Apply for a Grant

The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy conducts, coordinates, and supports research that builds a broad base of knowledge about the philanthropic behavior of individuals, communities, and institutions. In this environment of reduced funding, compared to years past, it is critical that we align our resources with competitive proposals that advance research in our current priority areas.

The school seeks to contribute to the knowledge base in the following research priority areas:

• The origins, defining characteristics, and development of philanthropic traditions across time, cultures, and social groups
• The role of philanthropic and nonprofit organizations in shaping communities and civil society
• The sources, motivations, and practices involved in generating, allocating, and managing philanthropic resources of time and money
• The types, scope, and composition of philanthropic resources and their significance for nonprofit organizations and the sector as a whole
• The governance and management of philanthropic institutions and nonprofit organizations

Grants will be awarded to the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy core and affiliate faculty members. For more information on becoming a member of the Philanthropic Studies faculty, please contact us at soprsrch@iu.edu. Proposals involving collaboration among nonprofit practitioners, academic researchers, independent scholars, and policy analysts are welcome.

At this time, there will only be one solicitation for proposals for the General Research Fund during the 2022 calendar year.

Faculty salaries will not be allowable expenses included in General Research Fund awards.

Proposals must be received by Friday,February 11, 2022. The grant period will begin May 1, 2022, with the maximum grant period from May 1, 2022 through April 30, 2024. All work done under the grant must be completed within these dates, although additional work on the research project may continue. Applicants will be notified by email immediately upon receipt of their proposal, and as soon as possible about its funding status, which should occur by April 15, 2022.

The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy can provide a list of practitioners who might be willing to collaborate in the research process. The school also has research resources available for faculty use, such as datasets from the Philanthropy Panel Study and regional studies. Please contact us at soprsrch@iu.edu for more information.

Research proposals must be double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman, not exceeding 10 pages plus attachments, and include:

• A one-page executive summary with a brief description of the project, including the types of organizations and populations to be studied and an explicit statement of the research questions to be examined.
• A description of how the research will contribute to the knowledge base in the school’s research priority areas.
• A description of the conceptual or theoretical framework that will guide the research.
• A review of relevant literature indicating how the research will build upon existing work in the field, or how the research will pioneer a neglected area.
• A description and justification of the methodology, data collection and data analysis, and types of organizations or populations targeted by the research.
• A time frame and schedule for completing the project.
• A dissemination plan.
• A detailed budget and a narrative description of the budget.  Please identify budget items of highest priority for the project.
• A description of whether there is potential to leverage other funding for the research (little potential, however, does not negate funding). Proposals with potential external funding will be more competitive in the specific RFP.

Proposal attachments must include:

• A fully completed application form (attached to the front of the application)
• A one-page resume for each principal researcher, to include background information that is most relevant to the project
• One publication or brief (e.g., five-page) sample of analytic writing
• Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three persons who can serve as references

All research grantees will be required to submit a final written report within two months of the end of the proposed project. The final report should include an executive summary of key findings, a list of budget expenditures, and a list of publications or other outcomes of the research.

All research grantees will be expected to submit a working paper (or similar product or presentation, as appropriate) to the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy as an outcome of each grant. Compliance will be used in evaluation of future research proposals by that author. Grant recipients will also be encouraged to make active contributions to the Philanthropic Studies faculty.

• The grantee maintains the right to use his/her research as appropriate.
• The grantee will give appropriate acknowledgement of funding provided by the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and specify that the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy is not responsible for conclusions drawn by the researcher.
• Applicants, grantees, and reviewers will adhere to conflict of interest procedures specified below.
• All grantees will follow the Indiana University human subjects review process for research projects. Funds cannot be distributed for projects involving human subjects until the grantee has demonstrated that IRB approval has been received. It is recommended that you apply for IRB approval while your proposal is being reviewed as it can take three to six weeks for approval.

• General overhead will not be paid. Equipment and travel expenses associated with the dissemination of research will not be considered for this cycle; however, travel expenses associated with data collection will be considered.
• Conference activity will not be funded unless it is an integral part of the research process or results in a research project.
• Request to support book publications associated with research will be considered on a case-by-case basis for this cycle.
• Note: Faculty salaries will not be allowable expenses included in General Research Fund awards.

• All applications will be reviewed by two faculty members with expertise relevant to the proposals examined in the given cycle.
• The school may seek external reviews if it wishes to obtain additional expert assessments to judge proposals adequately.
• In those cases where faculty members have submitted requests for funding, they will excuse themselves from participation in that cycle of proposal review. The school may seek the advice of excused members to use in the evaluation of other proposals in the cycle where the excused person has particular expertise.