Hi Charlie,

>>Hmmmm...."free".  To Grants.net one could add Google.<<

Yes, I suppose that's true. But there's a big difference, I'd say,
between a general-purpose search tool and a database that lists only
active grant programs.

>>It doesn't take much to find those sites if one knows the
organization's name..Most people know the big funders for their fields
(federal, public charity, professional
association).<<

Again, this is true, technically, but I think it's misleading. Yes,
EXPERIENCED PIs will know the most important (major and minor) funders
in their fields. But it is not at all unusual to discover a new private
funding organization or a new angle that opens up a new world of
funding. That's the focus of GrantsNet; it's on the more obscure,
philanthropic programs that are most likely to be overlooked.

Other points is that 1. new investigators are less knowledgeable 2. not
every young investigator has the sort of impeccable mentoring that would
pass on such information, and 3. a substantial portion of the
grant-seeking universe resides at smaller institutions and is less
knowledgeable that the typical research-univrsity PIs. GrantsNet (and, I
am sure, other such tools) are not built for those who don't need them.
Our goal is to provide a (free) resource for those who do.

Be Well,
Jim Austin
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