Categories of Funding and Funders

The most common sponsors are government agencies, foundations (independent, community, or family), and corporations. In addition, some professional organizations, universities, and other non-profit organizations have small grants programs that may be open to application.

Most sponsors fund only certain project categories, and so the first step in seeking funding is to define your project according to the terminology used by funders. Some of the most common designations are listed below:

TYPICAL AWARD	PROJECT TYPE MECHANISMS	TYPICAL SOURCES
Applied research	Contract; restricted grant	Government; corporations; special-interest foundations
Basic research	Restricted grant	Government; special-interest foundations
Capital (buildings and major equipment)	Restricted grant; challenge grant; gift	Foundations; government; individuals
Conference/seminar	Restricted grant; sponsorship	Government; foundations; special-interest corporations
Creative product (art, music, literature)	Restricted grant; grant to individual	Government; foundations
Curriculum development	Restricted grant	Government; foundations; professional organizations
Degree program planning/ implementation	Restricted grant; challenge grant; gift	Foundations; government; individuals
Endowment	Gift; restricted grant; challenge grant	Individuals; foundations; government (rare)
Fellowship	Restricted grant; in-kind services (e.g., housing); grant to individual	Foundations; government; professional organizations
Field research	Restricted grant	Government; foundations; professional organizations
General operations	Unrestricted grant; gift	Individuals; foundations
Pilot studies	Restricted grant	Government; foundations; professional organizations
Program enhancement	Restricted grant; gift	Government; foundations; individuals; corporations
Scholarly research	Restricted grant	Government; foundations; professional organizations
Technical assistance	Contract; cooperative agreement	Government; corporations
Training/professional development	Restricted grant	Government; professional organizations; foundations
Travel	Restricted grant	Professional organizations; foundations; government

Lydia Petersson
Mary Baldwin College