[Foundation Relations] Meet the Funded: Building Authentic Relationships with Foundations

As federal funding becomes more unpredictable, BU faculty are increasingly turning to foundations for support. At the same time, foundations have seen a significant rise in the number of proposals they receive. Requests for proposals are highly competitive and some foundations don’t accept unsolicited inquiries. Building authentic relationships with program officers is one pathway to success.

In this upcoming webinar, Foundation Relations will outline ways faculty can identify relevant program officers, reach out for meetings, prepare for conversations, and develop meaningful partnerships with foundations.

This session will provide an overview of BU resources to support faculty engagement with foundations, and will feature a panel discussion with principal investigators who have successful multi-year partnerships with foundations, including: Barr, ClimateWorks, Ford, Hewlett, Open Society, Walmart, Bob Woodruff, and many others.

The conversation will include practical advice about connecting with funders at conferences, leveraging your network, creating genuine engagement opportunities and stewarding funders once they have given.

When 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm on 27 April 2026
Building Zoom (online)