The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Grants Information Collection (GIC), located at Memorial Library, provides a wide array of information—in both print and electronic format—on scholarships, fellowships, grants, and other funding opportunities for both individuals and nonprofit organizations from private foundations, corporate funders, and federal agencies. The GIC is a cooperating collection of the Foundation Center, the “nation’s leading authority on philanthropy,” and is available to the public. This relationship provides a veritable wealth of information for our collection’s users.
What We Do
The GIC is a library collection. Users do their own research, although librarians at the Reference Desk are available to offer initial direction and assistance. The GIC provides books, periodicals, and an extensive Web site for users to browse on fundraising, proposal writing, and philanthropy. Seminars and workshops are regularly given by the grants librarian—topics include “Foundation Grants for Nonprofit Organizations,” “Grants for Your Education,” and more.
The workshops are free of charge, highly attended, and provide exactly the guidance needed to find funding sources. In addition, free personal consultations with the grants librarian may be arranged depending on availability. Before requesting an appointment, it is required that:
- one makes full use of the online information available at the Grants Information Collection website;
- persons affiliated with nonprofit organizations come with a specific project or type of program in mind;
- individuals, including academic clientele, have a specific educational or research funding need.
Databases/Services
The GIC provides access to numerous subscription databases where users can search for scholarships, fellowships, and grants— examples include:
Community of Science
- Foundation Directory Online
- Foundation Grants to Individuals Online
- Foundations in Wisconsin: A Directory
- GrantSelect
- IRIS: Illinois Researcher Information Service
- RSP Funding for Graduate Students
- RSP Funding for Postdoctorates and Professionals
- RSP Funding for Undergraduates
- SPIN: Sponsored Programs Information Network
- Plus a full range of newspaper, periodical, and reference databases for advanced grantmaker research
The GIC provides numerous services, including: collection orientation/tours, customized course-specific instruction, free regularly scheduled workshops (open to the public), and a robust collection of online subject guides and research tip sheets.
Benefits
The GIC provides many outstanding benefits to its users. The collection gives access to information that cannot be found anywhere else in Wisconsin, being the only public location in the state that provides as many comprehensive databases. In addition to the quality of information, the overall purpose of the GIC is to give its users the basic skills required—through workshops and librarian guidance—to sift and winnow through the materials to find funding opportunities that match their needs.
If you are not a UW–Madison student, staff or faculty you must acquire a guest pass at the front desk of Memorial Library. A photo ID with current address is required.
Vision
The Grants Information Collection improves the lives of the citizens of Wisconsin – within and beyond the university classroom – by promoting research, advancing learning, and encouraging nonprofit efforts through instruction and access to information relating to grants, philanthropy, and charitable giving.
Mission
To promote the understanding of grantsmanship, both within the University of Wisconsin–Madison community and throughout Wisconsin, by providing access to information essential to successful educational, research, and nonprofit grant-seeking, and by collecting literature in the areas of philanthropy, fundraising, and nonprofit management.
http://grants.library.wisc.edu/
Contact Information
Memorial Library, Room 262D/E
728 State Street
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: (608) 262-6431
Memorial Library Regular Semester Hours
Monday–Thursday: 8 a.m. – 11:45 p.m.
Friday–Saturday: 8 a.m. – 9:45 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. – 11:45 p.m.
Exceptions: http://memorial.library.wisc.edu/about/hours.html