Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a foundation? What do foundations fund?The Foundation Center defines a foundation as an entity that is established as a nonprofit corporation or a charitable trust under state law, with a principal purpose of making grants to unrelated organizations or institutions or to individuals for scientific, educational, cultural, religious, or other charitable purposes. This broad definition encompasses two foundation types: private foundations and public foundations, the latter being a type of public charity. The most common distinguishing characteristic of a private foundation is that its funds come from one source, whether an individual, a family, or a corporation. The term “public foundation” has come into common usage only recently to describe public charities that have a primary purpose of making grants. Like all public charities, public foundations generally receive their assets from multiple sources, which may include private foundations, individuals, government agencies, and fees for service. Moreover, a public foundation must continue to seek money from diverse sources in order to retain its status as a public charity (Foundation Center). Follow these links for lists of the top regional and national foundations.
Foundations will fund a wide range of academic and research projects. Foundations may also choose to support endowments, such as those supporting professorships or scholarships, or even building/plant funds. Visit our Recent Grants page to see some examples of what foundations are currently funding at Rice. Feel free to contact OCFR with any ideas you may have; we will be happy to help you determine if it would be something that a foundation would support.
Who should I approach if I want to request support from a corporation or corporate foundation?
Please contact Marybeth Savicki in OCFR for assistance.
What is the relationship between the Office of Corporate & Foundation Relations (OCFR), the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR), and Research Cost and Accounting (RCA)?
All three offices exist to support to Rice University's sponsored and research projects. Because most foundation grants are now assigned to R funds, OCFR works closely with OSR and RCA to receive and manage grants from foundations.
The Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) supports the development and submission of proposals to all external sponsors, including federal, state, and local agencies, foundations, and corporations. OCFR and OSR work closely together to submit proposals to and receive grants from foundations.
Research Cost and Accounting (RCA) creates funds for all sponsored project awards in Banner, including all foundation grants that will be managed in R funds. RA reviews expenditures throughout the grant period and monitors spending compliance with the award terms. RA will prepare grant financial reports and close out awards.
What is an RFP and how is it different from unsolicited and solicited requests?
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is an invitation from a funder to submit applications on a specified topic with specified purposes. Unsolicited requests, however, are submitted on any topic of interest to the funder. If a foundation officer approaches a faculty or staff member and requests a proposal on a certain topic, these are solicited requests.
How much time does the foundation process take? How long will it take for the foundation to consider my proposal and make a decision?
The entire grantseeking process can take several months or even years. Although a foundation may only require a few months to review a proposal and determine whether or not to fund it (the timeframe will vary by funder and may depend on when and how many times a foundation board meets each year), successfully positioning your project for foundation support can be a long-term process.
A letter of inquiry (LOI) is a brief letter outlining an organization's activities and its request for funding that is sent to a prospective donor in order to determine whether it would be appropriate to submit a full grant proposal. LOI is typically 2-3 pages, and should loosely follow the format of a full proposal, but should be very concise. Click here for more information on what you should include in a letter of inquiry.
A proposal is a written application, often accompanied by supporting documents, submitted to a foundation to request a grant. Although some foundations have strict formatting guidelines, most proposals should include an executive summary, statement of need or rationale, project description, organizational background, budget, and conclusion. Click here for more information on what you should include in a full proposal.
What is the difference between a 990 and a 990 PF, where can I find them online, and how do I read them?
The 990 is the tax return for a public foundation (more commonly called a public charity) and 990-PF is the tax return U.S. private foundations file. This public document provides fiscal data for the organization, names of trustees and officers, application information, and a complete grants list.
Line 22 of Part II on the 990 form will indicate the total amount of grants paid out during the fiscal or calendar year for a public charity, with a list of those grants in the appendix.
Page 10 of the 990 PF lists grants paid out during the previous year, including recipient organizations, project name, and amount. More information about how to read these forms can be found here.
To search for a 990 or 990 PF, use either The Foundation Center or Guidestar.org.
Why do I have to use a Review & Approval (R&A) form before submitting a proposal to a foundation?
Some foundations (particularly smaller ones) may give outright “gifts” which have minimal reporting requirements and no official grant agreement forms. These monies are deposited into “G” Funds.
Increasingly, however, foundations make “grants.” Thus, most foundation funds come with an official grant agreement form, which describes, for example, specific reporting requirements and accounting procedures and include the provision that any unspent funds be returned to the foundation. Given these restrictions, Rice now consistently treats the majority of foundation funds as sponsored research, or “R” Funds. To ensure greater oversight of these funds and compliance with the foundation's restrictions, Research Accounting manages all monies held in R funds and will prepare any required financial reports.
Just like all other sponsored projects, those proposals that, if granted, would likely be held in an “R” fund must be routed and approved using OSR's Review and Approval (R&A) form before they are submitted to the funder. The R&A form ensures that the proposal and budget have been vetted by deans and center directors and that the submission has been approved by the Office of Sponsored Research.
What are Facilities and Administrative Costs and how are they different than overhead and indirect costs? Does my proposal budget have to include them?
Facilities and Administrative Costs may also be referred to as overhead or indirect costs. These terms refer to the general administrative costs and university services that support sponsored research projects and may include: salaries and expenses of executive leadership; costs of operating and maintaining facilities; and the cost of other administrative services upon which all departments/centers rely. These costs differ from direct costs that are directly attributed to a particular project, including but not limited to: PI and co-PI time to implement project, specific project supplies, project travel, etc.
To capture as much of the real costs of implementing a sponsored project as possible, it is Rice's policy to include Facilities and Administrative Costs on every foundation proposal unless 1) the foundation does not permit overhead or 2) the department has received an official waiver through their dean's office from the Vice Provost for Research.
Unlike federal sponsors, private foundations generally allow a limited amount of overhead or a certain percentage of the total direct costs of the project. If you have any questions about how much overhead the foundation to which you are applying will allow, please contact OCFR.
What is stewardship and why is it important?
Stewarding your grant begins as soon as you receive the award notification. In coordination with the Office of Sponsored Research , the Office of Corporate & Foundation Relations (OCFR) will review the grant conditions and send any required paperwork back to the foundation to accept the award (e.g. the grant agreement may require an official Rice signature). OCFR will coordinate thank you letters from the president and/or dean to express the university's appreciation for the foundation's support. OCFR also encourages individual faculty to send their own letters of thanks.
The grant agreement will likely stipulate a foundation's narrative and financial reporting requirements. OCFR will track reporting deadlines and remind the principal investigators 45 days before a report is due. Timely submission of reports is an important demonstration of the university's gratitude, and an important vehicle for keeping the foundation aware of the project's progress. OCFR also encourages principal investigators to communicate with funders to convey important developments or challenges throughout the grant period.
Stewarding grants helps maintain good relations between Rice and its key foundation funders. Keeping foundations engaged and aware of the good work we are doing with their funds also better positions the university to receive their support in the future.
Do I need to send copies of grant reports to OCFR?
Yes, please send copies of all grant reports to the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations in MS-84.
How can I access the sample proposals and newsletter archive if it requires a password?
Email OCFR to obtain a user ID and password.