Information for Faculty and Adminstrators

A foundation is a non-governmental, nonprofit organization whose purpose is to make charitable contributions to institutions and organizations. Most foundations are established by an individual, family, or corporation and directly support a wide range of projects that align with its stated mission and funding priorities.

Please contact a member of the Foundation Relations team if you would like to contact a particular foundation about a project you have in mind or would like to identify prospective foundations who might be interested in your project.

All university faculty and staff have access to the following databases to search for funding opportunities. Please contact the Office of Foundation Relations to request a comprehensive summary of prospective foundations and funding opportunities that align with your research interests and/or programs.

Focus on Funding newsletter
Produced by the Division of Research and Innovation and distributed every other Friday to all U of A faculty. Staff interested in receiving the newsletter can subscribe here.

Foundation Center Online
Provides a searchable database of U.S. foundations, corporate giving programs, and grantmaking public charities, plus a growing number of non-U.S. grantmakers. Also provides keyword-searchable queries of recently awarded grants and recently filed IRS Forms 990 and 990-PF. Includes additional information such as Request For Proposals (RFPs) and officer and trustee affiliations.

Grant Forward
A searchable database of government and non-governmental funding opportunities.

The term “grant” is often used interchangeably by corporations and foundations providing support to the university, regardless of whether the funding is a charitable gift or a sponsored grant. The gift versus grant distinction is based on the nature of the proposal, statement of work, and/or other terms of the agreement. Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 227.0 is intended to facilitate the appropriate classification of charitable gifts vs. sponsored awards and to ensure that external funding directed to the university receives the proper compliance review, administrative oversight, and monitoring. A review committee consisting of staff in the Division of University Advancement and Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) will review your proposal and may ask you to complete a series of questions to aid in this determination. It is important to complete this process prior to submission to avoid any delays in the receipt of funds or approval of grant award agreements.

Please contact the Office of Foundation Relations at fdnrel@uark.edu for assistance in submitting your proposal or Letter of Inquiry. We can assist you with proposal development, writing, editing and technical review to ensure your submission aligns with a potential funder’s guidelines. 

Yes, the Office of Foundation Relations welcomes communication before contacting a potential funder. We can provide information to help guide discussions with program officers to ensure maximum benefit of contact.

In a few cases, the university may have a longstanding relationship with particular foundations that may request the university coordinate all interactions centrally through the Office of Foundation Relations. Examples include the Walton Family Foundation (and its related foundations), Windgate Foundation, Schmieding Foundation, and the W.M. Keck Foundation. Please contact a member of the Foundation Relations team regarding any significant interactions with a foundation, even if you already have an established relationship with a foundation or program officer. This helps ensure the university’s relationships with foundations are strategic and mutually beneficial.

Limited submissions are funding opportunities in which a foundation only accepts a certain number of applications from an organization. Foundation Relations works with the Division of Research and Innovation to manage limited submission opportunities from foundations for the University. These opportunities are posted to InfoReady. Interested applicants must first apply internally via the InfoReady portal and meet internal deadlines well in advance of the foundation’s submission deadline. Reviewers selected from across campus evaluate the application and select the proposal(s) that will move forward to submit a full proposal to the foundation.

If you identify a limited submission funding opportunity from a foundation that has not been posted to InfoReady, please contact Foundation Relations at fdnrel@uark.edu to ensure that other projects have not been previously selected and/or the internal application deadline has not passed.

Please contact the Office of Foundation Relations at fdnrel@uark.edu to request copies of the university’s and/or the University of Arkansas Foundation’s most recent 990 forms, IRS determination letter, audited financial statements, W-9 forms, and UA System board listing. We can also provide content for an Organizational Description and other university statistics required for your proposal.

The Office of Foundation Relations regularly collaborates with college/school/unit leadership and development colleagues to understand current priorities and seek funding in support of their goals.