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Finding Funding

 

Acquiring funding is an inescapable part of faculty life, and MSU tries to make it easier for you in various ways:

Below are descriptions of these opportunities.

 

1. MSU Seed Funding for Faculty Projects
Funds for research are available from the central administration and a variety of smaller centers and other units across campus.

 

2. Lists of External Funding Opportunities for Faculty
Many units maintain lists of external funding opportunities for research in specific areas.

  • MSU sites for finding external funding sources
    • Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP). ESPP lists requests for proposals (RFPs) related to all aspects of the environment, for faculty and students. New RFPs are posted on the Web site and circulated biweekly; to subscribe, contact mayaef@msu.edu.
    • Center for Water Sciences (CWS). CWS collects RFPs related to water. New RFPs are posted on the Web site and circulated biweekly; to subscribe, contact Erin Dreelin at dreelin@msu.edu.
    • MSU Libraries funding lists. Librarian Jon Harrison has compiled multiple funding listings related to the environment for faculty and students. These are posted on the Web site; he also offers workshops on finding funding.
    • Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station. MAES collects RFPs focused on agriculture, the environment, and general science; these are posted on the MAES Web site.
    • OVPRGS Finding Funding Site. OVPRGS provides links to diverse RFPs and maintains a list of competitions which are institutionally limited (requiring an initial internal MSU application); it also has a funding blog. Subscription is through the OVPRGS Web site.
    • College of Veterinary Medicine. CVM collects RFPs related to animal health as well as general science, career development, course development and education. RFPs are posted on the CVM Web site.
    • Land Policy Institute. LPI collects diverse RFPs. An updated collection circulates weekly in the LPI newsletter; subscribe online here.
  • Non-MSU sites for finding external funds

 

3. MSU Grant Writing Support
Units offer assistance in preparing grant proposals, ranging from online guides and informational workshops to writing and submitting the proposal. You may need to be a member of the unit in order to be eligible for support.

 

4. Finding Funding to Support Your Students
Yes, they do need to eat! Below are MSU funding opportunities for graduate students.

  • MSU funding for students
    Relatively few funding opportunities are explicitly environmental; we have listed more general opportunities as well.
    • Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP) Doctoral Recruiting Fellowships. Several two-year fellowships for matriculating students are given annually; departments must apply on behalf of prospective students. (Deadline: January 30.) ESPP also provides funding for student travel to certain interdisciplinary environmental conferences; contact espp@msu.edu for information.
    • Graduate School. The Graduate School lists university-wide fellowships and assistantships offered by MSU. These include recruitment fellowships, travel funding, research enhancement awards, and dissertation completion fellowships
    • Departments and Colleges. Check with your home department and college about funding for graduate students; dispersal mechanisms vary.
    • Biogeochemistry Environmental Research Initiative (BERI). BERI provides student fellowships and other periodic funding in the area of biogeochemistry.
  • Lists of external funding opportunities for students

A Resource Just for You...

Welcome to Michigan State University! It is our hope at the Office of Faculty and Organizational Development (F&OD) that your life at MSU will be fulfilling and successful, now and in the future. To enable you to learn the lay of the land at MSU, we have created orientation web sites designed specifically for new faculty. They provide information on relevant orientation events and materials designed to assist you in your transition to life in our University community.

F&OD offers a host of opportunities for faculty, particularly centered around instructional development. These include Lilly Teaching Seminars, the Spring Institute on Teaching, Learning and Assessment, Meet Michigan Traveling Seminars, and Faculty Learning Communities, as well as individual consultation services. We also have Social Gatherings for Early Career Faculty, a networking social event complementing the Provost's First Thursdays for Faculty.

We welcome you to the University and encourage you to look to us for support!

Deborah DeZure, Ph.D.

Tips for Getting Grants

  • EARLY Planning, know due dates for grants.
  • Diversify (NOAA, NSF, EPA, USDA, etc).
  • Create teams to work on a network of projects.
  • Have a plan for scientific advancement and development of preliminary data.
Dr. Joan Rose
Joan Rose, Professor, Fisheries and Wildlife (Photo by: Kurt Stepnitz, University Relations)

Top Tip$: How to Keep Your Grant $

  • Get Institutional Review Board approval if working with human subjects
  • Get your animal care and use permits if working with animals
  • Complete your semester effort reports. Semester effort reports can be difficult; CGA provides helpful information
  • Follow MSU policies for Research and Creative Endeavors, listed in the Faculty Handbook
  • Follow MSU procedures for hiring personnel:
  • Work with your department’s accounting personnel to stay up to date on your budget and other accounting requirements.

Preparing Proposals: Advice from MSU’s Contracts and Grants Administration

  • Start as early as possible. Proposals always seem to take longer than expected.
  • Work with a faculty member, either as a co-PI or just someone you can ask for advice, who has experience with the program to which you are applying.
  • Grants.gov is probably the best way to find federal funding opportunities since most federal proposals can be submitted through it (CGA will do the actual submission once the application is completed)
  • Contact the program officer listed in the RFP if you have questions about the funding program to which you are applying.
  • Get the MSU information correct. When submitting proposals, frequently requested data can be found here.
  • Avoid common budget mistakes.
  • Be sure that your budget items are allowable costs. The federal cost policy gives a summary of allowable/unallowable costs.
  • Use the correct indirect cost rates.