GrantForward Guide

When you set up an account, you will be able to log in from any location, and you will have access to the tools for managing searches and opportunities. If you are a researcher, an account will also allow you to create, claim, or update a profile.

Create a GrantForward account using CalNet.

For more guidance, see GrantForward's tutorial video.

Here are some suggestions for deriving the most benefit from using GrantForward:

1. Take an active role in designing your GrantForward funding searches. A GrantForward funding search based on search terms that are too broad can generate numerous funding options, some of which may not be suitable to your funding needs. Searches can be refined by using specific keywords, sorting by the type of funding agency you are interested in, and selecting the geographic location and funding level best suited to the project.
2. Using search terms that are too specific also can yield disappointing results. Using GrantForward's suggested keywords can help you choose search terms that fit your work.
3. Faculty and scholars should review and update the profile GrantForward has created for them to ensure that the funding opportunities recommendations on this profile are accurate.

If you are looking for funding opportunities to support your next projects, you can use GrantForward in different ways to quickly search for matching grants.

• Find Grants with Keywords and Filters- if you already have some ideas about the topic and a set of keywords to look for grants, you can use

  GrantForwad's Keyword Search and then use filters to narrow your search results.

  • Go to the Search Grant Opportunities page under the Grants tab.

  • Fill in your research interests in the search boxes.

    • All of the Keywords/Phrases: Opportunities must contain all of these search terms.

    • Any of the Keywords/Phrases: Opportunities need to include one or more of these search terms.

    • None of the Keywords/Phrases: Opportunities that contain these search terms will be excluded.

  • Press Enter or click on the Search button to execute the search.
• Find Grants with More Operators- for more complicated search, you can click on More Operators under the search boxes to use Boolean Operators (AND, OR), Exact Phrase Searching (“ “), Parentheses (), Field-Specific Operators (field:), Include (+), and Exclude (-).
• Find Grants with AI Query Assistant- if you're not sure where to start can easily start searching for grants on GrantForward by conversing with the AI assistant.
  • Click on the chatbot and select any query presets to start your search and continue with the next prompts from the AI’s answers (or you can also enter your request freely) to express your search needs.

  • As you give the search request and the AI assistant answers, the search conditions (including keywords and filters) will also change accordingly. The filters can be further customized manually, which offers flexibility for your search.

Refine/Filter your search results

After you have done a search, use the categories on the left menu to see only the results in that category. For example, click Spontor Type and then “Federal/National” for only opportunities in your results from U.S. federal sponsors.

For more information on searching, please see GrantForward's grant search guide.

If you have a GrantForward account, you can save specific funding opportunities, adding them to a list of favorite funding opportunities. 

GrantForward also allows you to save your search queries. Saving a search saves time, as you can use GrantForward to review newly added or updated opportunities, or use the funding email alert to receive email with the changes. You can also run the saved search whenever you like or use it as a starting point to create a similar search. 

Email alerts

If you choose to receive an email alert for a saved search query, GrantForward will automatically provide a regular (daily or weekly) funding alert that identifies any newly added or updated opportunities that match your saved search query. If you choose to receive an email alert for an individual funding opportunity, GrantForward will send email if that opportunity is revised. 

Sharing searches and opportunities

GrantForward allows you to share individual funding opportunities as well as saved search queries with colleagues. (Note that saved search results will only be accessible to collaborators with a GrantForward account). 

GrantForward provides pre-populated profiles for faculty and other scholars. GrantForward matches profiles with suggested funding opportunities.

Faculty interested in using the funding opportunities match may want to create an account, then claim and update their profile. GrantForward uses a proprietary matching algorithm to determine a summary of the topics most highly associated with the profile and use those topics to find funding opportunities with similar topic summaries. As the researcher’s profile information changes and the funding opportunities are updated, this list will continue to change. The more detail and the more accurate the profile, the better the matches.

For more guidance, see GrantForward's guide to creating a profile.