Funding Search
Graduate Funding Opportunities
The following programs provide funding or support for graduate student scholarly activities, travel, field studies, and/or material costs. Funding opportunities are subject to change. Consult each program's website for more detailed information and current deadlines.
Graduate Funding Opportunities are organized by the following categories: Award Deadline, Federal Database Searches, Comprehensive Search Engines, Foundation Center Resources, and Discipline-Specific Funding (Geosciences, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and Statistics, STEM, Psychology, Humanities, and Social Sciences).
In addition to the funding opportunities listed below, please visit the Office of Graduate Studies for USF Fellowships and Scholarships and other Graduate Funding Opportunities.
| Database | Database Synopsis |
|---|---|
| Federal Register | Provides an official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, notices from federal agencies and organizations, executive orders, and other presidential documents. |
| Grants.gov | Serves as an official federal grants and contracts search site that provides a weekly email service. USF researchers do NOT need to register with Grants.gov to search for funding opportunities. Grants.gov usernames and passwords are only required for grant submissions (note: only the Division of Sponsored Research [DSR] can submit grants via Grants.gov). |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | The largest public funder of biomedical research in the world. |
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | Special programs for graduate students that provide direct (i.e. from NSF) or indirect (i.e. from an awardee institution) funding. |
| National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) | An independent federal agency that is one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States. |
| Federal Assistance Listings | A government-wide compendium of federal assistance programs. Once you have identified a federal assistance listing of interest, you can link directly to grant opportunities on Grants.gov or follow up with that specific agency using the contact information provided. |
| Fulbright U.S. Student Program | Offers funds for Study/Research Awards, English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Awards, and National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowships. |
| Presidential Management Fellows Program (PMF): Department of Homeland Security | Designed for graduate-level students, this program aims to attract to the federal service outstanding men and women from a variety of academic disciplines and career paths who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs. |
| Database | Database Synopsis |
|---|---|
| American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) | Offers several fellowships for graduate students. |
| UCLA: Graduate & Postdoc Funding Search Engine (GRAPES) | Type in keywords to find grants or refine your search by selecting filter options. |
| UChicagoGRAD: Fellowship Database | Search database by typing in keywords and selecting filter options. |
| Database | Database Synopsis |
|---|---|
| American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) | Functions as a private, nonprofit federation of scholarly organizations supporting scholars in the humanities and social sciences at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels. |
| American Heart Association (AHA) | Check the site's predoctoral and postdoctoral scholarship and travel grant deadlines. |
| Ford Foundation Fellowship Programs | Provides predoctoral, dissertation, and postdoctoral fellowships. |
| Hertz Fellowship Application | Offers annual graduate fellowships to students of the applied physical, biological, mathematical, and engineering sciences who are willing to morally commit to make their skills available to the U.S. in times of national emergency. |
| The K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award | Recognizes graduate students who show exemplary promise as future leaders of higher education; who demonstrate a commitment to developing academic and civic responsibility in themselves and others; and whose work reflects a strong emphasis on teaching and learning. |
| Boren Fellowships | Provides graduate students opportunities to add a language component to their education. |
| Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation | Offers travel and research grants to assist in completing research with dissertation writing. |
Discipline-Specific Funding Searches
| Program | Program Synopsis | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) Graduate Scholarships | Provides scholarships to outstanding students who are pursuing courses of study and research leading to careers in air quality, waste management, environmental management / policy / law, and sustainability. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| AAPG Foundation Grants-In-Aid Program | Offers financial assistance to graduate students whose thesis research has application to the search for and development of petroleum and energy-mineral resources, and/or related environmental geology issues. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| AGU: The Horton (Hydrology) Research Grant | Provides annual grant funding for up to three students during their candidacy for a Ph.D. degree in hydrology, water resources, or a closely related field. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| American Malacological Society | Funds research for students working in malacology and hosts a best student presentation competition. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| American Philosophical Society: Lewis & Clark | Offers fifteen grant or fellowship programs in a wide range of fields with small research grants ($1,000 to $6,000) for modest research purposes to large research grants ($40,000 to $60,000) in highly selective competitions. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Association for Women Geoscientists | Offers a number of student presentation, travel, scholarship, and excellence awards. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Cave Research Foundation | Accepts proposals each academic year for graduate student research in cave and karst studies leading to either a master's or doctoral degree (Philip M. Smith Graduate Research Grant for Cave and Karst Research). | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Conchologists of America | Offers up to $2,500 to qualified parties (including graduate students) undertaking field or laboratory research on recent or fossil mollusks, and other molluscan related projects. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Environmental Engineering Geologists (AEG Foundation) | Provides funding for students to attend field camps, professional meetings, and support student research, scholarship, and professional development in environmental and engineering geology. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Eugene M Shoemaker Impact Cratering Award | Offers a $3,000 award to be applied to the study of impact craters, either on Earth or on the other solid bodies in the solar system. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Evolving Earth Foundation | Funds 10 grants for amounts up to $3,000 per grant to support student research in the earth sciences and related fields. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Geological Society of America (GSA) | Provides graduate and undergraduate student research and travel grants, as well as scholarships. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies (GCAGS) | Offers student research grants and student travel and presentation funding for eligible college and university geoscience students pursuing research in the Gulf Coast region. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Karst Waters Institute: Wilson Scholarship | Supports new karst scientists with an annual scholarship. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Mineralogical Society of America | Offers student research grants in mineralogy and petrology. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| National Speleological Society | Offers conservation, education, exploration (the U.S. and its territories as well as international), and student research grants in cave-related studies. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| Paleontological Society | Offers a limited number of Paleontological Society student research grants for undergraduate and graduate students. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| Society of Economic Geologists | Provides funding for graduate student research projects leading to master's or doctoral degrees and fellowships to students who intend to pursue studies in economic geology leading to a Master of Science and/or Ph.D. degree. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| American Association of Geographers (AAG) | Provides support for doctoral dissertation research in the form of small grants up to $1,000 to Ph.D. candidates of any geographic specialty. | Eligibility requires one-year AAG membership prior to applying |
| American Meteorological Society (AMS) Scholarships and Fellowships | Administers travel and fellowships for graduate students pursuing a career in the atmospheric or related sciences. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Program | Program Synopsis | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Society of Physics Students (SPS) | Offers scholarships for undergraduate physics students. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| American Physical Society (APS) | Funds graduate student travel for conference and networking opportunities with the goal of building an international network, showcase research, and develop key professional skills. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| Division of Astrophysics (DAP) | Offers travel, registration, and lodging funding for students to make presentations. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (DAMOP) | Offers travel grants (along with other sponsors) to 50 or more undergraduate and graduate students to attend the DAMOP Annual Meeting each year. DAMOP also supports excellence in graduate research through the annual Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Atomic, Molecular, or Optical Physics. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| Division of Biological Physics (DBIO) | Offers several annual travel grants for first authors of contributed papers in sessions sponsored by the DBIO each year. DBIO also recognizes outstanding quality and achievement through the Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Biological Physics. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| Division of Chemical Physics (DCP) | Offers new investigator travel awards for graduate students who present a paper or poster at the March or April meeting. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| Forum on Graduate Student Affairs (FGSA) | Provides travel awards for excellence in graduate research to eligible students who are members of the American Physical Society (APS) and FGSA. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| Program | Program Synopsis | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| American Chemical Society (ACS) | Offers grants to support the advancement of the chemical sciences through research, education, and community projects – see research grants, fellowships, community recognition, and education grants. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Grants and Fellowships | Offers awards through its competitions for grants, graduate/undergraduate fellowships, research contracts under the Small Business Innovative Research Program, and other research assistance programs. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| ACS Division of Cellulose & Renewable Materials: Graduate Student Award | Recognizes graduate student achievement in cellulose and renewable materials research through travel awards. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| Program | Program Synopsis | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| American Society for Microbiology (ASM) | Offers graduate fellowships and travel awards to conduct research and participate in activities that encourage professional growth in a new area. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| Program | Program Synopsis | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| American Mathematical Society (AMS) | Offers travel grants and fellowships. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| American Statistical Association (ASA) | Offers student paper competitions in various sections, as well as travel awards to attend Joint Statistical Meetings. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) | Offers scholarships, grants, and fellowships. | Membership required; check for current funding opportunities |
