1. College Advancement
  2. Grant Programs Office
  3. Grant Seeking Tools

Grant Seeking Tools

Hillman Hall

Looking for potential funding sources? You’re in the right place. On this page, you’ll find a variety of grant resources to help you identify opportunities that align with your project goals or areas of interest. These free tools are a great starting point for exploring the grant landscape and taking the first steps in your grant-seeking journey. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page for external resources.

The Grant Programs Office also maintains a curated Grant Opportunities List that reflects Simpson College’s institutional priorities. We encourage you to review these listings as you begin your search.

If you have questions or would like guidance as you explore, please don’t hesitate to contact the Grant Programs Office—we’re here to support you at every step.

Grant Opportunities List

External funding can support a wide range of initiatives—whether you’re seeking resources for class projects, research, equipment, instrumentation, or capital improvements. Identifying the right funding source is a critical first step in bringing your ideas to life.

To help you get started, the Grant Programs Office maintains a Grant Opportunities List featuring opportunities that align with Simpson College’s institutional priorities and areas of strategic growth. We invite you to explore this curated list and connect with our office for additional guidance, feedback on proposals, or help navigating the application process.

Download the Grant Opportunities List

Federal Funding

Grants.gov is a federal funding platform with hundreds of opportunities across numerous fields. The federal grant database allows faculty to filter for funding with keywords, eligibility criteria, category, and agency. Grants.gov also offers many resources that may aid in navigation of the federal grant application process including webinars, checklists, step-by-step guides, blog posts, and a FAQ page.  

Similar to Grants.gov, Sam.gov is a federal platform with a search database for current and past funding opportunities. It also serves as the management service for all federal grants, keeping records of tracking, reporting, and eligibility for the institution. Simpson is registered with Sam.gov.  

The NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts is NIH’s official source for notices of grant policies, guidelines, and funding opportunities. The Guide is published daily and issues a Weekly Table of Contents.

You can find funding opportunities on this page. Or, explore funded awards.

State Funding

Iowagrants.gov is an online grant management system used by the state of Iowa to manage and streamline the grant process. It’s a one-stop shop for both grant applicants and state agencies involved in administering grants. IowaGrants.gov provides a portal for identifying grant opportunities, a system for managing the grant lifecycle, and instructional guides and videos. 

Click here for instructions on how to log into Iowagrants, instructional guides, and instructional videos.

The Iowa Department of Education publishes a listing of competitive grants and funding opportunities for education partners.

Funding Opportunities with Industry

Find research collaborations and funding opportunities with industry. Submit a 1-page proposal and bring your ideas to life.

HALO is an online platform that connects academic researchers with industry partners seeking collaborative solutions to real-world challenges. It serves as a matchmaking tool where faculty and research administrators can browse active research needs from companies, submit relevant research proposals, and form industry-sponsored partnerships. HALO helps institutions expand their industry engagement, diversify research funding, and increase the visibility of their faculty expertise. HALO is free for individual researchers to browse and respond to opportunities.

Other Free Tools

The Des Moines Central Public Library provides access to free grant resources for the Des Moines area in grant funding and development.

The DMPL offers free access to Candid’s Foundation Directory Online and online trainings via Candid Learning, as well as in-person workshops.  

 

The Des Moines Foundation offers funding that aims to foster inclusive engagement and impact to improve quality of life for all in the Des Moines community. Additionally, the Des Moines Foundation has an abundance of grant writing resources and training opportunities.

Warren County Philanthropic Partnership was formed as a community foundation to distribute Iowa’s County Endowment Fund money and support charitable giving in Warren County, Iowa.

For more than a decade, the foundation has responsibly distributed charitable dollars through grants to community nonprofit organizations. Since our inception, we have awarded more than $1 million into the community for beneficial projects.

Duke University Research Funding Database: Quickly get started using pre-curated searches developed by our funding experts or select topic area tags to filter opportunities by research fields.

The University of Kansas Opportunities List: The Opportunities Lists on this page are compiled and updated annually each summer by the Research & Grant Development Office (RGDO). These downloadable PDF documents are intended to help Scholars identify resources to help fund their work. No list is exhaustive. Scholars should visit the websites of any agencies of interest to learn current deadlines and note any changes to requirements since the list was last updated

Michigan State University’s database of grants for funding individuals

Boston University’s Humanities and Fellowships and Grants List

 

Every year, members of CLASP compile a summary of sponsored funding opportunities awarded to member institutions. Here you will find the lists of grants awarded in 2024 according to Simpson College’s academic divisions. Feel free to peruse and download these spreadsheets for your use as you explore opportunities that align with your work:

CLASP 2024 Division A grant list

CLASP 2024 Division B grant list

CLASP 2024 Division C grant list

CLASP 2024 Division D grant list

CLASP 2024 Other grant list

The EMERGE (Equipping Minoritized and Emerging Research Institutions to Grow their Enterprises) Library at Emory University is the first national, peer-reviewed collection of plain language, collaboratively written research enterprise resources centering the voices and expertise of minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and emerging research institutions (ERIs). Identified through partnering institutions in with the program, the library collects diverse, practical resources to advance research infrastructure and capacity.