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Guides

The following guides provide advice for finding funding in certain disciplinary areas. Some of these guides are legacy information from the GrantSource Library and may be slightly out of date, although their high level advice is often still good. Many guides from the previous website have been consolidated under “Grants for Individuals, Compiled by Michigan State University Libraries.” If you cannot find your subject area elsewhere, expand that entry to view a list.

Audience:
 
 
 
Disciplinary Area:
 
 
 
 

Diabetes Research

Audience: Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Scholar, Faculty and Staff
Disciplinary Area: Health and Medical Sciences

Funding guide for diabetes research.
View Guide

Federal Funding Opportunities

These funding opportunities include initiatives and programs from the following agencies:

Listed below are the funding web pages for individual NIH institutes that support research on or related to diabetes:

Non-Federal Funding Opportunities

Sponsors include:

To Find More Funding Opportunities

Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses

Audience: Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Scholar, Faculty and Staff
Disciplinary Area: Arts and Humanities, Health and Medical Sciences, Life and Physical Sciences, Social Sciences

A funding guide for entrepreneurial and small business research and development funding information, resources, and services for UNC-Chapel Hill researchers and other community-based innovators.
View Guide

For Research and Development Entrepreneurship at UNC-Chapel Hill

If you are a UNC-Chapel Hill faculty or staff member working with a spin-off company or small business, the following university offices are available to assist you in your search for funding for entrepreneurial or small business research and development.

  • Office of Technology Development facilitates commercialization of University research through protection and licensing of intellectual property and innovations developed by Carolina researchers. OTD provides education, mentoring and intellectual property management for entrepreneurial faculty and assists in managing intellectual property obligations in corporate sponsored research and licensing partnerships.
    • Starting a Company: OTD information for entrepreneurs interested in starting a company based on UNC-Chapel Hill technology.
  • The Center for Sustainable Enterprise offers objective research and analysis, strategic planning and engagement support that helps community leaders and their businesses create sustainable economic future.
  • Office of Commercialization and Economic Development KickStart Award Program provides business and technical expertise to university start-up companies in translational and clinical sciences and facilitates the commercialization of the intellectual property developed by North Carolina’s public universities.

For All North Carolina Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses

North Carolina Funding Information, Services, and Resources:

  • Business Link NC provides access to an array of programs and services available to support NC businesses.
  • Council for Entrepreneurial Development provides education, mentoring, and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through training programs on entrepreneurial management and finance.
  • National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) offers scholarships for continuing education and grants to help established businesses.
  • NC OpenBudget lists NC state government grant and financial assistance programs and awards made. Search by granting agency, recipient, program, and location of the recipient.
  • NC Biotechnology Center supports biotechnology research, business, and education and works to strengthen the research capabilities of the state’s companies and universities. Its resources include:
    • Funding Gateway, a one-stop shop for biotechnology funding information.
    • NC Biotech Center’s funding programs for research, education, technology development, business, event support, regional development, and grant training.
  • NC Small Business and Technology Development Center provides management counseling and educational services to small and mid-sized businesses throughout NC.
  • NC Small Business Guide provides access to federal, state, and local information that helps business owners successfully start and operate while staying compliant with laws and regulations.
  • One NC Small Business Program reimburses qualified NC businesses for a portion of the costs incurred in preparing and submitting Phase I Proposals to the Federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program.
  • Small Business Administration (SBA), NC District Office, is responsible for the delivery of SBA programs and services to all 100 counties in NC.
  • Small Business Center Network provides resources and services for existing and prospective business owners in NC.
  • The Institute is a nonprofit management consulting and services firm focused on business diversity and provides counseling for current or aspiring minority and women business owners and training on various business-related topics.

