Trainings

Finding gifts/grants from institutional funders and successfully applying for them can be a challenge. To support Georgetown faculty and staff through this process, the Office of Institutional Partnerships (OIP) has compiled and created the following training resources.

The OIP team offers remote training sessions for Georgetown faculty and staff interested in grant-seeking. See below for the next open training. Additional sessions will be offered in Spring 2026. Should you wish to book a personalized training session for you or your team, please reach out to us at guoip@georgetown.edu.

Scroll down below to view a recording of the training and a copy of the slide deck.

  • Prospect Research Training

    November 6th, 2025 at 11:30am EST

    This training will provide an overview of what prospect research is, how to leverage the databases and tools available at Georgetown, and best practices for finding funding partners that are a match for your work. The training will take approximately one hour and take place over Zoom. Please contact guoip@georgetown.edu with any questions.

    Register here

Doing Prospect Research (30-45 min)

Learn how to:

  • Develop a grant-seeking strategy
  • Find funding opportunities quickly, efficiently, and effectively
  • Use major grant and foundation databases
  • Create profiles that do prospect research for you

Get a preview:

Candid Learning also provides free, self-paced online trainings and periodic remote trainings on how to find and apply for grants.

Writing Letters of Inquiry (LOI) (30-45 min)

Learn how to:

  • Identify funder priorities and values
  • Frame your project to attract funder attention
  • Avoid common LOI writing mistakes
  • Write an LOI that sparks excitement and leads to deeper engagement with the funder

Get a preview:

 

  • Foundation Directory

    Foundation Directory Online (FDO) provides comprehensive information on U.S. grantmakers and their funding activities. Full access to FDO is provided to Georgetown users through the university library.

  • Community of Science PIVOT

    CoS Pivot is used for discovering funding opportunities and supporting collaboration in the research development field. Use the “Advanced Search” function in CoS Pivot to find grant opportunities that are most relevant for your program or project.

  • Philanthropy News Digest (PND)

    PND publishes Request for Proposals (RFP) listings daily. Each RFP listing provides a brief overview of a current funding opportunity offered by a foundation or other grantmaking organization. You can search listings by subject (see “Browse by Subject” option on upper left side of RFP page). You can create a profile on PND (free) to receive emails with RFPs based on your subject interest.

  • Guidestar

    Guidestar provides information about IRS-registered nonprofit organizations and includes documents like the Form 990, which provides information on giving for the proscribed year (to whom and what amount). In order to view information and documents, users must create a free account.