Institutional Giving Overview and Trends

The Office of Institutional Giving manages the relationships between Fordham University and corporations and foundations.

The Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations provides:

  • Depth of knowledge about foundations and corporations
  • Information on Requests for Proposals (RFPs, RFAs) and other funding opportunities
  • A donor-centric approach to coordinating cultivation and proposal submission
  • Senior leader visits to foundations
  • Proposal advice and editing
  • Assistance processing proposals and awards with the Office of Sponsored Programs
  • Stewardship of awards

Trends in Corporate and Foundation Grantmaking

Corporate and foundation grants have become even more competitive; corporations and foundations are seeking partnerships and making fewer, but larger grants for strategic priorities.

CFR’s goal is to develop relationships with foundations and corporations with whom there is programmatic alignment, rather than to seek one-time, transactional grants.

What Are Corporations and Foundations Funding?

  • Research
    • Data to inform public policy
    • Risky projects to get pilot data for applications to federal funders
    • Synergistic research created by interdisciplinary partnerships, often from multiple institutions
  • Public-private partnerships
  • “Breakthrough” Prizes, moon shots, “big bets,” etc.
  • Limited submission and invitation-only opportunities
  • More limited submission and invitation-only opportunities
  • Fellowships for senior researchers moving into new fields and superstar junior faculty
  • Very specific research calls

Foundations are focused on increasing the impact of grants.

Corporations and foundations rarely make grants for general operations, endowments, or scholarships for individuals.