Foundation Relations and the Cornell Community

How Can You Help Us Work With You?

  • Realize that development is a process that requires your involvement. You will be most successful if you treat us as consultants. YOU are usually the best spokesperson for your project.

  • Speak with your department chairperson and your dean about how to implement your ideas and about what institutional support there may be for your project. Funders often want to see that there is an institutional commitment before awarding a grant.

  • Who do I contact -- Foundation Relations or Office of Sponsored Program Services?

    • Start with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) for assistance with research support, government funding sources (including NEH and NEA). If your prospects include private foundations, OSP will ask that you have cleared the approach with Foundation Relations as well.

    • Contact Foundation Relations for assistance related to program development, endowment or capital support; if you think that private foundations might have an interest in your project area; if your project is institutional or crosses unit boundaries; or if your project is truly innovative and will move the field or the institution in a whole new direction.

  • TIME FRAME: Give us enough time to serve your needs.

    • If you need to have institutional endorsement for a completed proposal, allow at least a week.
    • If you want us to critique a proposal, allow at least two weeks.
    • If you are starting with only a project idea, allow at least several months.

  • Use Internet Resources

    • Many foundations make their interests and guidelines widely available on the Internet. This is now the best way to determine, prior to any conversation with us or with the funder, whether your project might be a match with the foundation's interests.
    • Cornell Community memebers can access the Foundation Directory Online prospect research tool through Cornell's Library Gateway. For further questions on access, click here.
    • This link will take you to a list of private foundations that are active with Cornell and/or for which Foundation Relations receives frequent requests for information.
    • ** Foundations marked with an asterisk* specifically indicate that requests be coordinated through the Foundation Relations Office.
    • Our office would be happy to provide advice and background for anyone interested in approaching the foundations on the list. We also welcome inquiries about other private foundations that are not listed.