Grants, Contracts, Sponsored Research, and Cooperative Agreements

Students can seek public and private funding to support their work, subject to approval by the university.

Many students have successfully sought funding from public and private foundations and government agencies. Students may collaborate with faculty to write grant proposals in support of research, internships, fellowships and other forms of support. However, Yale University requires that any person seeking funding (including faculty) must be authorized in advance; all proposals must be reviewed by the grants administrative staff before being sent to any organization. Students must have their proposals reviewed by a faculty member who will be designated as the principal investigator and agree to be the fiduciary responsible for project completion.

Once a proposal is developed and reviewed by the faculty member, the Business Office and Development Office can provide guidance to students and faculty regarding the sometimes complex process, budget reviews, and routine but time-consuming handling. Staff there can review deadlines and describe necessary authorizations, including that of the dean of the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

The Yale Grants Administration staff provides services to university faculty and researchers in the following areas:

• Reviews proposals, negotiates awards and administers agreements for scholarly research, education and training programs, assuring compliance with all applicable sponsor regulations and University policies and procedures.
• Notifies the community about funding opportunities as well as sponsor policies and application guidelines.
• Maintains a database of information about sponsored project proposals and awards.
• The Yale Office of Grant and Contract Financial Administration is responsible for the financial management of grants and contracts.

The Office of Grant & Contract Administration also maintains a list of Funding Opportunities and Upcoming Deadlines.