Grant Hunting on the Internet

David V. Baldwin, PhD., Contributing Editor, Trauma Online

When researchers or clinicians use the Internet to search for research-funding opportunities, the following list of Web sites may improve the chances of finding the right grants.

GrantsWeb (http://sra.rams.com/ cws/sra/resource.htm) catalogs government and general resources, and has information about private funding sources as well as policies and regulations. Most links cover funding sources in the U.S., but some Canadian and international resources are listed as well. This large site is a good place to start a search for research funding. The Society of Research Administrators sponsors GrantsWeb.

Another large site is Community of Science (http://www.cos.com) run by a collaborative network to promote science and the funding of scientific research. The site offers free access to those with ".edu" internet domains. A person can search for funding opportunities by keywords; both free and subscription products are available.

The American Psychological Association publishes the APA Research Psychology Funding Bulletin on the web (http://www.apa.org/science/bulletin.htm). The site displays current announcements from federal agencies and private foundations, and APA updates it relatively often.

More funding information can be found at Web sites run by specific federal agencies. For example, the Funding Opportunities site (http:// www.nimh.nih.gov/grants/grants.cfm) describes grant and contract programs at NIMH, and includes NIH Forms and Application Kits that can be downloaded directly from the site.

The National Science Foundation's NSF Grants & Awards site (http://www.nsf.gov/home/grants.htm) focuses on similar information about grants and other cooperative agreements at that agency.

The Violence Against Women Grants Office Web site (http: //www.ojp.usdojgov/vawgo/), located within the Department of Justice's site, covers various grant programs assisting women victimized by violence. A visitor can click on a U.S. map to learn about grant activities state-by-state.

Of course, the Veterans Administration, Department of Education, Health and Human Services, and other agencies also have similar sites focused on grant opportunities.

If people prefer relevant funding announcements sent directly to them, then look up the Federal Information Exchange's FEDIX Opportunity Alert (http://nscp.fie.com/). Their free e-mail service sends "targeted" research and education funding announcements within designated interest areas. Once registered, participants will have access to grant opportunities from 12 different agencies.

Although the sites mentioned above focus mainly on federal sources, The Foundation Center site (http://fdncenter.org/) focuses more on private foundations and resources earmarked for nonprofit organizations. The site features an online library, training and grant-maker information, as well as a schedule of full-day proposal writing seminars offered in cities throughout the U.S.

For those interested in research focused on disasters, the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder (http://www.Colorado.EDU/hazards/) sponsors unique small grants. Once pre-approved, these "Quick Response" grants can be activated if a natural disaster meets proposal requirements. The grants enable researchers to study responses within a few days or weeks of a natural disaster event.