funding

funding — noun

1. the supply of money — typically from a government, charity, business, or investo

1.nounB2
Definition

the supply of money — typically from a government, charity, business, or investor — that lets a project, programme, or organisation actually go ahead, and also the activity of supplying it.

Example

The new arts centre still needs another five million pounds in funding before construction can begin.

in + funding (countable amount measure)

Trang's lab won three years of research funding from the national science foundation.

research / government / private + funding

Common collocations
  • government funding
  • research funding
  • private funding
  • secure funding
  • receive funding
  • cut funding
  • lack of funding
  • additional funding
  • long-term funding
  • seed funding
Synonyms
  • financing

    near-identical, but more often used in business/loan contexts

  • backing

    informal; can include support beyond money

  • grant

    countable; a specific named sum given for a purpose

  • subsidy

    ongoing government money to keep prices low or businesses going

Antonyms
  • funding cut

    the removal or reduction of money already promised

Grammar Patterns

funding + for [project]

funding + from [source]

secure / receive / cut funding

Usage Note

Uncountable: say 'a lot of funding', 'extra funding', 'more funding' — never 'a funding' or 'two fundings'. Common verbs: secure, receive, raise, provide, cut, withdraw. Distinguish from 'fund' (singular, countable: a sum of money set aside) and 'funds' (plural, the money itself).

Common Mistakes

I applied for two fundings.
I applied for two grants.' OR 'I applied for funding from two organisations.
'funding' is uncountable, so use a countable noun like 'grant' for individual amounts.
They cut the funding off.
They cut the funding.' OR 'They cut off the funding.
'cut' alone is enough; the phrasal verb keeps 'off' before 'funding'.

Word family

  • fund
    verbB2
  • fund
    nounB1
  • funds
    nounB1
  • underfunded
    adjectiveC1
  • well-funded
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four refer to money that supports a project or organisation, but they sit at different points on the formal-to-specific scale. 'Funding' is the most general everyday term: it covers any incoming money for a programme, school, charity, or business. 'Financing' overlaps heavily but leans toward the business and banking world, where it often involves loans, bonds, or repayment terms — companies arrange financing for a factory, not usually for a school play. A 'grant' is a specific, countable sum awarded by a government or foundation for a defined purpose, typically without repayment. A 'subsidy' is recurring government money paid to lower a price or keep a service running — farmers receive subsidies, students do not. Compare 'The school lost its funding' (lost incoming money), 'They arranged financing for the new factory' (loan-style arrangement), 'She won a research grant' (specific awarded sum), 'Bus fares are kept low by a city subsidy' (ongoing government support).

funding ↗financinggrant ↗subsidy ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • government funding
  • research funding
  • private funding
  • public funding
  • seed funding
  • venture funding
  • long-term funding
  • lack of funding

Adverbs

  • fully funding
  • partially funding
  • adequately funding
  • underfunding

Phrases

  • secure funding
  • receive funding
  • raise funding
  • cut funding
  • withdraw funding
  • apply for funding
  • provide funding

Prepositions

  • funding for
  • funding from
  • funding through

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Funding is the gerund-noun of the verb 'fund', which entered English in the 1600s through Latin 'fundus', meaning 'bottom' or 'piece of land' — the same root as 'foundation'. The Latin sense extended to 'a stock or pool laid by', then to a sum of money kept ready for a purpose. The active sense 'providing money' grew up around finance and government in the 1700s, and the noun 'funding' for the activity itself became standard in the 1800s.