Fund Searches

Using all the resources UCSB has to offer will help you gain a broader perspective of available support in your area of interest. Conducting a fund search is the first of several steps in the process to identify funding for your project.

In addition to free online resources, UCSB subscribes to two searchable funding opportunity database systems—the Illinois Researcher Information Service (IRIS) and the Community of Science (COS). They are accessible on any computer using the ucsb.edu domain or by UCSB proxy server. You can use these databases to enter key words, search for program solicitations, and browse search results from a variety of sponsoring organizations.

Research Development offers help in using the IRIS and COS databases and provides mediated searches for UCSB faculty. For assistance, contact Jackie Hunt, funding@research.ucsb.edu, or call x8891.

• Community of Science allows you to select keywords to conduct a "main search,” "simple search," or "search by sponsor."
• IRIS is a searchable online database. An informative tutorial gives tips for using the Funding Opportunities Database, Alert Service, Expertise Service.
• Grants.gov is a recently launched, centralized, searchable clearing-house for all federal grants.
• GrantsNet is a free, searchable database of funding opportunities in biomedical research and science.
• FedBizOpps.gov is the single government point-of-entry for federal procurement opportunities above $25,000. Researchers should search by procurement classification codes “A” (Research and Development) or “B” (Special Studies & Analysis—not R&D) for best results.
• IRIS - Periodical Database contains selected items from the FedBizOpps.gov and the Federal Register.
• Fed World serves as the online locator service for a comprehensive inventory of information disseminated by the federal government.
• Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents.
• Library of Congress lists official Executive Branch office websites.
• Federal Web Locator links to hundreds of federal agency web sites.
• CFDA gives you access to a database of all available federal programs.
• Foundation Center allows you to search for foundations by key word or by category (private, corporate, public charity, or community).
• Foundation Center Private Foundation Search
• TRAM (Texas Research Administrators Group) provides a search engine for locating funding opportunities and contains a set of grant application forms, and standard agreements for subcontracts, non-disclosures, licenses, and links to other servers related to research funding and administration.