 |
What is Foundation Relations?
What is the Foundation Relations management structure?
What types of funders does Foundation Relations work
with?
What types of resources are available
through Foundation Relations?
If I'm a student looking for fellowship support, what
resources could you suggest?
What is a School Development Officer (SDO) and how
can an SDO help with funding needs?
What is an RFP?
How can Foundation Relations help with the proposal
process?
What is stewardship and why is it important
in the funding process?
What criteria do foundations use when
making funding decisions?
How long do foundations take to make funding
decisions?
What is Foundation Relations?
The Office of Foundation Relations
manages MIT’s relationships with foundations and supports
a variety of project-driven fundraising activities.
What is the Foundation Relations management structure?
The Foundation Relations management team, in addition to a director, includes three
associate directors, each of whom functions as the prospect manager
for approximately 20 private foundations and leads a team designed
to provide ongoing support to the senior officers, schools, and
other internal clients.
What types of funders does Foundation Relations work with?
Foundation Relations works closely with private and corporate foundations. MIT’s
Office of Corporate Relations
(OCR) and the Industrial Liaison Program maintain relationships
with corporations. Foundation Relations also collaborates with the other offices
within Resource Development to best serve the MIT faculty and staff
funding needs.
What types of resources are available through Foundation Relations?
Foundation Relations provides MIT faculty and staff with current information about
grant makers and can assist in the development of funding strategies
and proposals utilizing one or more of the following resources:
- Access to CDs and databases with information on a wide range
of private foundations
- Foundation annual reports and guidelines
- Information about grant opportunities
- Samples of successful proposals
- Current foundation grant guidelines and profiles
- Application forms
If I'm a student looking for fellowship support, what
resources could you suggest?
The Graduate Student Fellowship Office maintains information on selected fellowship opportunities. For
more details, visit its Web site at http://web.mit.edu/gso/financialaid/index.html. Also, for $9.95/month fee (can be renewed monthly), you can access the Foundation Center's searchable database on grants for individuals http://gtionline.fdncenter.org.
What is a School Development Officer (SDO)
and how can an SDO help with funding needs?
School Development Officers have three primary roles: they assist
the deans of MIT’s schools with all of their resource development
activities; they manage relationships with and cultivate gifts from
major donors interested in supporting specific school-based initiatives;
and they serve as liaisons from each of the schools to all units of
central Resource Development, including the Offices of Leadership Giving,
Planned Giving, Corporate Relations, and Foundation Relations. SDOs can play an especially
helpful role in devising strategies for addressing the funding priorities
of schools and individual departments.
What is an RFP?
A Request For Proposal (RFP) is a written solicitation/announcement,
distributed by funders, that alerts grant seekers to the funding requirements
(including deadlines) of specific projects, calls for entries, programs,
etc.
How can Foundation Relations help with the proposal process?
Foundation Relations helps grant seekers navigate through the various stages of the
proposal process. Since grant maker requirements and funding objectives
vary greatly, Foundation Relations can be especially helpful in providing guidance
and assistance in the following areas:
Foundation Relations staff can also assist in the post-award phases of the process.
What is stewardship and why is it important in the funding process?
Relationships between MIT and funders are critical to the success
of present and future giving opportunities. Foundation Relations can assist in stewarding
these relationships – i.e., supporting any post-award activities
that nurture, enhance, and contribute to the MIT/funder relationship.
These activities may include, but are not limited to:
- Advice on acknowledgment and thank you letters
- Assistance with preparing and distributing progress reports
- Special events
- On- and off-campus meetings
What criteria do foundations
use when making funding decisions?
Funders want their donations to make a significant impact. In addition,
corporate foundations sometimes want to enhance their public image
and recruiting efforts. Be sure to read the foundation's giving guidelines
on its web page or in its annual report. Often the guidelines will
be very specific. When framing a proposal, keep the following questions
in mind:
- What is the issue to be addressed?
- Will the project, put in a larger context (global, regional,
national, environmental, etc.), move the field forward?
- Will the project address a particular problem?
- Is the timing of the project propitious?
- Why is MIT the ideal place to address this issue/project?
- What will be accomplished by the end of the project?
- What specific resources are needed for this project (time, money,
facilities, people, etc.)?
- How will success be measured?
- Why is the timing of the proposal important and why is it important
to this particular foundation?
How long do foundations take to make
funding decisions?
Although the process varies, it is usually a lengthy process taking
a number of months, rather than weeks. Funding decisions are often
made by a Board of Directors that meet infrequently. A foundation
needs to receive materials well in advance of a Board meeting. Be
sure to contact your dean, department chair, school development officer,
and the appropriate associate director within Foundation Relations, well in advance
of your funding timetable.
|
|
