CFR fosters relationships between UVA and corporate and foundation partners. Our team can advance your research or program objectives in many ways: from identifying funding opportunities, to writing and editing grant proposals, to liaising with university leadership and administration, to navigating long-term relationships with funders, we can support every step of the funding process.

Contact us at [email protected] to learn how we can work together.

If you are interested in pursuing a corporate relationship specifically, please visit the Corporate Relations website for more information about how we can facilitate corporate partnerships. 

If you need help identifying private funders (foundations or corporations) who may be interested in funding your work, please complete the Prospect Research Form today. CFR will take about 4-6 weeks to conduct a comprehensive search for prospective funders. A member of the team will then contact you with our results.

If you are preparing a proposal to a private funder and would like assistance from CFR, reach out today. The earlier in the proposal process you contact us, the greater your chances of developing a compelling proposal and a beneficial funder relationship. Contact us today.

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) manages institutional compliance and financial administration through the lifespan of an award: from submission, to award negotiation, to management and reporting, to award closeout. OSP oversees this critical work on behalf of the University for all grants, including those from government, corporations, foundations, and associations. CFR supports relationship strategy and proposal support for private institutional funders only (corporations, foundations, associations, etc.). The CFR office works closely with OSP to provide the best possible assistance to faculty on proposal development and building and maintaining relationships with funders. Please contact us with additional questions.

CFR does not assist with proposals to government agencies. Our purview is exclusive to private philanthropic funders like foundations and corporations. You can contact the Research Development unit in the Office of the Vice President for Research for assistance with large/complex federal proposals.

If you need additional assistance, feel free to contact us at [email protected] and we can help you reach the right office or individual.

CFR is a service department within University Advancement. Our office maintains partnerships with school-based development officers, research administrators, and faculty across Grounds. 

You can use the University Advancement Directory to find your school's officer, or contact CFR to put you in touch with the right person.

A foundation is a non-governmental entity that is established as a nonprofit corporation or a charitable trust, with the purpose of making grants to unrelated organizations, institutions, or individuals for scientific, educational, cultural, religious, or other charitable purposes. Most foundations have trustees or directors and many have professional staff. Foundations seek to aid social, educational, religious, or other charitable activities serving the common welfare, primarily by providing philanthropic support.

A funder issues Request for Proposals (RFP) to invite proposals from organizations that might be qualified to participate. RFPs often share the following characteristics:

• Announce that funding is available for projects focused on addressing a specific issue or need
• Solicit proposals for projects that might address that need
• Provide background on the funder
• Sets out the project specifications and application procedures. While an increasing number of foundations use RFPs in specific fields, most still prefer to consider proposals that are initiated by applicants.

Foundation funders often do not accept unsolicited proposals. A Letter of Intent or Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is increasingly becoming a standard form of initial contact between grant-seekers and funders. Additionally, many grant cycles are two-stage: the first is an LOI, and, if invited, the second is a proposal. An LOI is usually a 2-3 page pre-proposal or abbreviated summary of the proposed project. Foundations review LOIs and determine whether to invite a grant-seeker to submit a full, more detailed grant proposal. 

For help with writing LOIs, please contact the CFR office.

Some foundations and corporations restrict the number of proposals an institution is permitted to submit in response to an RFP, putting the onus on the institution to create an internal selection process to determine which investigator(s) may apply to an opportunity. At UVA, the selection process for Limited Submission Opportunities (LSOs) is coordinated by the Office of Vice President for Research (VPR). To view and apply for open limited submission opportunities, visit the Limited Submissions Opportunities page and sign up for the LSO email alert.

Once internal nominees for a foundation or corporate LSO are selected, CFR offers support to the chosen nominees with proposal development. If you have more questions, please contact us at [email protected].

Differentiating between gifts and sponsored programs is critical to ensuring appropriate processing (including proposal submission and receipt), management, oversight, and reporting. As a general rule, gifts are funds donated outright to the University. These may be restricted to areas of use and may require basic reporting on the impact or use of the funds.

On the other hand, a grant or a sponsored program typically obligates the University to a specific scope of work with specified deliverables, financial requirements (financial reporting and/or the potential for an audit), and other terms and conditions.

For more information, see the University's official policy governing gifts vs. grants/sponsored program, FIN-001.

If you have more questions, feel free to get in touch with us.

While you are not required to contact us prior to applying, we strongly urge you to do so to ensure the best possible outcome for your project or research. Our team may have prior knowledge or relationships with the foundation or company, or we can do the legwork to find the latest information, saving you time and helping to manage the relationship.

A note on Priority Foundations - CFR, in partnership with the Offices of the President and Vice President for Research, manages a list of 57 priority foundations. Please review this list, and if you are interested in applying to any of these, you must contact CFR in advance.

Please read more about Our Services and contact us today to learn how we can help.

Some foundations cover indirect costs or administrative fees, however, they don’t typically allow the federally negotiated rate. You can refer to the guidelines of the RFP to learn more about administrative fees, or contact us for assistance. We can also contact the funder directly to inquire whether indirect costs are permitted and at what rate.

Please contact the CFR office immediately. Our team works closely with the Offices of the President and Provost to draft and procure signatures on letters of support for funders. These offices typically require at least a 2-week turnaround time for reviewing and signing letters, so it is critical that you contact us as soon as possible so we can begin the process with ample time before the submission deadline.

You can visit our Institutional Information & Attachments page, which contains many of these documents for download. The CFR team can also help manage the grant portal and locate other required documents. Please get in touch so we can learn how to best assist you.

Reporting requirements are usually detailed in the grant agreement and involve narrative, statistical, and financial reports. Corporate requirements are even more variable and may not require a standardized report.

The CFR office is available to determine reporting requirements, review reports before submission, and consider strategic ways to steward the funder. Questions about financial reports should be directed to your school's research coordinator. While you will be the best source of information on what you accomplished with the funds, we can guide the process and act as a liaison with other departments like OSP.

Get in touch with us for help with fulfilling reporting requirements.