Compared to other areas of global health, funding opportunities for surgery projects have been limited. With an increasing number of surgical faculty attempting to build academic careers in this area, lack of funding has been a source of great frustration. While it is likely that global surgery funding will increase in the future, it is still possible to obtain funding in the current environment provided that projects are designed well, have goals that align closely with donor’s priorities, and if one is persistent.

A good starting point is to first determine what resources will be needed to successfully complete the project. Some research and development programs require limited resources and it may be easier to self-fund the project. Self-funding projects saves the time and effort involved in preparing applications that all too frequently yield only a small amount of financial support. Self-funding from a pre-tax account is one strategy that can make money last longer. Most surgeons who have been involved with global surgery programs have self-funded projects. Most will also emphasize that getting a project started is the most important factor in eventually receiving funding. Further, that some of their most important projects would have never gotten off the ground without personal investment of both time and money.

Larger global surgery projects require funding to cover salaries with benefits, transportation and supplies. Again, it is important to have a clear understanding what resources are needed to complete the project. The ultimate goal of the academic surgeon is to have funding that covers salary. Salary support provides the independence, and more importantly the time that is required to successfully complete research and other projects. Bear in mind that external salary support is never equivalent to most surgeon’s salaries and consequently there is almost always a financial penalty. Nonetheless, there is no substitute for having control of one’s time, having the freedom to pursue interesting research and the feeling that one is pushing the field forward in a meaningful way.