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Grant Resources for Law Students

Updated June 16, 2008
Prepared by Mary Whisner, Reference Librarian, for Where the Money Is and How to Get It: A Workshop on Fellowships and Grants for Public Service Law Practice, sponsored by Career Planning & Public Service, UWLS Student Bar Association, and the Gates Public Service Law Scholarship Program (April 2007)

See also the Gallagher guide on Fellowship Opportunities in Law.

UW Grants & Funding Information Service

The UW Grants & Funding Information Service is a department of the University Libraries, providing information to UW graduate students on grants and grant-writing skills.

The GFIS website includes links to hundreds of websites, grouped into categories:

• Subject Resources
• Special Population Resources
• Campus Funding Resources
• Foundations and Associations
• Federal and Government Resources
• Funding Databases

Read the GFIS blog for announcements.

The GFIS and its staff also:

• have a collection of books about grant sources and grant writing
• offer regular training sessions on searching for grant opportunities
• have regular office hours for drop-in assistance; you can also make an appointment for an individual session
• have prepared a handout for law students.

Funding Resource Databases

The UW Libraries subscribe to two funding resource databases, which may be accessed via UW library computers or from home after logging in with your UW NetID via the Off-Campus Access link. These databases are prominently listed on the GFIS website (lower right corner)

GrantSelect contains over 9,600 active federal and private funding opportunities in all disciplines.

Community of Science (COS) contains over 20,000 opportunities in all disciplines from federal and private sources.

Westlaw / LexisNexis

• Foundation Directory. Westlaw: FOUND-DIR. Also available in print at GFIS and the Gallagher Law Library. AS911.F65 at Reference Office
  Westlaw version includes records from related publications, such as The National Databook and National Directory of Corporate Giving.
• Foundation Grants Index. Westlaw: FGI
  Contains "records describing grants that have been awarded to nonprofit organizations by the larger private, philanthropic foundation (more than 800 in 1991) located in the United States. . . . Designed primarily to serve grant-seeking nonprofit organizations in determining private grantmakers' funding interests . . . . In-depth information about the grantmakers is available in the FOUN-DIR database, which contains addresses, year-end financial and board membership information, etc., as well as application guidelines."
• Westlaw: GRANTS
  Lists grants and scholarships offered by federal, state, and local governments; commercial organizations; associations; and private foundations. The database corresponds to the print publications the Directory of Research Grants, the Directory of Biomedical and Health Care Grants, and the Directory of Grants in the Humanities.
• Encyclopedia of Associations. Westlaw: EOA. LexisNexis: MARKET;ENASSC. Also available in print at the Gallagher Law Library. HS17.G334 at Reference Office
• News databases. Articles about other projects that received grants may give you useful ideas.

Books

In addition to the print versions of the Encyclopedia of Associations and the Foundation Directory, see:

ABA Awards and Grants Listing (annual, from 2000). KF325.A95 A2 at Classified Stacks
Lists grants available from the American Bar Association.