A number of online resources exist for funding research. Below are samples of useful resources available to AU researchers. For assistance with any of these resources, please contact OSP at (202) 885-3440, or by email to osp@american.edu.
Foundation Directory Online Professional
The Grant Advisor and The Grant Advisor Plus
OSP Monthly Newsletter
OSP Monthly is our newsletter that highlights external funding opportunities and information relevant to AU’s research enterprise.
You can subscribe by sending an e-mail to funding-L@listserv.american.edu with “Subscribe Funding-L” in subject line and in body of e-mail.
For more details, visit our newsletter page.
COS Pivot
Pivot combines the most comprehensive, editorially maintained database of funding opportunities with a database of pre-populated scholar profiles. Its proprietary algorithm compiles pre-populated researcher profiles unique to AU and matches them to current funding opportunities in the COS database. This allows users to search for a funding opportunity and instantly view matching faculty from inside or outside the University. Conversely, a search for a scholar will link to matching funding opportunities.
- REGISTER to use Pivot. Create a new, or claim your existing professional profile to take full advantage of Pivot.
- EXPLORE Profiles. Search for collaborators within the millions of worldwide scholar profiles
- SEARCH Funding Opportunities.
- Quick Search is an easy way to search across all available funding opportunities.
- Advanced Search constructs a targeted, field-specific search using search boxes, browsing windows, and pick lists.
- TRACK opportunities and SAVE searches. Track individual funding opportunities by adding them to a list of either active or tracked funding opportunities. Save search queries to quickly review newly added or updated opportunities by re-running the saved search, or use it as a starting point to create a similar search. Manage saved searches or tracked and active funding opportunities on the Pivot homepage.
- RECEIVE Funding Alerts. Choose to receive an email alert for a saved search query, and Pivot will automatically provide a weekly funding alert that identifies any newly added or updated opportunities. Or, choose to receive only one email each week compiling all new results for each search and individual opportunity.
- SHARE searches and opportunities. Share individual funding opportunities as well as saved search queries with colleagues.
SPIN Global Suite
The SPIN Global Suite is comprised of two powerful InfoEd Solutions:
- SPIN (Sponsored Programs Information Network) is a listing of national and international government and private funding sources, updated daily. SPIN searching is used for one time searches of the database.
- GENIUS (Global Expertise Network for Industry, Universities and Scholars) contains profile data for use in SMARTS. If you complete the optional fields in the GENIUS profile and release your profile for public search within GENIUS, researchers seeking collaborators can access your profile and contact you.
SMARTS, the third member of the Power Trio, logically draws upon SPIN and GENIUS to deliver to you highly-targeted funding opportunities that exactly match your defining criteria, expertise, and research focus.
SPIN Global Suite can be accessed from any computer on the AU network by going to the InfoEd website. Select SPIN in order to run a one-time search. Or, select GENIUS to create or update a SMARTS/GENIUS profile from any internet-capable computer (on or off-campus).
Instructional videos for the use of SPIN are available at https://spin.infoedglobal.com/Home/TrainingVideos.
For help with GENIUS, please refer to the help link located on the Genius page. A quick reference guide is also available here.
SciVal Funding
SciVal® Funding is an innovative web-based tool that helps you find new opportunities. In addition, by reviewing award history you can gain awareness of new sponsors that match your research interests.
SciVal Funding provides researchers, administrators and research development professionals with valuable information about grant opportunities and award recipients that can help faculty answer the following questions:
- Which funding opportunities are most relevant to me?
- How do I find new sources of external grant income?
- How can I ensure that I am aware of all new opportunities related to my research?
- Which investigators are winning grants in my field?
SciVal Funding is comprehensively covering grants from Australia, Canada, European Commission, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Access to SciVal is granted from any computer while on campus or, with your AU credentials from off campus. A link to the database can be found in the library's subject guides.
For answers to common questions, or to get started using SciVal, click here.
Foundation Directory Online Professional
Foundation Directory Online Professional provides subscribers with access to a wealth of timely, comprehensive information on grantmakers and their grants. Included is a database of the entire universe of over 100,000 foundations, corporate giving programs, and grantmaking public charities in the U.S.; a database of over 4,000 sponsoring companies, offering a quick pathway to corporate funders; a database of over 2.4 million recently awarded grants; and a keyword-searchable database of over 700,000 recently filed IRS Forms 990 and 990-PF.
Unique funder portfolios organize additional funder-specific content in one convenient location and include: grantmaker-related news, job opportunities, and Request For Proposals (RFPs); grantmaker-sponsored publications; and officer and trustee affiliations.
Aside from the four major databases, Foundation Directory Online Professional also includes a keyword search option called Power Search that allows subscribers to search across all four of those databases at once, while at the same time searching across additional Foundation Center databases: news, jobs, RFPs, grantmaker-sponsored research reports, and nonprofit literature.
Access to Foundation Directory Online is granted from any campus computer and can be found in the library's subject guides.
The Grant Advisor and The Grant Advisor Plus
The Grant Advisor newsletter is updated monthly with new funding opportunities. Since 1983, The Grant Advisor newsletter has been a leading source of information on grant, research, and fellowship opportunities for US institutions of higher education and their faculty.
The Grant Advisor Plus is a web-based version that offers on-line access and features many extras, including the newsletter in Acrobat PDF format, database searches, deadline listings with extensive hyperlinks, and much more, all in an easy-to-use web interface. The Database Search allows you to enter your own search criteria (such as funding agency, keywords, academic division, and more). Results are displayed in the same powerful table format as the Deadline Memo Hyperlinks. The Article Search is available for keyword searching through hundreds of our program abstracts and Federal Register articles.
Access this service from any AU computer by clicking here.