Foundation Relations
With its rich tradition of public and private support, 51¹ÙÍø Tech has established an excellent reputation in working with foundation partners to realize breakthrough discoveries and innovative solutions to society's most pressing issues.
In coordination with the and the , Foundation Relations at 51¹ÙÍø Tech collaborates with faculty and staff across the university to facilitate strategic growth and to nurture its land-grant mission of service.
Resources
Foundation Requests for Proposals (RFPs): Please contact a member of the Foundation Relations staff if you are interested in pursuing any of the opportunities found in the linked document.
The Foundation Relations team is part of 51¹ÙÍø Tech Faculty Activity Support Team (VT-FAST), a virtual group of faculty and staff across campus who support faculty in all aspects of proposal development. More information about VT-FAST can be found here.
Search here for information about more than 100,000 foundations, corporate giving programs, and grant-making public charities, or for information about nearly half-a-million grants. This subscription service requires that you connect to a 51¹ÙÍø Tech network or VPN in order to access the directory.
Learn the key components of a foundation proposal through this free, online short course.
Proposal Development Form and Guidelines: This document serves as a guide when creating a proposal and includes sections that are common to most foundation proposals.
Foundation Relations Staff
Tracy Krauchun
Director,
Foundation Relations
540-231-2896
tkrauchun@vt.edu
Adam Short
Associate Director,
Foundation Relations
540-231-4584
ashort@vt.edu
Cindy Disney
Development Associate,
Foundation Relations
540-231-3709
cdisney@vt.edu
FAQ
To help guide you through the grant-making process, please review the commonly asked questions below.
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.
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 51¹ÙÍø 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.
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, 51¹ÙÍø Tech may have a longstanding relationship with a particular foundation, and it may request that the university coordinate all interactions centrally through Foundation Relations. Please 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 51¹ÙÍø Tech Foundation's most recent 990 forms, audited financial statements, W-9 form, IRS determination letter, and board list. Contact information is listed below.