Overview
Funding searches often fail for predictable reasons: keyword searches return hundreds of irrelevant results, eligibility details are buried in call documents, and deadlines are missed because they were not tracked early. A focused search starts with a clear profile of the project and applicant — topic, methods, career stage, nationality and host country, institution type, budget range and timeline — and filters funders against it.
We use public sources such as funder websites, Grants.gov and agency funding opportunity listings, the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, and national research council sites, together with subscription databases your institution may license, such as Candid's grantmaker profiles, Pivot or Research Professional. Past grant records often reveal more than mission statements: they show typical award sizes, disciplines and the kinds of organizations a funder actually supports.
You receive a prioritized shortlist with the reasoning for each funder, eligibility checks, deadlines and application routes, plus a simple calendar. We cannot promise that any funder will support the project, but we can help you spend effort where the fit is strongest.
Who it’s for and the problems it solves
This is for you if you are…
- Early-career researchers looking for first grants, fellowships or travel funding
- Established researchers exploring funders outside their usual council
- Nonprofits and community organizations seeking foundation support
- Researchers in countries with limited national funding looking for international schemes
- Research offices wanting a targeted funding landscape for a department or theme
Common problems we help with
- Database searches return too many results and you cannot tell which fit
- You find a good scheme only after its deadline has passed
- You are not sure whether your nationality, institution or career stage makes you eligible
- Your topic crosses disciplines and does not fit one council neatly
- You rely on one funder and want a more diverse funding strategy
What’s included — and what isn’t
Included
- Project and applicant profile to drive the search
- Search of public funder sources and databases you can give us access to
- Screening for eligibility: career stage, nationality, host country, organization type
- Fit assessment based on funder priorities and past awards
- Notes on typical award size, duration, success signals and application route (open call, invitation, LOI)
- Deadline and cycle tracking, including internal institutional deadlines where known
- Prioritized shortlist with a recommended sequence of applications
- Suggestions for partnerships or co-applicants that would open additional schemes
Not included
- Guaranteeing that any listed funder will invite or fund your application
- Purchasing database subscriptions on your behalf
- Contacting funders in your name without your agreement
- Legal or immigration advice about eligibility based on residency or visa status — funders and your institution have the final word
What you receive
- Funding profile
- A one-page summary of the project and applicant attributes used for searching.
- Prioritized shortlist
- A table of funders and schemes with fit rationale, eligibility notes, award size, deadlines and links to official pages.
- Application calendar
- A timeline of upcoming deadlines, internal deadlines and preparation milestones.
- Strategy note
- Recommendations on which schemes to prioritize, which to prepare for later and any partnerships worth building.
How it works
Profile
You describe the project, your career stage and location and any funders already tried. We build the search profile.
Search
We search funder sources and databases, collecting candidate schemes.
Screen and assess
We check eligibility and fit against past awards and priorities, removing poor matches.
Shortlist and plan
We deliver a ranked shortlist and calendar and discuss next steps with you.
Sources and screening criteria
- Funder and agency sites
- Official pages of national councils, government agencies and foundations, which remain the authoritative source for eligibility and deadlines.
- Government portals
- Grants.gov for US federal opportunities and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for Horizon Europe and other EU programmes.
- Grantmaker databases
- Candid's grantmaker profiles and grants data, and institutional subscriptions such as Pivot or Research Professional where available.
- Past award records
- Funders' published grant lists and award databases, used to judge real fit and typical award size.
- Eligibility screen
- Career stage windows, nationality and residence rules, host institution type, previous award restrictions and resubmission limits.
- Fit scoring
- A simple rubric weighting topic alignment, eligibility certainty, award size, competition and timing.
Why past awards matter more than mission statements
A foundation's mission may mention 'education', but its grant records might show it funds only early-childhood programs in two regions. A council's program may be open to all disciplines but, in practice, fund mostly laboratory science. We look at what funders actually support so the shortlist reflects real chances rather than broad language.
Building a funding sequence
Many researchers benefit from a sequence rather than a single bid: a small seed grant to generate preliminary data, then a larger council grant, or a fellowship that builds the track record needed for an ERC application. We suggest a realistic order, with preparation time, so each application strengthens the next.
Once you have chosen a funder, our foundation grant and research council services can help develop the application.
- Short-term: open calls you can realistically prepare for
- Medium-term: schemes needing preliminary data or partners
- Longer-term: flagship schemes that suit your future track record
What the work can look like
Illustrative example — fictional data
Illustrative shortlist entry
A fictional early-career social scientist based in North Africa is looking for funding for a project on youth employment and digital platforms.
Scheme
A fictional international development research fund's early-career call, which funds researchers based in low- and middle-income countries.
Fit and eligibility
Strong topic fit: the funder's recent awards include three labor-market projects in the region. Eligible: applicant is within the career window and based at an eligible institution. Check: whether a co-applicant from a second country is required.
Timing and next step
Next deadline in about four months; application by concept note first. Recommend preparing the concept note now and confirming the institutional endorsement process with the research office.
Illustrative example; the funder and details are invented to show the format of a shortlist entry.
What you’ll need to provide
- A summary of the project or research program
- Career stage, nationality and host institution or organization details
- Budget range and preferred start date
- Funders already applied to and outcomes
- Access details for databases licensed by your institution, if you want them used
You don’t need everything ready to ask for a quote — tell us what you have and we’ll say what’s missing.
What affects price and turnaround
Price depends on
- Breadth of the search: one project versus a research program or department
- Number of countries and funder types to cover
- Whether database access is available
- Depth of the strategy note requested
Turnaround depends on
- Scope and number of candidate funders
- Speed of your answers to eligibility questions
- Urgency of upcoming deadlines
Every project is quoted individually. How we price our work.
Questions people ask before starting
Do I need access to a paid database?
No, but it helps. Many strong opportunities are listed on free official sites. If your institution licenses Pivot, Research Professional or Candid, we can use those with your access.
Can you tell me for certain whether I am eligible?
We check published eligibility rules and flag doubts, but only the funder or your research office can confirm eligibility in borderline cases. We tell you exactly what to ask.
Will you search for scholarships as well?
This service focuses on research and project funding. For student scholarships see our admissions services, which specialize in scholarship searches.
How current is the shortlist?
It reflects the information published at the time of the search. Deadlines and rules change, so always confirm on the funder's official page before starting an application.