Support Request Form

PLEASE NOTE: The use of this form is to help frame your ideas and create a more consistent structure for your letter of intent (LOI) or funding request. We organized the form to reflect the order and type of information that most foundations look for in their grant applications. Our hope is that using this form will provide you with a better starting point in your grant efforts and provide our office with a better understanding of how we can assist you in this process.

Do you have a research project but aren't sure how to match your work to the best funding opportunity? Do you have questions about the grant process or how to craft a stronger proposal? Would you like help with editing? If you are working on a major grant, we can provide pre-submission assistance, help you frame your proposal or LOI, make narrative recommendations, and ensure that institutional and funder requirements are met. For grants of smaller amounts, we can assist you with using the Foundation Directory, an online research funding tool, or identify foundations that would best match your proposed project. (For a full list of our office's services, please visit our Services page.)

Also, please see our Grant Writing page for tips on planning a project, proposal writing, and budgeting.

Please use the form below to request our assistance. Provide as much information as you can and we will get back to you within 5-8 business days.

Name(s) and Title(s)/Affiliation(s) of the PIs on the project. For example: Jill Smith, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Computer Science.
If you don't have a project title yet, please provide a working title.
What is the issue you're working to address? What research questions are you trying to answer? If possible, summarize any current data that demonstrates a compelling need for your project.
Please describe the scope of your proposed work and why it is innovative.
Please provide the amount of funding you need and estimates of how much is needed for major categories (e.g., $40K grad student).
How will you demonstrate success or progress throughout the scope of your work? Will dissemination of results have broad impact (i.e., affect policy)?
What types of assistance would you like? (See Services tab (www.umass.edu/cfr/services) for the types of assistance offered by CFR.)
(Check all that apply.)