The Foundation Fellows program aims to build and enhance the capacity of U faculty to identify and qualify potential private sponsors for support, leverage central U foundation relations resources, cultivate relationships with foundation staff, develop and refine compelling letters of inquiry (LOI) and proposals, and to successfully solicit support for their scholarly, research, and/or academic work from foundations.

Faculty participants are awarded $3,000 to support their research and scholarly activity. Award funds are intended to support the generation and refinement of individual ideas—whether through meetings with foundation staff, travel to engage with peers or attend conferences, or in other creative ways faculty members come up with.

Over the course of the seven-month cohort program each faculty fellow works closely with other faculty participants and with the program staff to develop, refine, and submit at least one major proposal ($100k +) to one or more foundation sponsor(s). Fellows meet with program staff as a group once per month in a two-hour weekday session, usually over breakfast or lunch.