Proposal Development

Proposal Development

Whether you’re a seasoned researcher or just starting out, our resources will help you explore both federal and foundational proposal development.

Federal Proposal Development

What are Federal Grants?

A grant is a way the government funds your ideas and projects to provide public services and stimulate the economy. Grants support critical recovery initiatives, innovative research, and many other programs.

The Federal Grant Lifecycle

The grant process follows a linear lifecycle that includes creating the funding opportunity, applying, making award decisions, and successfully implementing the award. Check out the Grant Lifecycle page to find out what the applicant and the grant-making agency do in the lifecycle.

The specific actions along the lifecycle are grouped into three main phases. Each of the three phases has its own page that provides a more detailed look at the process:

  1. Pre-Award Phase – Funding Opportunities and Application Review

  2. Award Phase – Award Decisions and Notifications

  3. Post Award – Implementation, Reporting, and Closeout

Federal Agencies Who Award Grants

Foundational Proposal Development

About Foundation Relations

As part of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), the Foundation Relations team builds strong partnerships with private and corporate foundations to grow Merrimack’s teaching, research, and community and civic engagement initiatives. We connect faculty and staff with a variety of funders and offer a wide range of support and resources for Merrimack faculty and administrators seeking external funding for their academic research and programs. We serve as the point of contact with private and corporate foundations, associations, societies, and other non-governmental organizations. We can:

  • Strategize, prioritize and coordinate foundation prospect research
  • Inform faculty and administrators of available opportunities
  • Review, revise and edit proposals, concept papers, and attachments prior to submission
  • Ensure timely grant submissions and reporting to funders
  • Coordinate site visits and other communications with foundation representatives

Finding Funding

These resources provide access to the major searchable funding opportunity databases available to all faculty at Merrimack College and will assist you in identifying appropriate funding sources for your research projects and/or civic engagement programs.

Instrumentl is a comprehensive grants management and prospecting database where grant seekers can research funding opportunities that include private, corporate and government funders. Instrumentl can also help you track deadlines, set reminders, and manage awarded grants. Merrimack researchers can request an account by filling out this form. If you have any questions, please contact Kate Baron at [email protected].

Pivot is a searchable database of external funding opportunities from federal, nonprofit, for profit, and international sponsors across all disciplines, whether you are looking for opportunities for research, scholarship, fellowship, or other creative pursuits. Merrimack researchers should create a user profile to set up customized searches involving their fields of interest or discipline. The profile can provide email alerts to researchers about new opportunities that match their search criteria. Use this Pivot Quick Start Guide to get started. Pivot is maintained by the McQuade Library. If you need any assistance, please contact the ORSP team or a McQuade librarian

The Fogarty International Center’s Non-NIH Funding Opportunities is a directory that includes national and international grants and fellowships in biomedical and behavioral research, providing information about additional funding opportunities available to those in the field of global health research.

Previous Funders include: 

Corporate Research Opportunities

Companies support academic research that aligns with their R&D objectives or philanthropic priorities. You can begin exploring corporate research grant opportunities by reviewing the corporate grants below or reach out to the ORSP to help identify corporate funders that may align with your research endeavors. 

Funding Opportunities

Early Investigator Funding

Mid-Career / Senior Scientist Career Awards & Fellowship Funding

Equipment Funding

National Institutes of Health

National Science Foundation

Other Sponsors

Other Funding Resources

Supplemental Funding

Other Funding

Early Investigator Funding

National Institutes of Health

National Science Foundation

Other Sponsors

Supplemental Funding

Other Funding