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Find funding �from friendly to formidable

January 29, 2025

CCRB 1-125 & zoom

STRIDE is supported from funds from the National Cancer Institute Training Navigation Supplement 3P30CA077598-26S1.

Support & �Training for �Research �Independence, �Development, & �Engagement

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Networking opportunities coming up

Trans-NIH Cancer Health Equity Workshop April 10-11, 2025�Bethesda, Maryland�Register by March 6, 2025; Poster Submissions Accepted

@ UMN

Masonic Cancer Center Seminar Series - Tuesdays at 9:00 am

2025 MCC Research Symposium April 22, 2025

Also see: MCC events & MCC memo internal newsletter

ON

HOLD

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What to look for in funding sources

Type…*	Friendly	Finicky	Formidable
Application:	Easy	Doable	Extensive
Support letters:	One or a few	Some	Many, detailed
Success rate:	High	Moderate	Low (competitive)
Review criteria:	Clear	Vague	Unclear
Eligibility:	Transparent	Opaque	Subjective
Indirect costs:**	None to minimal	Variable	High**
* Funding sources are rarely if ever fully friendly / easy… but some can be fully formidable! **High indirect costs is for research cost recovery and decreases direct funds�(see Facilities and Administrative, F&A costs for details)

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Funding & Sponsors

Grant

Cooperative Agreement

Contract

sponsor involvement

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Types of Funding Sources

Government Grants
Foundations/Nonprofits
Industry
Philanthropic Gifts

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Sources of Funds/Funder Motivation

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Determining the best funding source

What funding mechanism makes the most sense for my research?
What sources of funds seem most applicable to my work and career stage?
Who is, might be, or should be interested in my work?

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Where to Look for Funding Opportunities

Internal UMN funding opportunities
Comprehensive Search Engines (e.g., Pivot Database)
Agency-Specific Sites (e.g., NSF.gov)
Corporate, Foundation & Association Sources (e.g., www.cof.org)
Peers and Networking

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Where to Look

Internal Funding Opportunities

Masonic Cancer Center Internal Grants

https://cancer.umn.edu/mcc-funding-opportunities

Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI)

https://ctsi.umn.edu/funding-opportunities

Medical School Research & Equipment Grants

https://med.umn.edu/about/honors-awards/services-faculty-students/research-equipment-grants

Research and Innovation Office

Univ of MN Foundation Charitable Grants Funding

https://umfgrants.umn.edu/identification

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Where to Look

Comprehensive Databases

Pivot Database (https://pivot.proquest.com/) – Provides access to currently available research opportunities from a variety of funding sources (federal, foundation, private).

SPIN (https://spin.infoedglobal.com/) – contains over 40,000 funding opportunities from 10,000 federal, public, non-profit and private funders.

Grant Puma (https://app.grantpuma.com/) – Offer customized grant recommendations using AI to pull publications from users ORCID account and match them with relevant funding opportunities.

Foundation Directory Online (https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/) – has detailed profiles of over 80,000 U.S. foundations and a growing number of international ones.

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Where to Look

Funding Opportunities Databases

¤A c

A central storehouse of information where applicants can locate and apply for Federal grants on over 1,000 programs by:

Basic Search
Advanced Search
RSS Feed
E-mail Subscriptions

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Foundation Engagement

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Corporate Engagement Center

Engage private sector leaders and manage strategic corporate partners of the University
Secure private sector funding (philanthropic and other investments) to advance key UMN priorities
Help private sector navigate the University
Support UMN leaders in advancing big ideas for private sector investment

Foundation Engagement

Engage Foundation leaders and manage strategic foundation partners of the University
Secure foundation funding to advance key UMN research and initiatives
Proactively identify open RFP’s and prospects aligned with UMN research and program areas
Assist faculty with development and submission process of foundation proposals

