Grants in this program support the digitization of scientific and cultural knowledge and aim to preserve the openness and accessibility of all such knowledge for the widest public benefit. Major grants have gone to the Internet Archive , with its huge scanning and storage capacity; the Open Content Alliance , a consortium of over 100 universities, libraries, and scientific and cultural organizations committed to placing all their scanned materials into a common open digital repository; and Wikipedia , the largest encyclopedia in history, the fifth largest website in the world, and a model of collaborative open source knowledge on the Web. Current grantmaking focuses on identifying and eroding the economic, legal, and institutional barriers to universal access to knowledge and on supporting efforts to create a Digital Public Library of America . Program Director: Doron Weber Bio Apply Headlines The Digital Public Library Launches with 2.4 Million Records Americana Exchange Monthly Hack the Digital Public Library of America on June 1 Programmable Web Datakind Featured in FastCompany's 100 Most Creative of 2013 List Fast Company Making Official Data Public Could Spur Lots of Innovation Economist Got eyes? Help Find Gravitational Lenses. Gizmag Program Updates March 2013 June 2013
Program Director: Doron Weber Bio Apply
The Foundation does not make grants to individuals. Except in rare circumstances, the Foundation does not make grants to for-profit institutions. The Foundation does not make grants in religion, medical research or the humanities. The Foundation does not make grants to projects aimed at pre-college students. The Foundation does not make grants to projects in the creative or performing arts, except when those projects are related to educating the public about science, technology or economics. The Foundation does not make grants for endowments, buildings or equipment, or fundraising drives, including fundraising dinners. The Foundation does not make grants to political campaigns, to support political activities or to lobby for or against particular pieces of legislation. Links What We Do Not Fund The Grant Application Process Letters of Inquiry Grant Proposals Forms Tips for Writing a Successful Grant Proposal Other Web sites for Grantseekers
STEP 1: Visit the Sloan Web site The first step in the grant application process is learning if grant support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is available for your project. Review carefully the program descriptions on the Foundation’s Web site. Each program has an APPLY button that will take you to an explanation of the availability of grants in that program and whether unsolicited letters of inquiry are accepted. If nothing is specified, you may assume that unsolicited letters of inquiry are accepted. STEP 2: Submit a Letter of Inquiry The next step is to submit a brief letter of inquiry outlining your idea and inquiring about the possibility of funding. Visit our letters of inquiry page for guidelines on composing and submitting a letter of inquiry. STEP 3: Submit a Grant Proposal The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant proposals. Grantseekers interested in obtaining funding from the Foundation are strongly encouraged to first submit a Letter of Inquiry, as described above. Those submitting promising letters of inquiry will be contacted by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and invited to submit a formal grant proposal. Visit our Grant Proposals page for guidelines on composing and submitting a formal grant proposal. Once a formal grant proposal has been submitted, the Foundation will evaluate the proposal and come to a decision about whether it meets the Foundation’s standards and advances current Foundation priorities. Depending on the funds requested and the complexity of the work to be performed, the Foundation may seek outside expert review of the proposal. NOTE: The process detailed above does not apply to nominations for the Sloan Research Fellowships. To learn more about how to be nominated for a Fellowship, visit the Sloan Research Fellowships section of the website. Links What We Do Not Fund The Grant Application Process Letters of Inquiry Grant Proposals Forms Tips for Writing a Successful Grant Proposal Other Web sites for Grantseekers
Letters of inquiry regarding the possibility of Foundation support should include: A brief statement (two or three sentences) about the nature and purpose of the proposed project; A rough estimate of the cost of the proposed project and the amount of funds the proposer will be seeking from the Foundation; A rough estimate of the duration of the proposed project; Your title and contact information; The names and affiliations of other key members of the project, if any. Letters of inquiry should be: No more than one full page; Submitted by email to the program director of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant program from which you wish to receive funds. Please consult the staff directory on the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Web site for contact information for each program director. If a program has more than one program director listed, please send the letter of inquiry to only one of the program directors. While we try to respond to all letters of inquiry quickly, this is not always feasible due to the large volume of inquries we receive and the time constraints faced by Alfred P. Sloan Foundation staff. If more than a month has passed since you submitted your letter of inquiry, it is appropriate to email the program director to whom you submitted your letter of inquiry and inquire about its status. Links What We Do Not Fund The Grant Application Process Letters of Inquiry Grant Proposals Forms Tips for Writing a Successful Grant Proposal Other Web sites for Grantseekers
