Whether we like it or not, money makes the world go round. The lab you work in might have money in their budget to pay you. You also may be asked to conduct research for free or to be paid in experience. If you can’t afford to work without compensation, you might still be able to get your own funding and pay yourself.
Funding opportunities are targeted to experience level. Don’t worry, your application will only be compared against others at your level. Here are some common applications to start your search:
NIH HS-SIP is the high school student equivalent of the NIH SIP. I participated in this program and highly recommend it.
NIH SIP is an eight-week Summer internship with the National Institutes of Health for undergraduate, graduate school, and professional school students.
NSF GRFP is a three year fellowship for individuals applying to graduate school or in the first two years of graduate school.
HHMI Gilliam Fellowship is a three year fellowship for mid career graduate students.
Ford Fellowship is a one-three year fellowship depending on whether you are an early career graduate student, late career graduate student, or post-doctorate.
Other popular options include AAAS, DoD, NASA, etc. Often, the more competitive the grant/fellowship/award, the less likely you are to receive that money. Smaller or more specialized opportunities are excellent resources. Look for groups trying to support individuals just like you. (Think about your research institution, field, topic; ethnicity; ability; gender; etc.) If you don’t know where to turn in your specialized funding search, feel free to send me an email at edauster@umass.edu.
My current favorite funding search site is the Illinois Fellowship Finder. I’ve also been told that grants.gov and GrantForward are good sites to try.
If you’re interested in science writing, organizations like the AAAS and NASW offer internships and awards.
Additional fellowships:
| Career Stage | Open to International Applicants? | Brief Description | Link |
| grad students, post docs | Yes? | Whether you’re a scientist, engineer, teacher, or science advocate, together we can be a united voice for scientific progress. | https://www.aaas.org/fellowships |
| grad students, post docs | Yes | Recipients are selected for academic achievement and demonstrated commitment to women and girls. | https://www.aauw.org/resources/programs/fellowships-grants/current-opportunities/international/ |
| grad students | Yes | Computational and Data Science Fellowships to increase the diversity of students pursuing data science and computational science. Specifically targeted at women or students from racial/ethnic backgrounds that have not traditionally participated in the computing field. | https://www.sighpc.org/fellowships |
| high school through grad students | No | American Indian Graduate Center offers funding opportunities for High School Students, Undergraduate Students, graduate students including MA, MS, PhD, STEM, Medical, Law, MBA, and other professional degrees. | https://www.aigcs.org/scholarships-fellowships/graduate-students/ |
| undergrads through post docs | Yes | Seed research grants are available for students and young professionals intending to do field-based research, as well as to use the American Museum of Natural History collections. | https://www.amnh.org/research/richard-gilder-graduate-school/academics-and-research/fellowship-and-grant-opportunities/research-grants-and-graduate-student-exchange-fellowships#grants |
| grad students, post docs | Yes | The American-Scandinavian Foundation offers funding to Scandinavians to undertake study or research programs in the United States for up to one year. | http://www.amscan.org/fellowships-and-grants/fellowships-and-grants-for-advanced-study-or-research-in-the-usa/ |
| undergrads | Yes | Research project under top faculty, being part of a cohort-based experience of seminars and networking events, and taking part in a symposium in their respective region where they meet their peers, learn about biotechnology, and hear from leading scientists. | https://amgenscholars.com/about/ |
| undergrads, grad students | Yes | Academic excellence, leadership within the American Nuclear Society, references, career goals, and financial need. | https://www.ans.org/scholarships/ |
| undergrads, grad students | Yes | Encourage educational pursuits by Armenians in America | http://www.asainc.org/national/scholarships.shtml |
| undergrads, grad students | Some | Support to students in summer research. Several programs, including the SURF, Amgen Scholars, and WAVE Fellows programs. | http://sfp.caltech.edu/programs |
| PhD students | Yes | The Chateaubriand Fellowship in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Biology-Health (STEM) aims to initiate or reinforce collaborations, partnerships or joint projects between French and American research teams. | https://www.chateaubriand-fellowship.org/Eligibility-Guidelines-STEM |
| grad students, post docs | Yes | Full-time hands-on training and educational program, 12 weeks at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, DC learning about science and technology policy and the role that scientists and engineers play in advising the nation. | https://mirzayanfellow.nas.edu/Default.asp |
| undergrads | Yes | Summer research program for underserved college students who are interested in pursuing careers in the biomedical sciences. For eight weeks, students will work full-time alongside top cancer researchers. | https://www.cancer.northwestern.edu/research/education-training/summer-research/cure.html |
