Grants Education and Training Resources

The Foundation Engagement team offers a range of resources, trainings, and tailored engagements to support faculty in developing competitive proposals and building successful relationships with private foundations.

Members of our team are available to join department or unit‐level faculty meetings to provide a brief (10–15 minute) overview of our office and services. We also welcome inquiries from units interested in hosting in‐depth sessions for faculty on working with private foundations; please contact Cameron Hill to discuss scheduling. To ensure a productive experience, we ask that these sessions include at least five participants who are eligible to serve as principal investigators and have the full support of their college to pursue foundation funding

Getting Started

“Fit” is a critical factor when pursuing private foundation support, which is highly competitive. Funders seek to partner with researchers and institutions whose work aligns clearly with their strategic priorities and advance shared goals.

Foundation Engagement offers pre‐consultation meetings for faculty who are assessing whether their work is a strong match for a particular opportunity. We can support initial outreach to a foundation in keeping with its preferred approach, whether through a letter of inquiry or an exploratory call with program staff, and partner with you throughout the process of developing and managing a relationship.

Limited Submission Opportunities 

The Office of Foundation Engagement and the Office of Faculty Affairs co-manage the Limited Submission process for the Ohio State community. When a funding organization limits the number of applications allowed from a single institution, we implement an internal selection process to identify the most competitive proposals. Once a selection is made, the Office of Foundation Engagement communicates the committee’s decision directly to all applicants. 

• All opportunities that the university competes are posted HERE .
• All open competitions accepting internal applications are posted HERE.   

To ensure a fair and transparent selection, we utilize a standardized review structure: 

Ad-Hoc Review Committees: For each opportunity, we assemble a committee composed of Associate Deans for Research and faculty, selected to reflect the range of the applicant pool and possessing relevant subject matter expertise. 

Standardized Evaluation: Reviewers are provided with all applicant materials, formal funder guidelines, and rubric specifically tailored to the sponsor’s criteria. 

Merit-Based Selection: Nominees are selected based on reviewer rankings. In the event of a tie or highly disparate scores, additional qualitative feedback is gathered to reach a final consensus.    

Faculty Support and Resources 

Our goal is to increase the likelihood of Ohio State faculty receiving prestigious, high-stakes awards. To support your application journey, we have developed specific training resources below: 

   General Limited Submission Opportunity Overview 

   Early Career Limited Submission Opportunities   

    Biomedical & Medical Limited Submission Opportunities 

   High Risk/High Reward Limited Submission Opportunities  

Proposal Development

To submit a competitive proposal, it requires applicants to prepare, plan and review the requirements listed by the foundation. The Foundation Engagement team can provide review and feedback to ensure responsiveness, clarity, and compliance, and offer guidance and support throughout the entire proposal development process. 

Proposal Writing Aids

For general grant writing tutorials, please see Grant Writing 101 and Introduction to the Heilmeier Catechism, two widely used introductory courses. For an extensive list of resources and opportunities please visit Research Funding and Support Resources. Additional resources are available at the link below.

Proposal Submission

The Foundation Engagement office can help investigators prepare for and finalize proposal submissions for private foundation funding.

• The Ohio State University Foundation submissions: If a funder requires submission through the Office of Foundation Engagement (501(c)(3)), we request a minimum of two weeks to complete review and confirm any required approvals.
• University submissions: When submitting a foundation proposal through the university, investigators should engage their grants team and sponsored program officer (SPO) early in the process to ensure compliance with university policies. Please refer to OSP timeline requirements here for additional guidance. Note that some colleges may have a preferred intake system. If applicable, please follow that process as it may include more stringent internal deadlines.
• Letters of Support and Signatures: The Foundation Engagement team can help obtain institutional letters of support and signatures prior to submission. We require a minimum two‐week lead time for institutional signatures of endorsement, three‐weeks for letters of support from academic leadership, and four weeks for letters from the provost or president.
• Supporting documentation: While each private foundation has different requirements, various institutional supporting documents may be required along with your submission. Our office can provide supporting documentation, including a 501(c)(3) letter, audited financial statements, institutional budgets, Board of Directors/Trustees lists, IRS 990 form and IRS W‐9 form, and fundraising history forms as may be required. Please allow a minimum of two weeks for customization of any foundation required templates with institutional information. For information, please contact knight.684@osu.edu. 

Preparing for a Foundation Site Visit

Often, grant seekers spend significant time developing a proposal, but not enough time preparing for a funder site visit. Our office can help you prepare for, and host, site visits with private foundations. Please consider reading The Funders are Coming! Preparing for a Grant Site Visit, made available by the Grant Professionals Association.