Formatting and content requirements for formal grant proposals vary according to whether the proposed project is for academic research or for some other activity and according to whether the amount requested is greater than $125,000. If your project is for... ...and you are requesting then Research $125,000 or less Use these guidelines Research More than $125,000 Use these guidelines Some other purpose $125,000 or less Use these guidelines Some other purpose More than $125,000 Use these guidelines Links What We Do Not Fund The Grant Application Process Letters of Inquiry Grant Proposal Guidelines Forms Tips for Writing a Successful Grant Proposal Other Web sites for Grantseekers
Sample Budget This is a sample budget for those unfamiliar with constructing budgets. Proposal Administration Form This form contains information necessary to process a successful grant application. Proposal Cover Sheet Form All grant proposals to the Foundation must contain a one-page summary cover sheet that briefly answers the questions on this form. Links What We Do Not Fund The Grant Application Process Letters of Inquiry Grant Proposal Guidelines Forms Tips for Writing a Successful Grant Proposal Other Web sites for Grantseekers
Read Bourne and Chalupa's concise and helpful Ten Simple Rules for Getting Grants . Adhere to the formatting and content requirements laid out on the Web site. These requirements are inflexible. Proposals not meeting these requirements will not be considered. Avoid rhetoric and hyperbole. Illustrate with real instances or examples. For grant proposals in support of meetings or conferences, include a draft agenda, draft list of invitees, and draft letter of invitation if possible. Be specific about outputs and outcomes. The proposal should explicitly state expected practical, tangible outputs (such as number of students whose training or careers are affected, data collected, scientific papers produced) and outcomes (such as new knowledge, institutional strengthening, etc). BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT OUTPUTS OR OUTCOMES WOULD MAKE YOU THINK THE PROJECT HAD BEEN A SUCCESS (big sales of a book, a prize awarded for research, a government grant to continue the project, web traffic, high enrollments, better salaries, etc.). If the effort connects to or benefits other areas of Alfred P. Sloan Foundation interest such as DNA Barcoding, the Census of Marine Life, or the Public Understanding of Science, point this out. Be explicit about the duration of the project (e.g. 12 or 18 months). Be clear about management. Who will do what jobs and who will have what responsibilities, obligations, and powers (both carrots and sticks)? Make constructive use of milestones to the extent applicable (for example, include a schedule of events over time indicating when certain things should be accomplished or happen). Include Letters of Support if a project’s success depends crucially on support of key figures other than the PI. Keep proposal compact in terms of total megabytes and also in terms of files into which a proposal is divided. A proposal should not come in more than 3 files (such as main proposal, appendices, budget), though a single file in .pdf format is preferred. While draft files may be sent as Word files (.doc or .docx format) to make it easy for the Foundation to return comments, finals should be sent in .pdf format. Links What We Do Not Fund The Grant Application Process Letters of Inquiry Grant Proposals Forms Tips for Writing a Successful Grant Proposal Other Web sites for Grantseekers
Council on Foundations Foundation Center Foundations.Org GrantProposal.com The Grantsmanship Center Grant Writer's Resource Links GuideStar National Endowment for the Arts Nonprofit.About.com Nonprofit Gateway Philanthropy News Network Links What We Do Not Fund The Grant Application Process Letters of Inquiry Grant Proposals Forms Tips for Writing a Successful Grant Proposal Other Web sites for Grantseekers
From the Airports By Subway Parking Entrance to the Building From the Airports: From LaGuardia: A taxi costs approximately $40 not including toll and tip. Travel time is usually about 35 - 40 minutes. From JFK: A taxi costs approximately $45 not including toll and tip. Travel time around 40 – 60 minutes, longer at peak hours. From Newark Airport: A taxi costs approximately $55 not including tolls and tips and will take about 75 minutes depending on traffic. Visit the NYC Taxi and Limosine Commission Web site for frequently updated information on taxi fares. By the Subway Take the F , B , V or D trains to 47th -50th Streets-Rockefeller Center stop; or Take the 6 train to 51st Street stop (cross-street: Lexington Avenue); or Take the 1 or 9 trains to 50th Street stop (cross street: Broadway) Subway fare is $2.25 one way. For more information, consult the MTA Web site . For point-to-point subway directions, consult HopStop.com . Parking: Rockefeller Center Garage 25 W 48th Street New York, NY 10020-1509 Phone: (212) 698-8530 Entrance to the Building The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is located at 630 Fifth Avenue, the entrance is on Fifth Avenue, between 50th and 51st Streets (a statue of Atlas is in front of the entrance, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral is directly opposite). Sloan's offices are on the 25th floor, Suite 2550. Links Directions to Sloan Security Procedures Visiting for a Seminar? Nearby Hotels Google Map
