ORGS will work with the Office of Development to make that determination.
For help finding potential sources of private grants, contact:
Office of Development/SFA Foundation
936.468.5406
Development Staff
PIVOT is an excellent resource for finding private sponsors.