Federal, state, and local government agencies are major sources of NIU's external funding using the grant and contract mechanisms.
Private and community foundations are also sources of funding support. Many foundations are large and have a sizeable support and program staff; others have very small staffs. Foundations are generally very clear about their areas of interest, whether research or program. It is thus very important to read and follow all of their guidance carefully. Applicants should have innovative ideas and must carefully target those foundations most likely to be interested in the project topic. Most foundations restrict their grant-making to specific fields and geographic areas of interest.
Foundations can be categorized in various ways; the categories mentioned here are not mutually exclusive. National foundations, such as the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, have highly competitive grants programs and are not limited to any geographical area in their grant support. Special interest foundations restrict their grants to programs within a single field. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, for example, funds only health projects; the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation supports research on mental retardation. Corporate foundations prefer projects that benefit company employees or the corporate interest as well as the larger community. Family foundations, which constitute the largest number of private foundations, often are restricted in geographical area and usually make grants for projects in areas of family interest. Finally, community foundations are public organizations serving a specific geographical area. A local example is the DeKalb County Community Foundation.
This source of funding support is growing in importance. Business and industry sponsors have funded many researchers at NIU for a wide variety of projects. Funding from business and industry is received typically via contracts or purchase orders.