In The Fiddler on the Roof, Hodel is looking for a marriage match and sings:
Matchmaker, Matchmaker,
Make me a match,
Find me a find,
catch me a catch
Matchmaker, Matchmaker
Look through your book,
And make me a perfect match
Yes, this song is about being matched for marriage, but looking for the perfect funder is much like that!
As you are creating your funding strategy and looking for funding opportunities, you need to ask yourself the following questions:
- Does the funding agency share your goals?
- Is the funding agency interested in the same populations?
- Has the funding agency funded projects similar to yours?
- Have they made awards to institutions similar to yours?
- Does the agency require matching?
- When will the award be made?
All of these questions help you determine if a funding opportunity is a good fit for you. If it isn’t, just move on to the next one.
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