Working with Institutional Relations

Image of the five stages of the proposal life cycle, each represented as one of five petals on a flower: 1) Funding Opportunity Identification, 2) Proposal Development, 3) Proposal Submission, 4) Award Negotiation, Acceptance, and Set Up, 5) Implementation, Reporting, and Closeout

The Institutional Relations office works with members of the Swarthmore faculty, staff, and administration to secure funds from private and public organizations. We work closely with members of the Swarthmore community throughout the grant-writing process:

  • identifying sources of funding
  • communicating with program officers
  • drafting proposals
  • securing internal support for in-kind contributions
  • submitting proposals
  • negotiating awards
  • stewarding donors during project implementation 

In the past several years, Institutional Relations has worked with faculty, staff, and College leaders to secure support for new faculty positions, embedded learning programs, and special projects in the library and special collections. 

Institutional Relations works closely with Sponsored Programs. If you are not sure which office you should work with to prepare your proposal, please contact the Grants and Awards office, grants@swarthmore.edu, and we will determine the best fit for your needs. 

Project Management Policies and Responsibilities

Principal investigators (PIs) responsible for managing institutional proposals must follow applicable College policies. All PIs for institutional grants should follow the College's guidelines for grant management.