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Searching for Funding Sources

This guide explains how to search for sources of funding for research or other activities, such as travel, internships, etc.

External funding is essential for academic research to thrive. This guide is designed to help faculty, postdocs, and graduate students find and secure funding for their scholarly work. Whether you're looking for government grants, private foundation support, or industry partnerships, understanding how to effectively search for funding opportunities is crucial. We'll show you how to identify relevant funding sources across various disciplines, using both specialized databases and more generalized research tools. 

Applying for Grants

This guide focuses on strategies for identifying funding sources for university research: it does not cover the specifics of the application process. At Illinois Tech, all grant applications must be submitted through the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs (OSRP). The OSRP is responsible for managing the entire grant application process, ensuring compliance with university policies and funder requirements. For more information visit their webpage.

Approaches to Fund Searching

There are two main approaches to searching for funding sources:

  • Search current program announcements to identify those of interest.
  • Search prior research to identify likely funders.

Each of these is explained in detail in the following pages.