Basic Tips for Identifying Funding Opportunities
Start early and plan ahead: Think about your current and long-term funding needs. Mark your calendar with deadlines.
Network: Talk to mentors and other researchers in your field.
Use both broad and narrow search terms: For example, search "arthritis" as well as "autoimmune diseases."
Check your professional society: Many societies and organizations post funding opportunities on their websites.
Look at recently published papers in your field: Look for funding sources of similar research and/or ask authors.
Subscribe to email lists: Most databases and funding agencies offer listservs for email alerts.
Use AI such as Copilot: Prompt example, "Provide a comprehensive list of government and private foundation grants available for early-career researchers in quantum computing, with a focus on novel algorithms. Include deadlines and eligibility criteria for each."
What to Do Before You Apply
Read announcements and guidelines carefully
Check eligibility requirements and determine if your research matches the funder's mission and goals.
Find out who and what this particular funder has supported in the past
Past awardees are usually posted on the funder's website. If not, contact the funder and ask for this information.
Contact the funder's program officer
Double-check your eligibility and ensure you have the most accurate and recent funding announcement.
Inform your supervisor and/or department chair about your decision to apply
Some funders and funding opportunities — career development awards, private foundations, and others — require the written approval of a department chairperson.
Funding Opportunities & Sources
UMB and UMSOM Internal Funding Opportunities
University of Maryland Ventures- Passano Foundation Clinician-Investigator Career Development Award
- University of Maryland Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (UM-OAIC) Pilot and Micro Funds
- Interprofessional Education (IPE) Faculty Awards
- American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grants (ACS-IRG)
- President's Global Impact Fund
- UMB Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) Pilot Grants and Vouchers
- UMB ICTR Training and Career Development Core
Federal Funding Sources
Grants.gov- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
- Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Other Funding Sources and Databases
Philanthropy News Digest (Candid)- UMSOM Corporate and Foundation Relations
- UMGCCC Funding Opportunities in Cancer Research
- UMCP, Division of Research
- PIVOT (UMB holds a subscription; use your UMB credentials to log in)
- Maryland Governor's Grants Office
- Duke University
- Stanford University School of Medicine Fellowship Database
- Stanford University School of Medicine Grant Funding Database
- Johns Hopkins University Postdoctoral Funding Opportunities
- Johns Hopkins University Early Career Funding Opportunities
Funding Seminar Series
Identifying Funding Sources
- Strategies for Securing Industry Funding (Oct 2025)
- Recording_Finding Foundation Grant Funding_042925.mp4 (April 2025)
Funders
- March of Dimes (Oct 2025)
- Passano Foundation Clinician-Investigator Award for Career Development at SOM (Sept 2025)
- NIH SBIR/STTR (Aug 2025)
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund (June 2025)
- American Heart Association Funding_042225.mp4 (Apr 2025)
- DoD_CDMRP_051525.mp4 (May 2025)
- Corporate Funding (May 2025)
- Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund.mp4 (Oct 2024)
- Passano Info Session 071824.mp4 (July 2024)
- PCORI Funding 030822.mp4 (Mar 2022)
- VA Funding_091724.mp4 (Sept 2024)
Still Need Help?
CARTI offers one-on-one funding consultations. Fill out the form and we will be in touch.
Request a Funding Consultation