External Funding Sources
The Assistant Vice President for Academic Resources assists faculty members and administrators who seek external funding for Haverford College as an institution. Please contact him whenever you are thinking of submitting this kind of proposal.
The Director of Sponsored Research assists faculty members and administrators who seek external funding for their research. This page is directed towards such applicants, who are encouraged to contact him.
The Business Office has a sponsored research page providing information about indirect cost recovery rates, benefit rates, and useful information from the federal government on administration of grants.
Research funding is available from foundations and from the government. Some possible sources are:
Natural Scientists
- National Science Foundation
- National Institutes of Health
- Research Corporation for Science Advancement
- The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. (chemistry)
- Simons Foundation
- Charles E. Kaufman Foundation
- Sloan Research Fellowships
- American Chemical Society
- National Academy of Sciences
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
- NASA
- Department of Energy
- Whitehall Foundation (neurobiology)
Humanists and Social Scientists
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- American Council of Learned Societies
- Social Science Research Council
- Institute for Advanced Study
- American Philosophical Society (wide range of fields)
- National Humanities Center
- Russell Sage Foundation (social sciences)
- The Spencer Foundation (education)
- The John Templeton Foundation (philosophy and science, religion, policy)
- Fahs-Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation (policy)
- Smith Richardson Foundation (public policy)
- Sociological Initiatives Foundation (social change)
Depending upon the nature of the project and other criteria (such as the stage of your career, citizenship status, gender, etc.) there may be a variety of other sources of support that are appropriate to pursue. In order to determine the scope of these sources, it is a good idea to contact the Director of Sponsored Research at the beginning of your search for funding.
You may also wish to view instructions on using the search engine SPIN and tips for reviewing program announcements.
Funding Databases
A good place to identify potential funders is through SPIN. Haverford College has purchased access to this system, so it should be accessible from any computer on our network.
The Director of Sponsored Research would be happy to perform a search on SPIN on your behalf.
If you wish to use SPIN on your own, you may find the training videos helpful. Category filters and search options can help to make your search more efficient and direct.
If you wish to search only for funding from the United States government, you may also try grants.gov.
Natural scientists may wish to consult Web of Science. After performing a citation search, you can use the menu at the left to refine the results by funding agency. Please see the "Help" link or contact the Director of Sponsored Research for assistance.
Tips for Reviewing Program Announcements
In reviewing a program announcement for a potential source of funding, you might pay particular attention to:
- the source and purpose of the funding;
- any restrictions on who is eligible for the funding, which can involve geographical location or the stage of your career;
- the timing and amount of awards;
- the application requirements and deadline;
- the competitiveness of the applicant pool;
- the administrative requirements should you win an award; and
- whether or not you are invited to contact a program officer with questions.
Regarding the last item, it is a good idea to take advantage of an offer (and especially a suggestion) to contact a program officer as soon as you have a sufficiently solid idea of the project you wish to propose for funding. The program officer can help you to formulate a more competitive project, or save you wasted time and trouble if you are better off seeking funding elsewhere.
Advice, support, and review processes at the College are discussed here.