Research Development, Outreach and Engagement

GrantForward connects users to over 83,000 funding opportunities from 20,000+ sponsors, with daily updates and links to 6,000 plus pre-solicitations and 2.1M awarded grants. GrantForward also recommends grants to you based on your CV, past publications, and research interests.

With GrantForward, you can:

• Search for grants by keywords and advanced filters
• Save your favorite searches for new grant alerts
• Save your favorite grants to keep track of them

To learn more about GrantForward—including how to conduct and manage searches, explore available grants, and customize your preferences—please refer to the GrantForward Researcher Welcome Guide or contact%20the%20RDOE%20team for assistance.

SPIN is a powerful, web-based database of funding opportunities and global scholar profiles. Available to all USM faculty, staff, and graduate students, SPIN helps connect researchers with potential funders and collaborators.

If you already have an InfoEd profile, you can log in to access SPIN and begin exploring thousands of funding opportunities updated daily. To help you get started, refer to the SPIN Quick User Guide for step-by-step instructions on using the system.

Need help setting up filters, navigating the system, or ensuring you have the right access? Reach%20out%20to%20the%20RDOE%20team to schedule a one-on-one session.

Some sponsors limit the number of applications an institution may submit to a given program. In these cases, faculty and researchers are not applying as individuals, but on behalf of USM — often representing a department, college, or the university as a whole. To ensure transparency, fairness, and strategic alignment, ORA coordinates an internal process for managing these submissions. Click here to access more information about Limited Submissions.

The ORAcle is a monthly funding digest featuring current grant opportunities, research highlights, and university updates. It covers grants, fellowships, scholarships, and awards from government, private, and corporate sources.

Available exclusively to USM faculty, staff, and students.

To subscribe or manage your notifications, sign up at the [listserv signup link].

We encourage PIs, early-career faculty, and other researchers to explore funding opportunities beyond the university's contracted services. The following databases and platforms are valuable external resources we recommend exploring or subscribing to for grant notifications and updates.

• Funding Institutional
• Candid. Philanthrophy News Digest

 

 

 

We provide tailored guidance to help researchers clearly define their project vision and research goals. By engaging early in the concept and planning phase, we help researchers lay a strong foundation for competitive proposals. Our support includes:

• Idea Framing and Clarification: We assist researchers in articulating the core research question, its significance, and the innovation it brings—framed in ways that resonate with sponsor priorities. As part of this stage, we offer Dr. Porter’s Six Critical Questions as a strategic tool to clarify the project’s distinct value, target stakeholders, and intended impact.
• Funding Fit Analysis: We review potential funding opportunities to ensure a strong alignment between the research idea and the sponsor’s mission, strategic objectives, and funding mechanisms.
• Timeline and Strategy Development: We help construct realistic proposal development timelines and identify critical resources—such as collaborators, institutional support, and facilities.
• Scoping and Positioning: We guide researchers in appropriately scaling their project for the selected funding opportunity and crafting a persuasive positioning strategy.
• Consultation and Feedback: Through one-on-one consultations, we provide feedback on concept outlines, logic models, and responsiveness to solicitation language.

Engaging with us early allows researchers to refine and strengthen their ideas — maximizing proposal competitiveness before the writing even begins.

Strong collaborations can significantly enhance a proposal’s competitiveness, credibility, and impact. During the early concept stage, we encourage researchers to explore who is already working in their area of interest and consider opportunities to build meaningful partnerships.

Here are some helpful strategies to guide your thinking:

• Look for existing efforts: Start by identifying researchers, labs, or centers — within USM or beyond — who are already doing work related to your idea. Building on or complementing ongoing efforts can add strength and context to your proposal.
• Think beyond your discipline: Many funding agencies value interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration. Consider potential partners in adjacent fields, industry, community organizations, or policy sectors whose expertise could add value.
• Assess alignment and value: Ask yourself: How would this partnership strengthen the project? What expertise, perspective, or access does the potential collaborator offer? Is there clear mutual benefit?
• Engage early: Initiating conversations early allows collaborators to meaningfully contribute to the project concept and ensures alignment of goals, roles, and expectations.
• Position partnerships strategically: Be prepared to describe how the collaboration enhances the project and aligns with the sponsor’s priorities — especially around impact, capacity, and innovation.

While we don’t broker collaborations directly, we’re happy to offer guidance on framing your partnerships, identifying potential matches, or refining your approach. 

At the heart of successful proposal strategy is making data-informed decisions that align your research with sponsor priorities. Understanding how funders operate, what they value, and who they have supported in the past can give you a significant competitive advantage.

Helpful Tips:

• Review Previous Awardees: Many funding agencies publish lists of past awardees along with abstracts or summaries of funded projects. Reviewing these can help you identify trends, understand what types of projects are prioritized, and avoid duplication.
• Analyze Funded Proposals: Where available, look for examples of successful proposals or abstracts. This insight can guide how you frame your own proposal narrative and meet reviewer expectations.
• Explore Sponsor Priorities: Funders often update their strategic plans or funding priorities yearly. Regularly consult these documents to ensure your research aligns with their current focus areas.
• Use Public Databases: Platforms like NIH RePORTER, Simple Search - NSF Award Search, and other sponsor-specific databases are valuable resources to analyze funding patterns and identify potential collaborators.
• Leverage Institutional Resources: The RDOE unit can assist in interpreting sponsor data and help you strategically position your proposal to match funder goals.

By leveraging these insights, you can better tailor your proposal to what sponsors are actively seeking—maximizing your chances for success.

Need Help Getting Started?
If you have a funder or opportunity in mind and would like strategic guidance to strengthen your proposal, the RDOE team offers one-on-one consultations to help you craft a winning approach. Please email%20us with your proposal details to schedule your consultation.