Finding Funding

Robert Porter, Ph.D., Program Development Manager in the Research Division, Virginia Tech

The search for sponsors can be both time consuming and frustrating. Online databases are becoming increasingly important in helping scholars to quickly identify potential funding sources. This "hands-on" workshop will focus on the use of powerful searching tools such as Community of Science, the Foundation Center, and Grants.gov, with plenty of time for participants to practice their skills. Information includes these topics:

• Keyword searches of online databases
• Refining your search with keyword manipulation
• Searching for recent awards by topic and sponsor
• Locating potential collaborators
• Navigating web sites of key federal agencies

Robert Porter has more than thirty years' experience as a tenured professor, private consultant and research administrator. His proposals have won more than $5 million in awards from government agencies and private foundations. In addition to conducting workshops at VA Tech and other universities nationally, he has presented award-winning papers on grant writing at national conferences and has published articles on this subject in the Journal of Research Administration. Dr. Porter has previously taught at Swarthmore College, Susquehanna University and Eastern Washington University. He holds graduate degrees in Speech Communications from the University of Michigan.

Sponsored by the TRC Professors as Writers and Excellence in Diversity Fellows Programs.