Institutional Funding Strategy: Foundations, Government, and the Mix
Deciding what share of the budget institutions should carry, the compliance and restricted-fund routing that government and foundation money require, and how to lead a grants function without letting deadlines run the shop.
Through the Higher Ed lens
Government funding, chiefly federal research support and student aid, typically makes up a far larger share of institutional revenue at a university than the concentration guideline suggests as a general caution, which means the real question is less whether to rely on institutions and more about protecting the individual and foundation giving that lets the institution say no to a grant that would bend research priorities. A major research sponsor's priorities quietly shaping which questions get studied is the academic-freedom version of mission bending a provost has to watch for, and concentration risk compounds at the school or center level even when the university's overall funding looks diversified on paper.
Continuing education
1.00 points
Leadership and Management · Securing the Gift
Learning objectives
- Set a target share of revenue from institutional sources, with dependency limits, from the organization's mission, cost structure, and risk tolerance rather than from what is available.
- Explain the compliance obligations that come with government and foundation funding, including restricted-fund accounting, indirect cost recovery, reporting, and audit thresholds, and route them to the right people.
- Charter a grants function with clear roles between development, program, and finance, and a pipeline discipline that serves strategy rather than deadlines.
- Assess institutional dependency and concentration risk and build a plan to correct it.
Designed for CFRE continuing education. Not yet accepted; no CFRE points can be claimed.
Lessons
- 20 min
Video lesson
What share should institutions carry?
III Discern · Leadership and Management
- 20 min
Field guide· PDF
Government, foundations, and restricted funds: compliance and routing
VI Accompany · Leadership and Management
- 18 min
Template· DOCX
The institutional funding mix plan and the grants team charter
III Discern · Leadership and Management
- 16 min
Worksheet· XLSX
Dependency and mix worksheet
III Discern · Leadership and Management
This is members-only material.
Members get every lesson, template, and worksheet in all eight tracks, plus the support to put them to work in your shop.
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