Part I: Research

Any project being considered for grant funding can be researched by two criteria:

1. Project feasibility: the issue being researched is, “Is this project ready for grant funding?” A project is ready for grant funding if:
   • A firm project description is in place, including goals and measurable objectives set in place to reach those goals;
   • There is a strong and definable need for the project. This is separate from the project description. The need must be defined by both statistical and narrative facts;
   • A solid evaluation strategy is in place. This evaluation must be a two part process. One part examining the project’s ability to reach overall broad goals, and the second part examining the project’s ability to achieve activity and task related goals;
   • A track record is in place that proves results from prior evaluations are being considered, and that needed revisions are being applied to the program as appropriate;
   • The project shows a clear alignment with the institutional strategic plan and signatures;
   • A defined budget is in place, and a plan for integration of the added funds into the existing budget is in place;
   • Leadership is in place to manage the project, and the grant if obtained;
   • Partnerships and referrals are being used, so as not to duplicate services or activities. Letters of Partnership or Memorandums of Understanding have been obtained from any regular partners, referring agencies, or institutions.

   It is necessary for project leadership to research the above areas to determine if the project they are creating or considering seeking grant funding for is ready to market to grant makers.
   
   

2. Prospective grants: the question being researched is, “Who is interested in the key focus areas of this project?” 

• What subjects does the project touch? Develop keywords to be used in conducting formal research. There may be many key words. For example, consider a trip to a West African village, where the mission is to decrease the number of people who become infected with Malaria.
  • At first glance this project obviously touches on disease prevention and health care issues. Looking deeper, the root causes of the problem the project is trying to impact relate to poverty, economic sustainability, proper water maintenance and storage, housing, community empowerment, environment, micro-economy, literacy, community education and project research into the population being served.
• Who will fund the project? There are two main ways of answering this question:
  • First, research contacts and/or project partners at other institutions and organizations. This research may bring up leads of types on grant makers who are interested in the project.
  • Secondly, conduct formal research using keywords and phrases related to the project, as developed above.

Some formal research steps to take:

• If you are searching for funding for a particular project and have some long-term goals, please alert Susan Gallagher, Director of the Center for Scholarship and Faculty Development and Laura Lundahl, SPU Grant Writer. They will keep an eye out for possible resources as they come through their offices.

• Regularly check The Chronicle of Higher Education and your professional journals and newsletters for grant announcements.

• The weekly e-newsletter Fridays @ the Center regularly posts grant opportunities of interest to faculty across the disciplines.

• SPU’s Office of Corporate, Foundations and Major Gifts: Suggestions of funding sources are available at http://advance.spu.edu/corporations/sources.asp

• The Grant Advisor Plus can be accessed through on-campus computers at http://www.grantadvisor.com/tgaplus. This service includes a monthly grant advisor newsletter, containing 20-25 full program reviews and over 300 listings of grant and fellowship programs, organized into eight academic divisions (fine arts, humanities, sciences, social sciences, education, international, health related, unrestricted/other). Faculty can also conduct on-line database searches by area and keyword, access over 200 links to funding sources, and consult The Grant Works, a series of articles providing advice and tips for grant seeking.

• The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and Philanthropy Northwest:  University Advancement subscribes to these and other search tools, and faculty may search these from a computer located in the Walls Advancement Center.
  • Please contact Kathryn Mier (mierk@spu.edu) in the office of Corporate, Foundation and Major Gifts in University Advancement if you wish to drop by and search these databases on your own.  
  • Research Request: To submit your project to be researched by the University Advancement researcher Phil Pletcher, please fill out the faculty profile form (click here) and send it to SPU’s grant writer, Laura Lundahl at lundahl@spu.edu. Please type, “Research Request” in the subject line. You will then be contacted to discuss options.