Working With Corporations, Foundations and Nonprofits

Negotiations regarding the technical statement of work and associated budget with corporations, foundations and nonprofits should be carried out by the faculty member in coordination with the originating unit, subject to general policies and procedures of the University. However, resulting contractual agreements must be reviewed by the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (ORSP) prior to acceptance or initiation of work.

Corporations

In addition to contacts made directly by University faculty and units, Innovation Partnerships’ Corporate and Foundation Research Alliances team serves as the U-M first step for industry and corporate engagement. Through this office, U-M can coordinate efforts and strive to keep industry informed of University research and many other university activities that may be of interest.

Foundations and nonprofits

ORSP is responsible for processing sponsored research agreements with private foundations, public charities and other nonprofit organizations. With some sponsors, Corporate and Foundation Relations (U-M login required) serves as the U-M “front door” for nonprofit engagement.

Certain foundations at the University are considered managed foundations. This may be because the foundations:

• Have asked U-M to submit only one proposal a year or a cycle
• Have donors or family members at the foundation engaged with U-M Corporate and Foundation Relations
• Have a requirement that the president of the university sign a cover letter or endorse the proposal

If project teams are planning to seek support from any of the foundations listed, contact U-M Corporate and Foundation Relations first.

Gifts vs. grants

When funds are received from a corporate, foundation or nonprofit sponsor, it is sometimes difficult to determine whether they should be considered a gift or a sponsored project. Find guidance for making this determination on the What Is a Sponsored Project or Gift? page.

Sponsor information

ProposalCentral

Sponsors that use ProposalCentral include American Heart Association, PhRMA, American Brain Tumor Association, CURE Childhood Cancer, Sam Day Foundation, Huntington’s Disease Society of America and American Cancer Society, among others. Learn about U-M requirements, approvals, access steps, deadlines and institutional contacts for submitting sponsor applications through ProposalCentral in the Proposal Central page.

Who to contact

For questions on corporate, foundation or nonprofit sponsored projects, first contact the department’s primary research administrator. Use the Find a Research Administrator tool to help. 

These U-M offices and teams may also help:

• Corporate and Foundation Relations: Corporate and Foundation Relations (U-M login required) helps bridge campus and foundation partners to secure grant support for projects, programs and research. They provide a list of open funding opportunities, a grantwriter’s toolkit and more.
• Corporate Relations: Corporate Relations facilitates industry funding, works with businesses and university partners on philanthropic investments, and helps businesses explore investment options including faculty research grants.
• Corporate and Foundation Research Alliances: Corporate and Foundation Research Alliances is a team within Innovation Partnerships that provides faculty-facing support to convert relationships with industry and foundations into successful sponsored research collaborations. The team also provides alliance management support for ongoing large research collaborations with corporate partners, working to broaden these relationships across the research enterprise.