 

Federal Funding Information, Services, and Resources:

  • Grants.gov is the central source to find and apply for federal grants. You can search by “eligibility type” for small business funding, or set up an email subscription to receive alerts of new opportunities.
  • FedBizOpps lists all federal contracting opportunities that exceed $25,000, including major solicitations, contract awards, subcontracting opportunities, and other procurement information.
  • Small Business Innovation Research lists SBIR/STTR solicitations, federal agencies that have SBIR/STTR programs, and where to find help in NC and other states.
    • SBIR/STTR Links for Federal Agencies includes small business resources and opportunities from National Science Foundation and National Institute of Health, and the departments of commerce, defense, education, energy, and other federal agencies.
  • U.S. Small Business Administration, along with various lending partners, offers a number of financial loan programs addressing the needs of small businesses. (Note: The SBA does not offer grants to start or expand small businesses. Those grant programs that SBA does offer are primarily designed to expand and enhance organizations that provide small business management, technical, or financial assistance.)
  • Your U.S. Senator or Congressman’s office can be a good source of information and help in exploring contracting opportunities with the federal government.

Foundation Funding Information, Services, and Resources:

Although most foundations do not fund for-profit entities, a few do. A good place to search for foundation funding is your local public library, which likely has resources on starting and maintaining a business, usually in the business section, reference, or non-fiction sections. Some suggestions for looking up these resources include searching under terms like entrepreneur, small business, and management.

The Foundation Center, a national nonprofit services organization, has some useful resources such as:

Program-related investments (PRIs), most commonly loans to for-profit or nonprofit entities for purposes closely related to a foundation’s funding interests, are offered by a small number of foundations. For more information see:

General Information:

Melanoma Research

Audience: Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Scholar, Faculty and Staff
Disciplinary Area: Health and Medical Sciences

Funding guide for melanoma research.
View Guide

Federal Funding Opportunities

These funding opportunities include initiatives and programs from the following agencies:

  • US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command funds casualty care and operational medicine research. (*When you open this link, your web browser may inform you that the “connection is untrusted.” This security alert is common when accessing Department of Defense websites; you may safely accept the connection and access the website.)
  • National Institutes of Health

Listed below are the funding web pages for individual NIH institutes that support research on or related to melanoma and skin cancer.

 

Non-Federal Funding Opportunities

Sponsors include:

  • Alex’s Lemonade Stand offers grants designed to fill critical voids in current pediatric cancer research.
  • American Association for Cancer Research offers research fellowships, grants, and conference travel awards for cancer researchers at various stages in their careers to foster the development of the most promising scientists.
  • American Cancer Society, the nation’s largest private, not-for-profit source of funds for scientists studying cancer, focuses on investigator-initiated, peer-reviewed proposals for research grants and health professional training grants.
  • American Skin Association distributes more than $3.5 million for awards, grants, laboratories, and professorships in skin diseases, including melanoma and skin cancer.
  • American Society for Dermatologic Surgery funds cutting-edge research of specific relevance to dermatologic surgery and/or cutaneous oncology.
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology offers funding for oncology research, fellowships, and mentored training and career development.
  • Cancer Research Institute funds research aimed at furthering the development of immunological approaches to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer.
  • Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation encourages the nation’s most promising young investigators to pursue careers in cancer research by funding research awards and fellowships.
  • Dermatology Foundation offers career development awards, fellowships, and grants that are intended to advance the early research efforts of individuals in dermatology and cutaneous biology.
  • Elsa U. Pardee Foundation funds seed grants for innovative small-scale, short-term cancer research projects by young or new investigators.
  • International Union Against Cancer provides international fellowships for continuous professional education in a variety of disciplines through work and training abroad.
  • Melanoma Research Foundation offers senior and junior research grants, emphasizing projects that explore innovative approaches to understanding melanoma and its treatment.
  • National Cancer Center funds a limited number of pre- and post-doctoral fellowships to provide training and experience in molecular genetics and the cellular aspects of cancer biology and tumor immunology.
  • Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research provides research grants to young cancer researchers to support the improvement of the basic understanding of cancer biology and the development of new methods for the prevention and treatment of cancer.
  • Skin Cancer Foundation provides funding for basic research, clinical studies, and educational programs related to skin cancer.
  • Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary sponsors promising research into the causes of disease as well as possible treatments and cures.
  • Worldwide Cancer Research supports fundamental research into the causes, mechanisms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer.

