Grant Searching | Center for Writers

Grant Databases

Pivot

Pivot is a comprehensive, user-friendly grant database with searchable funding opportunities by foundations, federal agencies, international entities, and professional societies. Pivot allows account holders to track, organize, share, and receive notifications about funding opportunities. Pivot also allows users to search for collaborators through the searchable scholar profiles.

NDSU faculty, staff, and students have access to Pivot through the university’s subscription (access from off campus requires log-in) and can register for an account with their NDSU email. Visitors to campus can access Pivot through the NDSU Library by getting a computer pass from the reference desk when attended by a reference librarian (see hours here).

Step 1: Create An Account
Video-- Create a Pivot Account
Note: the video states that your university email will serve as your Pivot username. However, if you previously registered an account under COS, you will use your same COS username

Step 2: Claim/Create and Update Your Profile
Video-- Claim/Create Your Pivot Profile
Video-- Update Your Pivot Profile
Note: If you claim a pre-existing profile, your profile will be pre-populated with information pulled from your university webpage

Step 3: Conduct an Advanced Funding Search
Video-- Conduct an Advanced Funding Search
Note: After you are taken to the search funding results page, you will be given the option to save the search. Under the home tab, you will be able to opt-in to receive an email when updates or changes are made to the search results

Step 4: Navigate, Save, and Refine Search Results
Video-- Navigate, Save, and Refine Search Results
Note: When navigating search results, you will be given options to set opportunities to active, tracked, etc. Under the home tab, you will be able to organize and view opportunities you set to active, tracked, etc.

Step 5: Become Familiar With the Pivot Homepage
Video-- Pivot Homepage: Active Opps and Video-- Pivot Homepage: Tracked Opps
Note: All of the available features for the active and tracked opps are the same.
Video-- Pivot Homepage: Saved Searches
Note: Although you can share opps/searches with someone who does not have a Pivot profile and who does not work at NDSU, he or she needs to have a university email in order to view the opp/search. If you want to share an opp with someone who does not have a university email, link directly to the sponsor website.

Grants.Gov

Grants.Gov allows users to search for federal, government-wide grant opportunities. No subscription is required. Grants.gov does not allow the grant seeker to narrow a search by activity location, so be sure to double check this criteria when looking at an opportunity. Grants.Gov applications will be submitted through the site’s online process, but the database only allows users to register when preparing for a specific opportunity.

The Foundation Center

The Foundation Center has a database with over 3 million grants and profiles of over 120,000 grantmakers. NDSU's Business Development unit in RCA has two account licenses for this database, and you can contact them for help with searches, or you may access the database yourself through the downtown Fargo Public Library Online Resources, by using their computers or by being on their wireless. A valid FPL Library card is required, and this database can be accessed only at the downtown site, not the north or south branches.

Graduate Student Corner

See the NDSU Graduate School's page on Funding Your Education for links to assistantships, fellowships, and grants.

Take a class to help prepare your application to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program. UNIV 440/640 - Writing for Scholars, Fellows, and Researchers (8 weeks, 1 credit)

Searching for grants and fellowships

Pivot includes scholarships, fellowships, travel grants, dissertation funding, and more. It can be your one-stop place to search for opportunities; however, if you want to try something else, consider one of the following:

Fellowship Finder: The Illinois Database of Grants and Fellowships for Graduate Students. Search parameters include Field, Citizenship, Stage of Study, Award Type, and Eligibility.

CARAT: Database at Harvard of opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.

ProFellow: Database and blog with information on professional and academic fellowships in a variety of fields. Free subscription is required. The blog includes stories and tips from successful fellows.

Foundation Center: Foundation Grants to Individuals Online: Requires a subscription or access to a Foundation Center library or Funding Information Network location. The main branch of the Fargo Public Library downtown is one of these places to access it for free while on site. (102 N Third St, Fargo, ND 58102)