For Faculty and Staff

Partnering with the Office of Corporate & Foundation Relations

The Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) facilitates and coordinates VCU’s relations with corporations and foundations and similar funding entities such as institutions, associations, trusts and other non-governmental funding entities. CFR staff members are pleased to partner with faculty and staff from all VCU schools and units to provide support for programs, research and initiatives.

We are available to assist throughout all the stages of the funding process.

Please contact us to discuss how we might help.

The resources on this page will help you begin your funding search and proposal planning.

Working with foundations

The foundation relations team offers a variety of services. We can:

Advise on the latest foundation trends and on writing a competitive grant proposal.
Help navigate the proposal timeline and process.
Conduct personalized prospect research based on faculty research, projects and programs to identify potential funding sources.
Provide background and context on VCU’s funding relationship with a particular foundation.
Connect faculty with colleagues who have received funding from a foundation of interest.
Advise faculty in all phases of proposal development, including concept papers, letters of intent/inquiry and proposal narratives.
Connect faculty to foundation program staff and advise on strategies for relationship building and management.
Coordinate visits and events between VCU and foundations.

Working with corporations

Corporate relations staff members can:

Identify potential corporate partners for your initiative.
Provide background on VCU’s history and relationship with a specific corporate partner.
Plan corporate outreach, including campus and/or company site visits.
Develop support literature or case statements and prepare a competitive proposal that will resonate with corporate funders.
Develop sponsorship or gift agreements that align with VCU’s mission, policies and procedures.
Steward and recognize corporate gifts to the university.

Review our sponsorship toolkit for tips and guidelines on securing sponsorship gifts for VCU.

Building your funding strategy

First consider what your project is and why it is important. An initiative is more likely to be funded if it is strategic, thoughtful and compelling to a funder. How the initiative is funded and who will fund it cannot supersede these first two elements.

Next, think about how to build your funding strategy with a potential corporate partner.