| post doc | Yes | Opportunities for leading conservation scientists to strengthen their skills through two years of applied post-doctoral research, supplemented by training programs, peer networking, and field learning experiences. | https://conbio.org/mini-sites/smith-fellows/apply/proposal-guidelines#elig |
| undergrads, grad students | Yes | Need-based grants (up to $10,000) to students actively working for peace and justice on campus and/or in the community. | https://davisputter.org/ |
| undergrads through post docs | No | Research and development awards at universities and at the Department of Energy national laboratories. Educational and training programs to promote science and energy literacy. Physics, chemistry, biology, and other areas of basic science and technology, impacting energy, environment, and national security challenges. | https://www.energy.gov/science/wdts/workforce-development-teachers-and-scientists |
| undergrads through post docs | Yes | PCR Analysis and Characterization laboratory intern in centralized analytical laboratory providing qualitative and quantitative PCR analysis to improve various crops through conventional breeding and genetic engineering. | https://careers.corteva.com/en-us/Listjobs/all/search/career%20area/research |
| grad students | Yes | To fund and direct scientific research and educational initiatives for waste management practices to benefit industry participants and the communities they serve. | https://erefdn.org/scholarship-program/ |
| grad students | No | National Science Foundation internships at federal agencies to encourage, develop, and facilitate professional development and research opportunities focusing on the protection of human health and the environment. | https://www.epa.gov/research-fellowships/nsf-graduate-research-internship-program-grip-graduate-research-fellowship-0 |
| high school through post docs | Yes | Support for research involving the ocean and all categories of field science | https://explorers.org/expeditions/funding/expedition_grants |
| grad students | No | Supports academic achievement, commitment to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level, well prepared to use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students. | http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/FordFellowships/PGA_047958 |
| undergrads through faculty | Yes | International educational and cultural exchange programs for passionate and accomplished students, scholars, artists, teachers, and professionals of all backgrounds to study, teach, or pursue important research and professional projects. | https://eca.state.gov/fulbright |
| high school through grad students | Yes | Massachusetts residents that study the arts and/or sciences related to horticulture, floriculture, landscape design or architecture, conservation, forestry, agronomy, city planning, environmental studies, land management, botany, biology, and allied subjects. | https://www.gcfm.org/gcfm-scholarships |
| undergrads, masters students | No | To increase the number of minority students who pursue doctoral degrees in the natural science disciplines — chemistry, physics, earth sciences, mathematics, biological sciences, and computer science. | http://www.gemfellowship.org/students/gem-fellowship-program/ |
| grad students through faculty | Yes | Women who are performing hypothesis-driven research. Any person who identifies as a woman in science. | https://www.gwis.org/page/fellowship_program |
| PhD students | Yes | The Lewis and Clark Fund encourages exploratory field studies for the collection of specimens and data. | https://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/lewis-and-clark-fund-exploration-and-field-research |
| undergrads | Yes | Summer research fellowship at the Mayo Clinic | https://college.mayo.edu/academics/biomedical-research-training/summer-undergraduate-research-fellowship-surf/ |
| grad students | Yes | To assist women from developing countries who are pursuing their education with the aim of improving the lives of women and children in their countries. | https://www.mmeg.org/application-checklist |
| grad students | No | STEM opportunities in support of the NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project. | https://www.nasa.gov/stem/fellowships-scholarships/index.html |
| undergrads, grad students | No | National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Program is to pursue a Doctoral degree aligned to Department of Defense research and development. | http://ndseg.sysplus.com/NDSEG/about/eligibility |
| grad students | No | To provide predoctoral individuals with supervised research training in specified health and health-related areas leading toward the research degree. | https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/ac_search_results.htm?text_curr=f31&Search.x=0&Search.y=0&Search_Type=Activity |
| undergrads, grad students | No | Programs to spend a summer working at the National Institutes of Health. | https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/sip |
| grad students, post docs | Yes | The Ben Barres Fellowship is an award for professional development of trans, intersex, and non-binary graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. | https://www.noglstp.org/programs-projects/ben-barres-fellowship/ |
| grad students | Yes | Northeast Graduate Student Research Grant in Sustainable Agriculture. | https://northeast.sare.org/grants/get-a-grant/graduate-student-research-grant-program/ |
