Grant Seeking Process, Limited Submissions, and Sponsored Activities

Grant Seeking Process

Please see below for detailed information on the process for seeking foundation and corporate grants at Georgetown University and how the Office of Institutional Partnerships (OIP) can help you search and apply for funding.

  • Step 1: Determine Potential Funding Sources

    OIP utilizes the resources here to search for grant opportunities. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with these resources. Since you know your own research best, the most effective approach is for you to use these databases to identify foundations and corporations with interests most closely aligned with your current research or program. For more information on how to use these funding sources to identify potential prospects, please email the Office of Institutional Partnerships team at guoip@georgetown.edu to set up a prospect research training for you and/or your team members.

    OIP staff would be glad to discuss with you the results of your funding search and to strategize moving forward with the most promising opportunities.

  • Step 2: Consult with OIP

    We strongly encourage you to contact OIP to review your list of potential funding sources before formally applying to opportunities.

    OIP can provide information not available on foundation and corporate websites, gauge level of the funderā€™s interest and probability of success of a proposal, and potentially provide other viable funding options.

    When considering major national foundations and corporations the OIP office should be contacted before any applications are pursued. Please contact the OIP team to see if your desired funder is in this category.

  • Step 3: Prepare and Submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) or Full Proposal

    The scope of support from OIP varies depending on the organization, the funding program, the principal investigator, and the submission deadline. The Joint Office of Research Administration frequently collaborates with OIP and may support the proposal submission process.

    OIP can be of most assistance if notified of the principal investigatorā€™s intent to apply as early as possible.

    For applications to funding sources that are deemed viable, assistance from OIP may include:

    • Reviewing and editing concept papers, proposal and budget drafts, and making suggestions from the perspective of a foundation or corporation program officer
    • Providing university context for the proposed project to demonstrate institutional support and sustainability of a project, and assembling required documents (e.g., financial statements, IRS 501(c)3 determination letter, etc.)
    • Reviewing final submission packages to ensure consistency with guidelines
  • Step 4: Notification

    If you are notified of a successful LOI or full proposal, please contact OIP at guoip@georgetown.edu. We can help in several ways:

    • For successful LOIs, we can assist with the full proposal application.
    • For successful full proposals, OIP can coordinate with the appropriate university offices to review grant agreements and arrange for authorized signatures. During this process, we collaborate with either the Joint Office of Research Administration, OSR for the Medical Campus, or the Office of Advancementā€™s Office of the Vice President.
    • For funded projects we can assist with acknowledgements, payments, and reports.

Limited Submission Opportunities (LSOs)

If you are interested in pursuing a non-federal grant opportunity that requires a nomination from Georgetown University or is limited to one (or a specified number) applicant per institution, follow these steps:

  1. Ā Alert either OIP and the Joint Office of Research Administration (JORA) before submitting a letter of inquiry or proposal to major foundations or corporations
  2. Find the listed opportunity in the GU-PASS System and submit a brief application via GU-PASS. This application will be reviewed by External Award Review Committee or the Faculty Research Awards Committee
  3. If selected by the committee to submit a full proposal to the funder, work with OIP and/or JORA to complete this proposal and submit it to the funder

An explanation of the Main Campus LSO policy can be found at this website.