External Funding

There are a wide range of opportunities for SSU faculty and administrators to find external funding for their research, scholarship, and creative activities. We recognize that navigating these funding opportunities and identifying which one is the best match can be challenging, so we have included a wealth of resources below to help guide your process. This listing is not exhaustive, but includes a wide variety of opportunities within the US federal government, the state of California, non-profit foundations, and corporations.

Funding Sources

Federal Government Sources

Following is a list of some common funding sources offered by the U.S. Federal Government: 

California Sea Grant

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)

U.S. Department of Education (DOED) 

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

Fulbright Scholar Program 

Grants.gov 

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) 

National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) 

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) 

National Institutes of Health (NIH) 

National Science Foundation (NSF) 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (DOA) - National Institute of Food and Agriculture 

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

To find more federal funding sources, please visit our Pivot-RP subscription service, the world’s largest database of sponsored funding opportunities.

State Government Sources

Following is a list of some common funding sources offered by the State of California: 

California Grants Portal

California Arts Council

California Department of Education (CDE)

First 5 California

California Postsecondary Education Commission

CSU Program for Education & Research in Biotechnology (CSUBIOTECH)

Department of Fish and Wildlife

California Humanities (Cal Humanities)

Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development

Department of Parks and Recreation

To find more California funding sources, please visit our Pivot-RP subscription service, the world’s largest database of sponsored funding opportunities.

Foundation and Independent Sources

To find more foundation and independent funding sources, please visit our Pivot-RP subscription service, the world’s largest database of sponsored funding opportunities.

Pivot-RP (Research Professional)

ORSP subscribes to Pivot-RP (Research Professional), the most comprehensive funding database used by the world’s top research institution which provides you intuitive and easy access to an extensive list of funding opportunities, including automated searches and daily opportunity notifications. To create an account, go to the link below and click the Create Account option, and select Use Email Address/Create Password. All users can log in at https://Pivot.proquest.com with a Pivot-RP username and password anytime, from anywhere. From the Pivot-RP homepage, users can manage active or tracked funding opportunities, saved searches, shared opportunities and start searching for funding or scholars. Please see link to Pivot-RP below and contact orsp@sonoma.edu with any questions.

Pivot-RP Search

Grants Resource Center

ORSP subscribes to Grants Resource Center (GRC). GRC’s proprietary search engine, GrantSearch, includes approximately 1,500 private and federal funding opportunities screened for recurrence and for higher education eligibility. Search results provide a high proportion of viable opportunities because the database excludes solicitations that are limited to a specific region, that make fewer than three awards annually, and for which higher education institutions are not eligible to apply or partner. Please see links to GRC below and contact orsp@sonoma.edu for login information and any questions you may have.

GRC's GrantSearch

Request Assistance

Reference these key questions below to determine your research or sponsored programs interests, and contact ORSP:

What is your interest in developing grant/contract proposals?

  • Scientific research

  • Provide training/professional development

  • Receive training/professional development 

  • Curriculum development

  • Development demonstration

  • Public service

  • Creative works (i.e. the Arts and Humanities)

  • Performances

  • International Projects 

  • Technology/Instrumentation Development

  • Collaborate with Other Organizations

What are keywords to describe your proposal interests? 

  • List any possible funding sources you believe may fund your areas of interest.

Have you submitted grant/contract proposals before? 

  • Describe any/all services that would facilitate your grant-seeking efforts, (funding search, idea development, proposal development, help in writing, review, budget, etc.).

  • Describe services for facilitating grant seeking opportunities at SSU.