Contact the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to assist you - Staff can help you identify programs that match your interests, assist you with search engines, or sign you up for future funding alerts.
Know your field - What agencies fund your interests? What programs do they currently have? When are their typical due dates? Who else is doing what you're interested in and how are they doing it? Stay up to date on the research in your field to ensure you understand how your work fits into the work of others.
Contact people in your field - Ask them how they get funded.
Find a balance between your interests and what's currently of interest to funders- Consider how your interests fit into the world of fundable ideas and make refinements as appropriate.
Consider secondary benefits - Having special populations involved in the project may attract new funding sources.
Bookmark agencies' funding programs - Find agencies that fit your interests and check them monthly. Also, sign up for funding alerts that are applicable to your field.
Consider an interdisciplinary approach - Explore ideas with potential collaborators from other disciplines at MSU, in the community, or other institutions.
Know your due dates and begin the planning process early - Identify collaborators and strategize possible designs. Most grants are too competitive to plan everything in a month.
