Familiarize yourself with the websites of federal funding agencies or grant-making foundations that share your research interests. Search through their websites to identify potential funding programs and make a note of relevant proposal submission deadlines. Read white papers published by funding agencies or foundations, looking for valuable insights into their research priorities, ongoing projects and funding strategies.

If you’ve already received a grant, you can consider applying for supplemental funding. Some federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), allow you to apply without writing a new proposal.

Differentiate Federal Funding Agencies

Learn key differences between federal funding agencies, identifying their distinct priorities, funding mechanisms and application processes.

• Primary Differences between NIH and NSF Proposals [PDF]
• Federal Grant-Making Agencies (grants.gov)

Align with Federal Funding Priorities

Position your research objectives for upcoming funding opportunities by regularly reading funding concepts and advisory council meeting minutes posted online by national institutes and centers.

Research Program Managers

Look up the program managers responsible for overseeing funding initiatives within relevant funding agencies or foundations. Study their areas of research interest, perspectives and expertise.

Explore Funding Further

Many agencies and foundations offer informational webinars, white papers and online resources that provide useful insights for researchers seeking funding. Search the website or social media pages of the funding organizations you are interested in or start with some of the links below.

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Resource Center
• Department of Energy (DOE) National Lab Day Webinar Series
• Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) On-Demand Webinars
• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Upcoming Events
• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) YouTube Channel
• NIH VideoCast
• NSF Webinars/Webcasts
• NSF Policy Outreach Resource Center
• NSF YouTube Channel
• Voices From DARPA Podcast

Look at Funding Success Rates

Scanning publicly available funding data can help you better understand how funding is allocated and gauge your chances of receiving funding.

• NASA Grant Stats
• NEH Review Process
• NIH Success Rates
• NIH RePORTER Active Projects
• NSF Funding and Support
• Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Publications

Take steps to proactively identify potential collaborators and strengthen your professional networks.

Use Researchers@Brown

Find relevant colleagues in Researchers@Brown and contact those whose interests align with yours and who may be candidates for potential future collaborators. Make sure your own Researchers@Brown profile is updated with your latest research interests, expertise and contact information so that potential collaborators can find you.

If you're seeking collaborators from institutions outside of Brown, reach out to RSD for help making external connections.

• Search Researchers@Brown
• Researchers@Brown FAQ
• Request Potential Collaborators

Get an ORCID

ORCID, which stands for Open Researcher and Contributor ID, uniquely identifies authors and contributors of scholarly communication. RSD recommends all researchers at Brown obtain an ORCID to ensure their publications are up to date in the University’s researcher database and to streamline the tracking and management of their scholarly output. Contact the Brown University Library for assistance setting up an ORCID.

• Brown University Library: Research Identifiers and Profiles
• About ORCID

Brown University offers a variety of resources to help researchers strategically develop research funding applications, including connections with local schools through the Annenberg Institute, community engagement and outreach services, a bimonthly Research Notes newsletter and professional webinars offered through Workday.