Finding Funding

Abstract

Finding funding for your project is important. Many projects cannot be undertaken without funds to cover fuel and travel costs, or to buy essential equipment. More importantly, funding also allows you to increase the quality of your work, in that it may allow you to pay specialists to undertake highly skilled technical tasks. Writing a funding application is also the best way of planning any research project, as it forces you to think deeply about how you will carry out the project, identify challenges or problems, plan a viable budget, and identify the concrete outcomes you hope to achieve. Scholars who take the time to develop a funding application will benefit from having more clearly defined goals, more detailed plans and overall better project management. This makes project outcomes more attainable. While granting agencies receive considerably more applications for support than there are funds available for distribution, you can increase your chances significantly through developing a thorough and professional application. Think of the time you spend on preparing a funding submission as a good investment.