Find Funding

Summary

Finding a funding source entails identifying a sponsor program with goals aligned with your research project and finding an opportunity you are eligible to pursue.

How to Find Funding

• UTSW Awards and Grants Master List

  Central hub for faculty awards and foundation grant opportunities

• Library

  Contact the UTSW Library via LibAsk@UTSouthwestern.edu to request Pivot access, a comprehensive database for federal, state, and private funding opportunities.

• Email Alerts

  Sign up for agency-specific email alerts and SPA’s weekly newsletter and ListServ.

• Eligibility

  Review the eligibility for potential grants before beginning the application process. Eligibility requirements and restrictions are often available in grant guidelines.

• Alignment of Research Goals and Strategies

  Examine the types of projects a specific program funds and consider how your project fits with the agency or foundation’s mission and strategic goals.

• Deadlines and Requirements

  Review a potential sponsor’s program deadlines and requirements, including proposal requirements and submission format.

Funding Sources

We have compiled a few sponsors for each type of funding agency and encourage you to visit the listed comprehensive databases.

• Comprehensive Databases
  • UTSW Awards and Grants
    A central hub for or faculty awards and foundation grant opportunities
  • Grants.gov
    A single access point for over 1,000 grant programs offered by all federal grant-producing agencies
  • Pivot
    A comprehensive database of funding opportunities available for free to all UT Southwestern researchers. You can search for funding opportunities and sign up for email alerts through the UTSW Library.
• Federal
  • Department of Defense (DOD)
    Research area: Basic Science
    Works with academic institutions to foster collaborations, shape priorities, and forge pathways in scientific investment areas
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
    Research area: Engineering, Technology, Space, and Earth Science
    Provides funding through the release of numerous research announcements in a wide range of science and technology disciplines
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
    Research area: Biomedical Research, Clinical Research, and Basic Science
    One of the largest public funders of biomedical research globally, investing more than $32 billion a year to enhance life and reduce illness and disability
  • National Science Foundation (NSF)
    Research area: Basic Science and Engineering
    Offers research funds through grants and mutual agreements to more than 2,000 academic and research institutions throughout the U.S., and accounts for nearly one-fourth of its federal support to academic institutions for basic research
• State
  • Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT)
    Research area: Cancer
    Offers funding opportunities for promising cancer research, product development, and prevention programs
  • The Texas Alzheimer’s Research and Care Consortium
    Research area: Brain, Biology, and Alzheimer’s
    A collaboration between 11 of the state’s leading medical research institutions, working to improve early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease
  • Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)
    Research area: Basic Research, Applied Research, and Technology
    Provides grant and funding opportunities to academic institutions and Texas hospitals for identifying and developing new knowledge that leads to groundbreaking innovations
• Private
  • American Heart Association
    Research area: Cardiology and Cerebrovascular
    Premier private not-for-profit funding sources for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease research
  • The Welch Foundation
    Research area: Basic Chemical Research
    One of the nation’s largest private funding sources for basic chemical research
  • American Cancer Society
    Research area: Cancer
    Grants funding for high-impact and innovative cancer research conducted by scientists and health care professionals – primarily early in their careers – at institutions across the U.S.

Terms and Definitions

Award

Financial assistance that provides support for research, including grants, contracts, and grant agreements.

Funding Source

Private, state, or federal entity that provides financial assistance for research.

Grant

Financial assistance awarded by foundations, federal or state government, or private agencies.

Sponsor

An organization outside UT Southwestern that manages or finances a research project.

View All Terms & Definitions

Expert Tips

Finding a funding source for your research can be an extensive, time-consuming process. It's essential to seek grants that best fit you, your team, and your research experience. Here are some useful tips to help you uncover funding opportunities:

• Start Early

  Begin preparing your research concepts before identifying a funding opportunity that interests you. Give your mentors, trusted colleagues, and SPA enough time to review your draft proposal to determine if it is robust, complete, and accurate. Remember, the more eyes and red ink on a draft, the stronger your application will be in the long run.

• Focus Your Search

  When you are looking for funding, it can be tempting to expand your search as wide as possible to view countless opportunities; though you are better off focusing your efforts on the options you are most likely to succeed. Some sponsors explicitly pursue women, minorities, or early-career researchers. Therefore, it is imperative to use specific keywords in your search.

• Be Sure You Qualify

  One important rule to remember when looking for funding is “if you don't qualify, don’t apply.” Explore funding sources that have demonstrated interest in your research field or geographic area. Those sponsored programs are more likely to consider your proposal.

• Broaden Your Funding Horizon

  Go beyond the big-name sponsors and try to diversify your search. Sign up for grant announcements from UT Southwestern and professional societies, scan online databases, watch for social media communications, and regularly check those sources.

• Keep Trying

  Many grant proposals get rejected, so it's important not to let rejection discourage you. Rather than tossing the reviews to the side or forgetting about them, read them. There is often valuable feedback to help you craft more robust proposals in the future.

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