| Program | Program Synopsis | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) | Offers three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated potential for significant research achievements in STEM or STEM education. | See full proposal deadline dates for each program |
| National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRF) in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) | Supports doctoral students engaged in research in life sciences, physical sciences, engineering, computer and information sciences, and mathematical sciences. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Graduate Scholarship Programs – Sloan Minority Ph.D. Program (MPHD) | Offers scholarships and other forms of support to underrepresented minority students pursuing a Ph.D. in engineering, the physical and natural sciences, or mathematics. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) | Offers scholarships, internships, and other research positions. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| NASA Dissertation and Thesis Improvement Fellowship | Awards Master's Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Fellowships in the areas of space science and engineering. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| NASA FSGC Masters Fellowship Program | Awards fellowship stipend of $10,000 to full-time masters students in space-related areas. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study | Offers fellowships to Ph.D. students who are (1) motivated toward careers as academic scientists; (2) from racial, ethnic, and other underrepresented groups in science; and (3) committed to the advancement of diversity and inclusion in science. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) | Offers fellowships to U.S. citizens who intend on pursuing a doctoral degree aligned with DoD interests in one of 16 disciplines including chemistry; cognitive, neural, and behavioral sciences; computer sciences; geosciences; mathematics; physics; and multiple engineering disciplines. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowships | Providing opportunities for outstanding scientists and engineers to learn first-hand about federal policymaking while using their knowledge and skills to address today's most pressing societal issues. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Program | Program Synopsis | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| American Psychological Association (APA) |
Offers grants, scholarships, and other forms of support to help the careers of graduate students dedicated to the discipline. |
Check for current funding opportunities |
|
Offers scholarships, dissertation funding, research support, travel grants, and fellowships to help launch the careers of graduate students dedicated to the discipline. |
Check for current funding opportunities |
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| National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRF) in the Social and Behavioral Sciences | Supports doctoral students engaged in research in all social and behavioral science disciplines including, but not limited to, criminology, psychology, and sociology. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program | Supports individuals whose dissertations show potential for bringing fresh and constructive perspectives to the history, theory, analysis, or practice of formal or informal education anywhere in the world. | Offered annually |
| Program | Program Synopsis | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships | Supports one year of research and writing to help advance students in the humanities and related social sciences. Applicants must be prepared to complete their dissertations within the period of their fellowship tenure. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program | Offers two-year fellowships to recent Ph.D. graduates with the chance to develop research tools, resources, and services while exploring new career opportunities. Designed, in part, to support cross-disciplinary humanities research. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Wenner-Gren Foundation |
Offers a variety of grant programs for research and scholarship in anthropology to aid doctoral or thesis research. See Dissertation Fieldwork Grant, Wadsworth International Fellowship, and the Wadsworth African Fellowship. |
Check for current funding opportunities |
| Program | Program Synopsis | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRF) in the Social and Behavioral Sciences | Supports doctoral students engaged in research in all social and behavioral science disciplines including, but not limited to, criminology, psychology, and sociology. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Charles Koch Foundation |
Offers research fellowships to graduate students who are seeking to build strong academic credentials; devote time to high-quality research and training; and focus on a career in education and policy. These fellowships may be used to cover travel expenses, professional development expenses, and research-related expenses. |
Check for current funding opportunities |
| Social Science Research Council (SSRC) | Advances interdisciplinary research in the social sciences and supports innovative economic research with application to substantive issues. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Social Sciences: College Scholarships, Graduate Fellowships, Postdoctoral Awards for Students | Offers a comprehensive listing of sites related to scholarships, fellowships, and research grants. | Check for current funding opportunities |
| Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships | Supports one year of research and writing to help advance students in the humanities and related social sciences. Applicants must be prepared to complete their dissertations within the period of their fellowship tenure. | Check for current funding opportunities |