Corporate and Foundation Engagement Operations

Manage charitable grant compliance and process from pre to post award
Guide complex corporate and foundation gift/grant agreement strategies
Navigate UMN policies and collaborate with UMF finance and other UMN offices
Guide DOs through corporate and foundation gift/grant process
Represent UMF in classification review

Corporate and Foundation Engagement (CFE)

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Foundation Engagement Team services we provide

Goal: ensure UMN is pursuing competitive and relevant funding opportunities

Track and pursue significant funding opportunities issued by top regional and national foundations
Guide & support Unit development and faculty with developing proposals in response to highly aligned $50K+ RFPs
Manage the strategic foundation portfolio
Create and execute fundraising strategies with top foundations
Partner w/RIO and academic leaders to conduct proactive outreach to top regional and national foundations

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Our Team

Kristi Flanagan Villar, Vice President Medicine & Health
Shawn Keenan, Lead Development Officer
John Kilbride, Director of Development
Jen Foss, Development Program Director, Health Systems
Rachel Kinder, Development Officer
Gwen Toay, Development Officer
Sharon Kunau, Program Coordinator
Emma Gamoke, Development Officer

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Contact Us

Rachel Kinder�Development Officer, Cancer�Email: rkinder@umn.edu�Phone: O: 612-624-8650 | C: 651-206-4123
Gwen Toay�Development Officer, Cancer�Email: gtoay@umn.edu�Phone: O: 612-624-9609 | C: 701-205-2518

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Corporate

Engagement

Center

Our vision is to maximize mutual benefit by connecting University innovation and talent with the goals of our private or public sector partners.

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Partnerships

Strategically align the unique business needs of a company with University areas of excellence

Focus on a portfolio of ~70 companies

C-suite relationships
Includes all MN-based Fortune 500

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Technology and Innovation

Sponsor research
License or commercialize technology
Participate in center and institute activities
Co-locate on campus
Enlist faculty expertise
Utilize specialized research facilities and equipment
Become a member of U of M research consortium
Venture investing

Corporate engagement model

The vast resources of our comprehensive research University can serve companies in five primary ways.

Executive and Employee Engagement

Participate on U of M boards
Serve as executive champion/sponsor
Teach in classrooms
Contribute expertise at U of M conferences and events

Workforce Development

Recruit talent
Engage with students
Provide executive and continuing education
Partner on K–12 outreach efforts to build a diverse pipeline

Outreach and Visibility

Sponsor and participate in events
Volunteer and mentor
Host a corporate alumni network
Naming opportunities
Global programs

Place-based Partnerships

Co-locate to campus
Specialized facility and �equipment sharing
Real estate development
Commercial tenancy

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The Process

We provide the companies an Innovation Blueprint to build a strong understanding of how the UMN could provide support;

The CEC team then works to identify centers, colleges, faculty, existing technologies, and even startups, that might be of interest to the company.
From there, companies typically respond with their wish lists.
We finally reach out to the selected experts to gauge interest in a potential collaboration in hopes of setting up an Innovation Exchange.

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The benefits to faculty are many.

Faculty can learn more about problems important to industry.
Faculty could potentially obtain additional research funding, by making new connections.
And lastly, faculty can provide additional pathways for students to be hired by a company.

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Resources

Corporate Engagement Center (CEC)

CEC staff

Ways to Partner with Industry (for researchers)

Industry Funding Opportunities (Google sheet)

- HALO

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CEC Contacts

Jason Stockman

Research Partnerships Manager, University-wide

stock776@umn.edu

Leza Besemann

Research Partnerships Manager, University-wide

besem007@umn.edu

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Discussion

What questions do you have for the larger group?
Any additional comments?

What common misconceptions to people have about finding funding?

What common mistakes do people make when considering funding sources?

Options: Full group discussion

Option for Breakout groups: CEC & UMF

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Connection Time

Name, department or research group
My science is about…
Right now I’m looking for… �(collaborators? grants? training opportunities? something else?)

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Support & Training for Research Independence, Development, and Engagement