| grad students | No | To help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. Pursuing full-time research-based degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education. | http://www.nsfgrfp.org/ |
| grad students | Yes | The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans program is intended for immigrants and children of immigrants in the United States. | https://www.pdsoros.org/apply/eligibility |
| grad students | Yes | To recognize and encourage academic excellence and achievement by women in doctoral-level programs. These awards provide partial support for study and research. | http://www.peointernational.org/about-peo-scholar-awards |
| undergrads, post bacs | Yes | Unniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst awards students of under-represented groups who hold recent baccalaureate degrees to pursue doctorates in biomedical sciences. | https://umassprep.org/ |
| grad students | No | Fellowships to graduate students from diverse academic and personal backgrounds in New England and California whose studies and career goals are directed toward environmental improvement and who demonstrate leadership in their field. | https://www.switzernetwork.org/become-fellow |
| grad students | Yes | Proposals address issues of current or potential importance to Northeast farmers and the agricultural/food system community. Topics of interest span the full range of sustainable agriculture issues including, but not limited to, cropping systems, pest management, livestock health, social sustainability, soil quality, farm energy production, farmworkers and agricultural labor, urban agriculture, and the marketing of local food. | https://northeast.sare.org/grants/get-a-grant/graduate-student-research-grant-program/ |
| undergrads | Yes | Strengthening the role of women in science and engineering in South Africa. | http://www.sawise.uct.ac.za/sawise/scholarships |
| undergrads, PhD students | Yes | Faculty for the Future focuses on developing and emerging countries where women are underrepresented in STEM disciplines. |
https://www.fftf.slb.com/docs/Summary_Eligibility_Criteria.pdf |
| post docs | No? | Conduct research in-residence at the Smithsonian for a period of 12 to 24 months. Applicants must have completed or be near completion of the Ph.D. | https://www.smithsonianofi.com/smithsonian-biodiversity-genomics-postdoctoral-fellowship-program/ |
| grad students | No | To increase participation of U.S. groups who are underrepresented in Smithsonian scholarly programs, in the disciplines of research conducted at the Institution, and in the museum field. | https://www.smithsonianofi.com/internship-opportunities/minority-awards-program/ |
| post docs | No? | To support a distinguished scholar in residence at the Smithsonian. The fellow may work in any discipline, but the creative effort should be related to human medicine. To stimulate new medically related theories. | https://www.smithsonianofi.com/fellowship-opportunities/george-e-burch-fellowship/ |
| undergrads through post docs | Yes? | To attract some of the brightest scholars from diverse fields of tropical research. Fellowships range from three months to three years and allow young scholars to explore their own research questions across Panama’s rich tropical ecosystems. | https://stri.si.edu/academic-programs/fellowships |
| undergrads | Yes | Ten-week research program for students who are interested in pursuing a career in the biomedical sciences. | https://www.sloankettering.edu/gerstner/summer-undergraduate-research |
| grad students | No? | Oceanography, marine biology, or maritime archaeology—this can include, but is not limited to, ocean and/or coastal: engineering, social science, marine education, marine stewardship, and resource management disciplines. | https://fosterscholars.noaa.gov/ |
| PhD students, post docs | No? | To conduct research in-residence at the Smithsonian in one of its areas of research, for a period of three to twelve months, or ten weeks. | https://www.smithsonianofi.com/fellowship-opportunities/smithsonian-institution-fellowship-program/ |
| undergrads, grad students | Yes | To provide educational opportunities for future generations of science scholars. | https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/life-science/antibodies/thermo-fisher-scientific-antibody-scholarship-program.html |
| faculty | Yes | To can enhance students’ learning and academic success across cultural, social, and learning differences by adopting a strength-based, inclusive, and equitable approach to teaching and learning grounded in the value of diversity. | https://www.umass.edu/ctl/tide-ambassadors-teaching-inclusiveness-diversity-equity |
| PhD students | No | To support the training and development of African American biomedical scientists. | https://scholarships.uncf.org/Program/Details/e097fee3-c7e5-4042-bf69-76a378595601 |
| grad students, post docs | No | Training of the next generation of policy makers, researchers, and educators in the food and agricultural sciences. | https://nifa.usda.gov/program/national-needs-graduate-and-postgraduate-fellowship-grants-program-funding-opportunity-nnf |
| grad students | Yes | Women conducting research applied to aerospace engineering or space sciences. | https://www.zonta.org/Web/Default.aspx?hkey=5c731012-b9a2-458f-9708-87afd0fb7cd0&WebsiteKey=fa59e7e8-9db0-4736-b8df-7a6476fb9063 |
It never hurts to apply!
Science by Emma Dauster 