Academics

Penn State's Office of Foundation Relations launches new website

New site offers increased functionality and resources to better assist faculty and staff with the development of strategic and compelling foundation proposals

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Office of Foundation Relations (OFR), a part of the Division of Development and Alumni Relations (DDAR), recently launched a new website that offers increased functionality and resources to meet the needs of faculty as private foundation funding opportunities are identified. When developing the website, a priority was to better assist faculty and staff with the development of strategic and compelling foundation proposals.

The OFR website offers critical tools that can help guide and support faculty as they partner with development to seek private foundation funding. For example, the website provides links to a variety of funding opportunities: University seed funding; Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine; Limited Submissions (a funding opportunity in which the sponsor sets an institutional limit for the number of proposals it will accept); and open foundation funding opportunities.

“Our new website offers a suite of resources, including key writing options and support, guides for letters of intent and proposal creation, and stewardship and relationship management tools that will enable faculty and staff to work closely with our team in Foundation Relations on critical submissions that will allow the University to explore new funding opportunities,” said Rob Jackson, assistant vice president for principal gifts.

This website incorporates best practices from peer institutions alongside feedback from colleagues across DDAR and the entire University.

“The Office of Foundation Relations is charged with identifying and growing philanthropic foundation support toward our current fundraising campaign, "A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence," which is aligned with the University's Strategic Plan, and this is another tool that can be leveraged to support our community,” said Jackson.

The second phase of the website, which is currently in design, will feature enhancements such as a newswire feed, newsletter publication, and other resources to raise awareness of philanthropic support provided by OFR for the University. The website will also provide opportunities for educational “know your funder” workshops and strategic fundraising initiatives.

The Office of Foundation Relations website can be reached through raise.psu.edu, or directly through foundations.psu.edu. For any questions, suggestions, or feedback, please email foundations@psu.edu.

Last Updated December 17, 2019