Funding: Money Given for a Purpose
Funding is money supplied so something can happen. The word fund goes back to the Latin for the bottom of things.
Funding is money provided for a specific purpose: research funding, arts funding, funding for a new roof. The root is Latin *fundus*, the bottom or the base — the same word behind *foundation* and *profound*. A fund is what everything else stands on.
- Money provided for a purpose. *Funding was cut.*
- The act of providing it. *Funding the programme.*
- To provide money. *The trust funds three schools.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | funding | Long-term funding. |
| Verb | fund | Fund the study. |
| Past | funded | Fully funded. |
| Noun | fund | A pension fund. |
| Person | funder | The main funder. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Funding runs out in March.Uncountable.
- The project is funded by the council.Funded by names the source.
- They are seeking seed funding.Seed funding is the earliest stage for a business.
Kinds of funding
- Grant — money given, not repaid
- Loan — money lent, repaid with interest
- Equity — money invested for a share of ownership
- Crowdfunding — many small contributions, usually online
- Endowment — a capital sum whose income funds something forever
From Latin *fundus*, bottom or estate, through French. English first used *fund* for a stock of money set aside, then made the verb, then the noun *funding* from it.
Funding or finance?
Funding usually means money supplied for a purpose, often without repayment. Finance implies repayment or a return.
What is seed funding?
The first money into a new business, meant to get it far enough to attract larger investment.