To Find More Funding Opportunities

Stem Cell Research

Audience: Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Scholar, Faculty and Staff
Disciplinary Area: Health and Medical Sciences

Funding guide for stem cell research.
View Guide

Federal Funding Opportunities

These funding opportunities include initiatives and programs from the following agencies:

Non-Federal Funding Opportunities

Sponsors include:

  • Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy funds research aimed at furthering the development of cell and gene therapy approaches to the treatment of cancer.
  • Alliance for Lupus Research offers funding for research into Lupus treatments and possible cures.
  • ALS Association supports innovative research of high scientific merit in stem cell research, disease mechanisms, therapeutic approaches, model systems, and genetics.
  • amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research funds research relevant to the role of gene therapy in the eradication of HIV infection.
  • Chronic Granulomatous Disorder Society seeks innovative research opportunities targeting the cause, inheritance, management, and a cure for this primary immunodeficiency.
  • Cooley’s Anemia Foundation offers research fellowships to clinical and basic science investigators interested in research related to Cooley’s anemia.
  • Fanconi Anemia Research Fund provides grants for efforts to find effective treatment and a cure for Fanconi anemia.
  • Hereditary Disease Foundation offers support for research projects that will contribute to identifying and understanding the basic defect of Huntington’s disease.
  • Immune Tolerance Network funds novel clinical trials and the development of tolerance assay or mechanistic studies.
  • Johnson & Johnson funds basic research in the field of cell therapies directed at diabetic or cardiac disorders.
  • Joslin Diabetes Center brings individuals with unique and interesting perspectives to study broad areas of type 1 and type 2 diabetes and related complications in collaboration with Joslin faculty.
  • Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation offers a wide variety of grants in diabetes research.
  • Jerome Lejeune Foundation undertakes research for the treatment of Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome).
  • McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience funds work in the application of basic research to human brain injury or disease.
  • Motor Neurone Disease Association funds research into the causes, treatments and prevention of MND.
  • National Fragile X Foundation supports a broad range of research endeavors that will lead to better recognition, treatment and an eventual cure of fragile X syndrome.
  • National Marrow Donor Program sponsors outreach programs and research to improve the understanding and outcome of unrelated marrow and blood cell transplantation.
  • Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation provides grants for research directed at understanding the cause of Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease.
  • Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) funds research on Prader-Willi Syndrome.
  • Scleroderma Foundation supports the development of innovative and high quality research by new investigators in fields related to systemic sclerosis and scleroderma, including related stem cell biology.
  • United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (UMDF) is committed to finding cures for mitochondrial illness. UMDF realizes that new, aggressive research for rare disorders is often not underwritten by federal grants and seeks to fund such grants that will forward the cause of research into mitochondrial diseases.
  • Walther Cancer Institute funds collaborative translational cancer research within or between WCI-affiliated institutions and investigators and the Institute’s basic, clinical, and behavioral research programs.
  • National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association funds innovative research projects likely to generate strong preliminary data in the area of neurodegenerative disorders affecting the central nervous system.
  • Wellcome Trust funds research into human pluripotent stem cells as part of a joint program with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
  • World Community Grid invites organizations to apply to use its powerful grid technology at no cost for projects that benefit humanity, including research on genomics and disease.

To Find More Funding Opportunities

Funding for Graduate Student Internships and Practica

Audience: Graduate Student
Disciplinary Area: Arts and Humanities, Health and Medical Sciences, Life and Physical Sciences, Social Sciences

A funding guide for graduate student internships and practica.
View Guide

General Tips and Strategies

Timing

  • Starting early is very important. Don’t wait until the details of your internship or project are finalized to begin searching for funding opportunities. Many applications will not require you to have a detailed timetable or budget, but rather to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the work and potential as a future employee in the field.
  • Be aware of lengthy turn-around times—deadlines can fall far in advance of the funding start date.

Be aware of the situation

  • Portable (i.e. unrestricted) funding for internships and practica is limited. That means most funding available specifically for internships will require the applicant to become an intern at a site chosen by the sponsor.
  • Most student funding is in the form of scholarships/fellowships, research grants, dissertation awards, or for travel related to research or study. There is little funding specifically for unrestricted travel or for internships/practica.
  • Typically most internships and practica are self- or internally-funded, or supported in part by the internship/practica sponsor.

