Foundation Relations

All institutional information included in a proposal for philanthropic support should represent Rutgers University Foundation, not Rutgers or any unit therein. To obtain institutional information for the foundation, please contact foundationrelations@ruf.rutgers.edu with your request.

Per Rutgers University policy, a gift assessment fee is taken from all philanthropic donations to the university, its faculty, and staff. In the case of awards from foundation sources, the fee is withheld from the overhead/indirect portion of the award (and is not in addition to it); however, if the funder has a pre-existing, written policy disallowing the collection of overhead/indirect, the fee is waived. The fee is 10 percent for gifts less than $10,000 and 5 percent for gifts of $10,000 or more.

An endorsement form captures all information necessary to process a research proposal to a sponsor, including information about the gift assessment fee. All endorsement forms for gifts made in support of research must be signed by a Foundation Relations staff member, who will also include information relevant to collection of the fee. Failure to obtain the necessary signature will result in delays processing your form and, potentially, in the availability of your award money.

We can help you prepare materials to submit in a response to a philanthropic request for proposal (RFP). In addition, when the number of Rutgers applicants allowed by the sponsor is finite (i.e. a limited submission opportunity), we can assist you in working with the Office of Research and Economic Development and other partners involved in the candidate selection process. We can then assist successful applicants in preparing their documents for submission.

There are numerous philanthropic opportunities available to you as a new faculty member; check out the resources available here.

Because Rutgers has more than 22,000 faculty and staff, we must prioritize which projects to champion and which to offer a more guidance-focused level of assistance.

Projects in need of substantial financial support (in excess of $100,000) that have been identified as among the university administration’s priorities can typically receive individualized support from directors. Projects that are considered lower priorities, and those for which lower levels of funding are sought, are still very important, and PIs are encouraged to utilize our resources and guidance documents in their pursuit of philanthropic funding.