Corporate, Foundation, and Sponsored Research Support

The Office of Corporate, Foundation, and Sponsored Research Support assists Knox faculty and staff in developing funding partnerships with corporate, foundation, organization/association, and government competitive granting programs. Our goal is simple: to help faculty and staff seek, apply for, secure, administer, and steward external grants for the benefit of the College, its students, faculty and staff, programs, and overall mission.

In recent years, Knox College has been awarded competitive institutional grants from funders such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the Hearst Foundations. Knox faculty have secured awards to support research, scholarship, creative work, and teaching from organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the Illinois Humanities Council, the U.S. Fulbright Commission, National Institutes of Health, Association of American Colleges and Universities, and the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund.

The grants office is here to help you find grant opportunities, apply for grants, manage and steward grants, and develop your grant expertise. 

Find Grant Opportunities

• FoundationSearch and BIG Online are comprehensive databases offering up-to-date information on foundations and corporate giving programs. These databases are available through our office.
• We screen email alerts from private and public funders on an ongoing basis. We can recommend funding updates that are relevant to your interests.
• Have a funder in mind? We can help you investigate and decide whether to apply.

Apply for Grants

The grant process begins when you complete and submit the College's required External Grant Authorization form, which is routed to the Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services and the Provost / Dean of the College. Please contact us as far in advance as possible, especially if you need assistance with your application. 

• Authorization is required before submittal of any external grant application for Knox College. To request authorization, submit a completed Knox College External Grant Authorization form, with budget and project drafts, at least two weeks before your grant's submittal deadline. We cannot guarantee timely authorization decisions for incomplete or late filings. Contact our office if you need a copy of the form emailed to you.   
• Proposal development is our specialty. We can consult with you as you think through the case for support. We assist with gathering institutional data, reviewing drafts, and writing institutional narrative as time allows. We can also check the final proposal package for required documentation. 
• Budget development is the foundation of a successful application. Allow us to assist in formulating a budget for your proposal, including the calculation of fringe benefit rates, indirect costs, and travel costs using institutional and State of Illinois standards.
• Proposal submittal, either online or via traditional delivery, is available as a service to you. The CFSR Office is Knox College's authorized representative for submitting online applications to many funding programs.

Administer and Steward Grants

• Get started quickly by working with us to establish a grant account and process/acknowledge grant payments. In cases of charitable grants, notifications and funds must be processed through the Advancement office.
• Post-award support — In collaboration with the Business Office, we help you meet funder requirements and comply with College and federal regulations. Our post award process will answer your questions and prepare you to manage your grant, start to finish. 
• Publicity is achieved through our liaison with the Office of Communications. We work with you to get information about your grant to those responsible for College news publicity.
• Stewarding and reporting on grants goes beyond fulfilling basic requirements of a grant award, and it's the right thing to do. Communicating with your grantor is a satisfying part of post-grant work. We are available to advise and assist you.

Develop Your Grant Expertise

• We publicize grant webinars provided by external funders for specific opportunities, and other online learning opportunities, to faculty and staff. We do this via direct email as well as the Faculty Development Newsletter and Website for upcoming sessions.
• Learn more with us. From articles to online repositories and suggestions for grant conferences, we can point you to a treasure trove of resources to help you write winning grants.

Corporate, Foundation, and Sponsored Research Support program is your partner in grant seeking.