Be resourceful

  • Check with your school, college, department and other organizations that have a vested interest in the project or in you as a scholar and professional.
  • Take out additional student loans if possible or shift your current student loan use to allocate money for your internship or practicum. You can also seek additional scholarships for ongoing study or research and use that money to repay yourself for money that was reallocated for your experiential education.
  • Save, save, save.
  • Fund-raising—ask friends and family to help you raise funds via donations, a special fundraising event, or some other way not involving an application process. Apply for program funding with yourself as a budget item rather than individual funding:
    • If you find an award that requires the applicant to have 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and does not fund individuals you may be able to apply through Carolina (since the university has nonprofit status) using a faculty member as the Principal Investigator (PI) and yourself as co-PI.
    • If you partner with a nonprofit organization interested in your work they may be able to act as the fiscal agent (receiver and administer for grant funds) for a foundation grant. If they are successful in procuring funding, your stipend, travel, and/or project funding will likely be considered budget items.

Internal Funding Resources

  • Carolina Internal Funding Database provides information on internal sources of funds available from various units at UNC-Chapel Hill. Search by applicant type to view all funding opportunities available for graduate students or by award type to see travel, study abroad, or other types of funding. You can also search by deadline, sponsor, or keyword. However, you can only search by one data element at a time.
  • Center for Global Initiatives (CGI) offers funding opportunities designed to help increase access to global education opportunities for individuals, groups, and disciplines traditionally underrepresented in such intellectual pursuits. Review CGI’s Awards and Fellowships page for details on funding opportunities that support field research, international internships, conference participation, pre-dissertation travel, foreign language training, and more.
  • Carolina Center for Public Service supports scholarship and service that are responsive to the concerns of the state of North Carolina and contribute to the common good. Review their website for information about the Public Service Scholars Program, fellowships, public service awards, and other opportunities that support public service in North Carolina and beyond.
  • Office of Scholarships and Student Aid offers information on need based, non-need based and external scholarships and resources for Carolina students. Review available opportunities found under “Types of Aid.” Information on funding specifically for Travel/Study Abroad can be found under “Applying for Aid.”
  • University Career Services provides a list of internal and external funding opportunities and resources for students who are pursuing internships and other forms of experiential education.
  • Carolina Economic Revitalization Corps This program selects 5 returning graduate students to carry out economic revitalization work in low-capacity and economically distressed communities across North Carolina for a one-year period. CERC members are selected and trained during the spring semester and placed at a regional organization for a paid 10-week summer internship.
  • Carolina Experience Enrichment Scholarship Program Students planning to study abroad or work as an unpaid intern for the first time are eligible for a CEES’ Fellowship.
  • Office of Study Abroad The Phillips Ambassadors Program offers one scholarship on the graduate level to support summer travel and research in Asia.

External Funding Resources

  • Databases:
    • InfoEd Global SPIN is a comprehensive database of funding opportunities from many government and private sources. Searches for both individual and non-profit applicants can be conducted in this database. Search by funding types and keywords that are relevant to your endeavor (see the Help documents for more information on constructing your search).
    • Community Foundation Locator indexes local community foundations which provide grants and scholarships to both individuals and non-profits. Select North Carolina (or other applicable state) from the Community Foundation Locator map to view a list of foundations in that state.
    • Foundation Directory Online indexes nearly 100,000 U.S. private foundations and corporate grantmakers and over 2 million recent grants. It is a helpful resource for projects with a non-profit as the applicant. Note: Because of licensing restrictions, the Funding Information Portal can only provide access to the free version of the Foundation Center’s database. Students and staff who want to access the full database, which unlocks all content and search fields, should make an appointment at the Office of Research Development.
    • NC OpenBudget lists NC state government grant and financial assistance programs and awards made. A helpful resource for projects with a non-profit as the applicant. Search by granting agency, recipient, program, and location of the recipient.
  • Examples of “non-traditional” funding sources (organizations that have a vested interest in your success and/or project might include):
    • Professional associations
    • Honor societies
    • Civic organizations
    • Churches and religious organizations
    • Ethnic organizations
    • Local/regional businesses and corporations
    • Local newspapers and magazines
    • Family members

Nonprofit Organizations

Audience: Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Scholar, Faculty and Staff
Disciplinary Area: Arts and Humanities, Health and Medical Sciences, Life and Physical Sciences, Social Sciences

The Graduate Funding Information Center exists to help UNC-Chapel Hill graduate students identify funding for research and graduate study. Because of this, the center does not have the information or staff resources to assist non-UNC nonprofit organizations. However, GFIC staff have compiled the following guide to funding information resources for community nonprofit organizations.
View Guide

Foundation Center Resources:

This national nonprofit service organization has many excellent resources for nonprofits seeking funding.

