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Foundation Relations works closely with Virginia Tech faculty to identify concrete intersections between university expertise and potential corporate and private foundation partners, supporting faculty efforts to secure funding for research, programs, facilities and equipment, and community outreach. Funded requests range from $50,000 - $5,000,000. Here are some of the services we can provide:

  • Conduct regular foundation research to identify top prospects to support university priorities
  • Help align and pair university programs with interested funding partners
  • Ensure proposals are in line with university priorities, are written effectively, and are in compliance with potential-funder guidelines
  • Manage submission processes and oversee the delivery of finished proposals
  • Provide a high-level of stewardship and recognition to our funding partners to encourage ongoing support

Frequently Asked Questions

A foundation is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization with the principal purpose of making charitable contributions to unrelated organizations and institutions. Often, a foundation is established with funds from a single source, such as an individual, family, or corporation. Most foundations have trustees or directors and many have professional staff. Foundations seek to aid social, educational, religious, or other charitable activities serving the common welfare, primarily by providing philanthropic support.

Foundations support a wide variety of projects based on their particular associated funding priorities. If you’d like to learn more about the foundations that might be interested in your project or if you have a certain foundation in mind and would like to learn more about their funding interests, please contact a member of the Foundation Relations staff to discuss.

  • Virginia Tech Funding Opportunities
    Foundation funding opportunities sourced and managed by the Virginia Tech Foundation Relations team, matching Virginia Tech capabilities with Foundation partner opportunities
  • Funding Institutional
    Funding Institutional is a searchable database of funding organizations, funding opportunities and awarded grants, including extensive coverage of governmental and private sources. It is available to anyone on the Virginia Tech network.
  • Inside Philanthropy
    Whether you’re new to philanthropy or looking to deepen your understanding of the world of giving, Inside Philanthropy provides resources to help.
  • Philanthropy News Digest
    A daily news service of philanthropy-related articles and features culled from print and electronic media outlets nationwide.

The Foundation Relations staff works closely with college-based Advancement colleagues to support the individual goals of each department/school/college. If you are seeking funding for a project, please contact the Foundation Relations staff and they can coordinate with your advancement officer.

As a centralized resource, the Foundation Relations staff works closely with Virginia Tech deans, faculty, Advancement colleagues, and other internal constituents to identify possible areas of alignment for the university and private foundations. This is accomplished by offering the following services:

  • Researching top national and local foundations to support university priorities
  • Connecting university programs with interested funding partners
  • Ensuring proposals are written effectively and in compliance with funder guidelines
  • Managing the submission process and overseeing the delivery of proposals and reports
  • Cultivating strong, ongoing relationships with foundation partners through outreach and communication
  • Providing high-level stewardship and recognition to foundation partners to encourage ongoing support

Please contact the Foundation Relations staff directly to discuss your specific funding needs.

For general inquiries, please contact Foundation Relations at vtfr@vt.edu or through our contact form.

Approaching a foundation for funding can be a daunting and time-consuming task. Below are some basic characteristics that will indicate if your program or research will be a good fit for foundation support:

  • Alignment with both the university’s strategic goals and the foundation’s funding priorities
  • Track record of success and impact
  • Sound understanding of expected outcomes relative to a potential grant
  • Assessment strategy that enables effective and consistent evaluation of achievements
  • Proven capacity to deliver on the promise of a proposal, including internal collaboration and institutional support

In some cases, Virginia Tech may have a longstanding relationship with a particular foundation, and it may request that the university coordinate all interactions centrally through Foundation Relations.

Contact the Foundation Relations staff regarding any significant interactions with a foundation, even if you already have an established relationship. This helps ensure that foundations are engaged in a strategic and effective manner.

In order to be as strategic and effective as possible, there may be a need to prioritize proposal submissions. In such cases, the Foundation Relations staff will coordinate with appropriate vice presidents or deans to manage the submissions process.

Please contact the Foundation Relations staff for copies of the Virginia Tech Foundation’s most recent 990 forms, audited financial statements, W-9 form, IRS determination letter, and board list.

Proposal Development Resources

Recent Funding Opportunities

Knowledge Library

  • Foundation Directory
    A comprehensive database and powerful search tools uncovering information on all 242,000 U.S. Foundations.
  • Funding Institutional
    Funding Institutional is a searchable database of funding organizations, funding opportunities and awarded grants, including extensive coverage of governmental and private sources. It is available to anyone on the Virginia Tech network.
  • Inside Philanthropy
    Whether you’re new to philanthropy or looking to deepen your understanding of the world of giving, Inside Philanthropy provides resources to help.
  • Philanthropy News Digest
    A daily news service of philanthropy-related articles and features culled from print and electronic media outlets nationwide.

QUICK LINKS


OFFICE HOURS

Faculty interested in pursuing external philanthropic funding or learning how Foundation Relations can support their efforts are invited to attend.

WHEN: Once a month
WHERE:
LINK + LICENSE + LAUNCH
Third floor of the Holtzman Alumni Center
901 Prices Fork Road
Blacksburg, Virginia
NEXT UP:

Tuesday, Sept 13th 3 - 4pm
Tuesday, October 11th  3 - 4pm
Tuesday, July 12th 3 - 4pm


CONTACT US

For general inquiries, please contact Foundation Relations at vtfr@vt.edu or through our contact form.

Tracy Krauchun
Director of Foundation Relations
tkrauchun@vt.edu