Resources for Non-Research Grants

In addition to providing standard research grants, some sponsors support other academic programs and activities such as training, the purchase of equipment, and individual scholarship.

Institutional Training Grants

An institutional training grant is an agreement that supports cohorts of students, postdoctoral researchers, staff, teachers and/or faculty who are selected by the institution to be a part of the training program. These programs typically provide a coordinated training program in a distinct discipline or transdisciplinary area and may offer a stipend and professional development activities to the trainees.

Typically a team of faculty trainers will apply to an agency to host such a program, and once awarded, the faculty team will select annual cohorts of trainees to participate.

Institutional training grants are different from individual fellowships, which generally provide stipends for individuals who are selected by the agency. Grad Studies has resources for grad students and postdocs interested in individual fellowships and awards.

Training Grant Support

Training Grant Support Services (TGSS) is a virtual unit linking staff in Graduate Studies and the Office of Research. This unit assists faculty to develop and prepare institutional training grant proposals. TGSS can help find funding opportunities open to specific research and training goals and offer support throughout the application process. We can also help provide materials for the renewal of an existing training grant.

Templates and Samples of typical proposal components for institutional training grants are available by contacting the Proposal Development Services team at [email protected]

Training Grant Funding Opportunities

Examples of institutional training grants available from federal agencies include:

The timing, amount of funding available, and funding cycles of each of these opportunities vary by agency and program.

Many of these programs are Limited Submissions. Please review the sponsor guidelines carefully or contact [email protected] for more information.

Equipment and Instrumentation Grants

Many federal agencies offer specific funding opportunities to support the acquisition or development of instrumentation or equipment. Some agencies fund the construction of new research facilities.

Research Facilities Support

The Research Core Facilities Program helps to support the operation and maintenance of many multi-user instruments on campus by promoting and developing best practices for instrument and facility operation and management.

Before applying for funding for a new instrument, review the dynamic inventory of shared campus resources in our searchable database.

Contact RCFP Director Isabelle Girard for more information.

Research Facilities Grant Application Support

The Proposal Development Services team, in collaboration with the Research Core Facilities Program, have resources available to help with proposal preparation for equipment grants, including templates and samples of proposal components.

There are a number of university policies surrounding how equipment should be budgeted, purchased, and tracked.  If you plan to apply for an equipment grant please review the information offered by the UC Davis Equipment Management office to ensure that the instrument meets the definition of equipment (whether it is acquired or developed), all of the capitalizable costs are included in the budget, and the proper tax rate is applied. The answer to these questions and more can be found here.

In addition to the cost of the equipment itself, most grants allow you to budget for tax, delivery, installation, calibration, and a limited service contract. Some grants allow personnel expenses related to installation and calibration.

Equipment Funding Opportunities

Common funding opportunities to support the acquisition and development of equipment and facilities can be found below. Many of these programs are Limited Submissions. Please review the sponsor guidelines carefully or contact [email protected] for more information.

Resources to fund Scholarship, Meetings, or non-STEM Research

Some funding mechanisms are intended to support individuals in their pursuit of scholarship and research outside of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Often this support comes in the form of individual fellowships that are awarded directly to individuals; the funding does not flow through the university.

Other funding can be requested to support activities that do not involve research explicitly, including workshops and conferences to develop new collaborations, writing books and compilations, holding exhibitions, and travel to visit collections. Such funding may or may not flow through the university.

If faculty and staff have questions about individual fellowships, workshop grants, publication funds, or other activities that are not considered research, contact:

Proposal Development Services  for assistance on funding from federal agencies

Foundation and Corporate Engagement for assistance on funding from private organizations

Students interested in fellowship opportunities should contact Grad Studies.