Northern Illinois University Libraries has acquired a subscription to a new service to help faculty, staff and students find grant funding to support their research, scholarship, artistry and engagement projects.
The service, Funding Institutional, provides a searchable database of funding organizations, more than 37,000 active and recurring funding opportunities, and over 7 million awarded grants. Users can map the funding landscape in their areas of interest and gain insights into funders and their previously awarded grants for competitive intelligence.
“We purchased this service because we wanted to help a wide variety of people find new resources in support of the research, scholarship and artistry mission of the university,” said Gwen Gregory, associate dean for University Libraries’ Collections Management.
The service will complement existing resources for finding sponsored funding through the Office of Research Development.
“Funding Institutional is a welcome addition to our existing toolbox,” said Kellie Dyslin, director of the NIU Office of Research Development. “Finding and securing external funding for a project typically involves a highly competitive process. It’s important to have lots of information about potential funders so grant seekers can find the best fit for their proposals.”
Funding Institutional combines its listings of opportunities and awards with funder profiles in such a way that users can apply it directly to their work, responsibilities and workflows. University Libraries provides faculty, staff and students with online instructions on how to register (scroll to Funding Institutional). All that’s required is an niu.edu email account.
“Grant seekers can learn which funders might sponsor activities similar to their own and how much support these funders might provide,” said Gregory, adding that Funding Institutional includes training modules on its website. “The service also allows users to share resources with colleagues, provides notifications to any changes in funding requirements, and delivers helpful deadline reminders.”
Gregory said NIU Libraries plans to hold training sessions for faculty during the spring semester, but the service is available for use now. Faculty, staff or students who have questions can contact Gregory at ggregory@niu.edu.
