External Awards, Grants and Other Funding Opportunities
Opportunities for students nationwide.
- External Fellowships Frequently Awarded to IU Students
Includes Ford Predoctoral Fellowship for Minorities, National Physical Science Consortium Graduate Fellowship, Graduate Assistance in Areas of Academic Need (GAANN), Jacob K. Javits Fellowship and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowships
The Mellon Foundation funds a number of fellowships, administered by outside academic/research councils and societies, that support doctoral students conducting research in the humanities and social sciences. The Foundation supports postdoctoral fellowships at a number of educational and research institutions as well.
- Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM). Mentoring Travel Grants for Women (NSF-AWM Mentoring Travel Grants)
The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) offers the Mentoring Travel Grants for Women to help junior women to develop a long-term working and mentoring relationship with a senior mathematician in research in any field that is funded by the Division of Mathematical Sciences of the National Science Foundation (NSF). This mentoring relationship should help the junior mathematician to establish her research program and eventually receive tenure. Each grant would fund travel, accommodations, and other required expenses for an untenured woman mathematician to travel to an institute or a department to do research with a specified individual for one month.
- Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships
(The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation)
The Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships are designed to encourage original and significant study of ethical or religious values in all fields of the humanities and social sciences, and particularly to help Ph.D. candidates in these fields complete their dissertation work in a timely manner.
- Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program
The fellowship program is designed to engage graduate science, engineering, medical, veterinary, business, public policy, and law students in the analytical process that informs the creation of national policy-making with a science/technology element. As a result, students develop basic skills essential to working in the world of science policy.
- Council on Library and Information Resources
The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is an independent, nonprofit organization that forges strategies to enhance research, teaching, and learning environments in collaboration with libraries, cultural institutions, and communities of higher learning.
- Council of Graduate Schools
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) offers various awards each year. Please visit their website to find out what awards are available, award amounts, eligibility criteria, number of nominations allowed per institution, and application deadlines.
- Critical Language Scholarship Program
The CLS Program is part of the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI), a U.S. government interagency effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical need foreign languages. Students of diverse disciplines and majors are encouraged to apply. Former CLS participants have applied with various academic backgrounds including business, engineering, law, science, medicine, social sciences and humanities. The CLS Program does not have any government service requirement upon completion, however, it is expected that participants will continue to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period and later apply their critical language skills in their future academic and professional careers.
- DAAD
Graduate students in social sciences, hard sciences, or in professional areas such as law, business, and medicine have particular needs for their research and study in Germany. DAAD can help you master the German language, complete a research project in Germany, or expand your education with a stay at a German university. Fluency in German is not required.
- Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship
Tuition plus stipend; must demonstrate financial need; some restrictions apply; must be nominated by school.
- Environmental Public Policy & Conflict Resolution Ph.D. Fellowship
The Udall Foundation awards two one-year fellowships of up to $24,000 to doctoral candidates whose research concerns U.S. environmental public policy and/or environmental conflict resolution and who are entering their final year of writing the dissertation. Dissertation Fellowships are intended to cover both academic and living expenses.
- Fulbright Program
The Fulbright U.S. student program is now the largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide. The U.S. Student Program currently awards approximately 1,200 grants annually in all fields of study, and operates in more than 140 countries worldwide.
- Gates Cambridge Scholarships
Gates Cambridge scholarships cover the full cost of studying at University of Cambridge for students who are citizens of any country outside the United Kingdom. Students must submit a separate application for admission to University of Cambridge in addition to the scholarship application.
- George J. Mitchell Scholarship
The US-Ireland Alliance sponsors a competitive, national scholarship for graduate study by American citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 at institutions of higher learning on the island of Ireland.
- Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoral Fellowship Program (JPFP)
The Harriett G. Jenkins Predoctoral Fellowship Program (JPFP) increases the number of graduate degrees awarded to underrepresented persons (women, minorities, and/or persons with disabilities) participating in the STEM workforce, thereby eliminating the shortage of skilled workers. Approximately 20 students are selected annually to receive financial support for their graduate education. Fellowship tenure is a maximum of 36 months for individuals pursuing a doctorate and/or master's degree in NASA-related fields, for example; Aeronautics/Aerospace, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, etc.
- Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation - Dissertation Fellowships
Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation (HFG) welcomes proposals from any of the natural and social sciences and the humanities that promise to increase understanding of the causes, manifestations, and control of violence, aggression, and dominance. Highest priority is given to research that can increase understanding and amelioration of urgent problems of violence, aggression, and dominance in the modern world.
- Hertz Foundation
Eligible applicants for Hertz Fellowships must be students of the applied physical, biological and engineering sciences who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States of America, and who are willing to morally commit to make their skills available to the United States in time of national emergency.
- International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) Program
The International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) Program supports the next generation of scholars in the humanities and social sciences pursuing research that advances knowledge about non-U.S. cultures and societies.
- Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Each award covers a portion of educational expenses, including tuition, living expenses, required fees, and books for the graduate degree chosen. The amount and duration of awards vary by student based on the cost of attendance and the length of the graduate program as well as other scholarships or grants received. The maximum available per student per year of study is $50,000 and the maximum length is six years.
- Jacob K. Javits Fellowships Program
This program provides fellowships to students of superior academic ability. Selected on basis of demonstrated achievement, financial need, and exceptional promise to undertake study at the doctoral and Master of Fine Arts level in selected fields of arts, humanities, and social sciences.
- James Madison Graduate Fellowships
The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 for the purpose of improving teaching about the United States Constitution in secondary schools. The fellowships are intended exclusively for graduate study leading to a master's degree. To be eligible to apply, you must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national; be a teacher or plan to become a teacher of American history, American government or social studies education at the secondary school level; possess a bachelor's degree no later than August 31 of tghe year in which you are applying; and wait at least three years from the time that any previous graduate degree was awarded before applying. The maximum amount of each award is $24,000. Fellowship payments cover the actual costs of tuition, required fees, books, and room and board but cannot exceed $12,000 per academic year.
- John Carter Brown Library Research Fellowships
The John Carter Brown Library fellowship program was created to give scholars from this country and abroad an opportunity to pursue their work in proximity to a distinguished collection of primary sources. Approximately twenty-five fellowships are awarded each year for periods of time usually ranging from two to ten months. Fellowships are available for any qualified researcher, the main criteria for appointment being the merit and significance of the candidate’s proposal, the qualifications of the candidate, and the relevance of the project to the holdings of the Library. The fellowship selection committees look closely at the potential shown by the candidate for creative utilization of the Library’s resources.
- Josephine De Karman Fellowship Trust - Graduate Fellowships
The Josephine De Kármán Fellowship Trust was established in 1954 by the late Dr. Theodore von Kármán, world renowned aeronautics expert and teacher and first director of the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, in memory of his sister, Josephine, who passed away in 1951. The purpose of this Fellowship program is to recognize and assist students whose scholastic achievements reflect Professor von Kármán's high standards.
- NASA Office of Education OSSI
NASA offers fall and spring semester paid internships for undergraduate and graduate students. Internships are in a variety of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines as well as business and finance.
- National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation aims to ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the United States and to reinforce its diversity by offering approximately 1,100 graduate fellowships in this competition. The Graduate Research Fellowship provides three years of support for graduate study leading to research-based master's or doctoral degrees and its intended for students who are in the early stages of their graduate study. The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) invests in graduate education for a cadre of diverse individuals who demonstrate their potential to successfully complete graduate degree programs in disciplines relevant to the mission of the National Science Foundation.
- Newberry Library Fellowships in the Humanities
Fellowships at the Newberry Library are of two types: short-term fellowships with terms of one week to two months and long-term fellowships of six to eleven months. Short-term fellowships are generally restricted to individuals from outside the metropolitan Chicago area and are primarily intended to assist researchers with a need to examine specific items in the Library's collection. Long-term fellowships are generally available without regard to an applicant's place of residence and are intended to support significant works of scholarship that draw on the Library's strengths.
- Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans
The purpose of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is to provide opportunities for continuing generations of able and accomplished New Americans to achieve leadership in their chosen fields. The Program is established in recognition of the contributions New Americans have made to American life and in gratitude for the opportunities the United States has afforded the donors and their family.
- Presidential Management Fellows Program
The purpose of the Program is 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.
- Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards
The Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards provide seed money for research by junior faculty at Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) member institutions. These awards are intended to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty and result in new funding opportunities.
- Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering
The Division of Research, Evaluation and Communication (REC) in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) supports basic and applied research and evaluation that enhances science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning and teaching. This solicitation calls for two types of proposals—synthesis and empirical.
- Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholars are elected for two years of study at the University of Oxford, with the possibility of newnewal for a third year. All educational costs, such as matriculation, tuition, laboratory and certain other fees are paid on the Scholar's behalf by the Rhodes Trustees.
- Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement (McNair) Program
The purpose of the McNair Program is to award grants to institutions of higher education for projects designed to provide disadvantaged college students with effective preparation for doctoral study. $42 million to fund 180 awards.
- Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Pre-doctoral Fellowships
The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellowships to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research will provide up to five years of support for research training leading to the Ph.D. or equivalent research degree, the combined M.D./Ph.D. degree; or another formally combined professional degree and research doctoral degree in biomedical, behavioral, health services, or clinical sciences. These fellowships will enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral, health services, and clinical research labor force in the U.S. by providing opportunities for academic institutions to identify and recruit students from diverse population groups to seek graduate degrees in health-related research and apply for this fellowship. The overall goal of this program is to increase the number of scientists from diverse population groups who are prepared to pursue careers in biomedical, behavioral, social, clinical, or health services research.
- Teach for America
Teach for America's mission is to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting the nation's most promising future leaders. Recent college graduates of all majors and career interests commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools. Teach for America provides the training and professional development necessary to ensure success as teachers in high-poverty communities.
- Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship
This fellowship provides funding to participants as they are prepared academically and professionally to enter the United States Department of State Foreign Service. The goal of the fellowship program is to attract outstanding students who enroll in two-year master's degree programs in public policy, international affairs, public administration, or academic fields such as business, economics, political science, sociology, or foreign languages. The fellowship award includes tuition, room, board, and mandatory fees during the first and second year of graduate school. Each year's award also includes reimbursement for books and for travel (one round trip per academic year, up to a set maximum amount).
- UNCF-Merck Science Initiative Research Scholarships and Fellowships
The UNCF/Merck Science Initiative (UMSI) provides undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral support to outstanding African-American students who are pursuing studies and research careers in biological and chemical sciences.
- Winston Churchill Foundation
The Winston Churchill Foundation awards at least thirteen Scholarships and hopes to increase that number to fifteen soon. The one-year awards lead to the Masters of Philosophy (MPhil), the Certificate of Post-Graduate Study (CPGS in different fields), the Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS in theoretical or applied mathematics), and a Diploma (in Computer Science). The Churchill Scholarship is worth between $44,000 and $50,000. It covers all University and College tuition and fees (currently about $25,000). In addition, students receive a living allowance of $10,000 if enrolled in a nine-month academic program and $12,000 if enrolled in a full-year academic program. They also receive an allowance of up to $1,000 for travel to and from the United Kingdom. The Foundation also offers the possibility of a Special Research Grant of up to $2,000; this grant may cover travel for presentations at international conferences, short stays at another university or institute for special research, and other activities. Married students should consult with the Foundation about the possibility of additional support.
- Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellowships in Women’s Studies
The Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellowship in Women’s Studies encourages original and significant research about women that crosses disciplinary, regional, or cultural boundaries.
- Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellowship
Fellowship provides recent college graduates and career changers in STEM fields with a $30,000 stipend during a master's degree program at participating Indiana partner universities. In exchange, fellows commit to teach math or science for three years in an Indiana secondary school that serves primarily disadvantaged students.