 

Federal and State Funding Resources:

  • Use Grants.gov, the federal government’s central portal for federal funding opportunities, to conduct a basic or advanced search, browse by category or agency, or find Recovery Act opportunities.
    • Advanced Search is recommended to search for funding for different eligibility types, such as city or county governments, school districts, nonprofits, housing authorities, and others.
    • Set up a Grants.gov Email Subscription to receive notifications of new funding opportunities.
  • Check USA.gov for Nonprofits for links to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, federal agency funding websites, surplus property for nonprofits, and more.
  • Visit the White House’s Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships Grants and Resources page to learn more about grant opportunities available to community organizations throughout the federal government.
  • Search NC OpenBudget by agency and by grant program for North Carolina state government grant and financial assistance programs and awards made.
 

Other Funding Guides and Databases:

  • Find out whether there is a community foundation in your area. Such organizations are usually eager to fund programs serving their home communities or states. A local community foundation would be more likely to fund nonprofits in your area than would a national foundation. See:
  • Ask at your local public library whether their reference collection includes a published directory or database of foundations and other grantmakers in the state in which your nonprofit operates. For a list of available state and local foundation directories, click here.
  • Check Michigan State University Libraries’ funding guides which contain lists of funding opportunities on specific topics relevant to nonprofits. These include:
  • If you are on campus at UNC or another subscribing university, COS Pivot and GrantForward are two funding databases that may be useful in your search. Although designed primarily for academic researchers, these databases include some foundations and other sponsors that support community nonprofits. Unfortunately, these are subscription databases and must be accessed through the domain of a subscribing institution, such as Carolina, Duke, or other UNC system schools. If you are on one of these campuses, you can access these databases as follows:

    All of these databases include links to instructions or tutorials to assist you in using them.

 

Other Nonprofit Fundraising Information

  • NC Center for Nonprofits, including training opportunities, consultants, and guides to setting up a nonprofit.
  • Grantsmanship Center, a membership organization which provides training, funding databases, and other grantseeking information.

Graduate Students

Audience: Graduate Student
Disciplinary Area: Arts and Humanities, Health and Medical Sciences, Life and Physical Sciences, Social Sciences

General funding guides for graduate students.
View Guide

General

Graduate Students With Disabilities

International Graduate Students

Diverse Graduate Students

Fibrin Research

Audience: Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Scholar, Faculty and Staff
Disciplinary Area: Health and Medical Sciences

Funding guide for fibrin research.
View Guide

Federal Funding Opportunities

These funding opportunities include initiatives and programs from the following agencies:

Listed below are the funding web pages for individual NIH institutes that support research on or related to fibrin and bleeding or clotting disorders.

Non-Federal Funding Opportunities

Sponsors include:

To Find More Funding Opportunities

International Organizations

Audience: Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Scholar, Faculty and Staff
Disciplinary Area: Arts and Humanities, Health and Medical Sciences, Life and Physical Sciences, Social Sciences

General funding guides related to international organizations.
View Guide

Stroke Research

Audience: Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Scholar, Faculty and Staff
Disciplinary Area: Health and Medical Sciences

Funding guide for stroke research.
View Guide

Federal Funding Opportunities

These funding opportunities include initiatives and programs from the following agencies:

  • US Army Medical Research and Material Command funds casualty care and operational medicine research. (*When you open this link, your web browser may inform you that the “connection is untrusted.” This security alert is common when accessing Department of Defense websites; you may safely accept the connection and access the website.)
  • Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – some stroke funding, including for the Paul Coverdell Acute National Stroke Registry.
  • National Institutes of Health –

Listed below are the funding web pages for individual NIH institutes that support research on or related to stroke.

Non-Federal Funding Opportunities

Sponsors include:

To Find More Funding Opportunities

About the Funding Information Portal

The funding information portal is a shared resource maintained by the Graduate Funding Information Center and the Office of Research Development. For questions about content, formatting, or using the site, please contact gfic@unc.edu.