Grants and Fellowships

The Annual Graduate Grants and Fellowships Workshop

The Career Development Center and the Graduate School partner to offer workshops on Grant and Fellowship writing. These workshops are run by the professional grant writers.

Topics typically include:

  • What do granting agencies look for?
  • What kinds of grants are available?
  • What are appropriate things to place in a budget?
  • What do review panels look for?
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Links to External Funding for Graduate Research and Studies

Most granting agencies have information on their programs, including general information, eligibility, and deadlines. Some even have application forms on line. Below are some helpful links for graduate students to find external funding in support of graduate studies and research.

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Beginning the Grants and Fellowships Search and Application Process

As you know all too well, graduate study not only takes hard work, but it also takes money. Unfortunately, graduate departments cannot always support all of the students they would like to, so you may need to pursue external funding. Even if your department is funding you, winning a fellowship or grant is an honor and is a great addition to your CV. In addition, you can free up some of the departmental money for other deserving students and get some time off from teaching to travel, do research and write. The following are a few tips to keep in mind when you start your search for external funding.

Types of Funding

There are many different funding programs. Knowing which type of program is right for your needs will help you start the search process. Scholarships are most often for undergraduate study, though some agencies use this term for graduate funding (usually for MAs) as well. Fellowships are usually for graduate students (mostly doctoral students). Fellowships are usually for at least a year and range from around $5,000 to $18,000. There are predoctoral (before being ABD), dissertation, and postdoctoral fellowships. Fellowships-in-Residence are for long or short-term research at a particular archive or institution. Grants are usually Grants-in-Aid of Research. Grants tend to be for shorter periods and less money ($200-$5,000).

Timing and Deadlines

You should start your search process well before you expect to need the funding (for example, at the beginning of your final year of departmental funding, a year before you expect to do your fieldwork, etc.) Some programs also require either departmental or university review and/or interviews (Fulbright, for example). In this case, the university deadline may be well in advance of the final deadline published in the application materials.

Most funding sources work on an academic schedule, so applications often need to be completed in the fall for next academic year's funding cycle. Most agencies print new applications during the summer in preparation for their fall deadlines; make sure you have the most up-to-date application. If it is spring and you need funding for fall, you may be too late for most programs, although there are always exceptions.

Give yourself a few months to work on an application. You will need this much time to get letters of reference (usually three), transcripts, and to edit your proposal.

Resources

Use as many resources when conducting your search for funding programs as you can find. In addition to doing a search on-line through the Community of Science (COS) (http://www.cos.com) you can also obtain information at the Graduate Grants and Fellowships Resource Center (AD127, 777-2074), or ask your department, professors and colleagues about programs. Sometimes an external funding program may only be listed in newsletters or journals specific to your discipline. The library reference section contains a variety of books listing funding programs in different disciplines, and there are numerous websites devoted to grants and fellowship searches.

Funding sources can be large government entities or small private foundations. Funding can also come from local clubs (Rotary for example), a fraternity or sorority you belonged to in college, a religious organization, or a company for which your parents work. Again, these are sources that may not be listed publicly. Also consider fellowships-in-residence at archives, universities, or other institutions. Often, these provide office space and lodging for a few weeks to a few months. It is always good to have a "change of scenery" when you are writing or doing research. You may meet scholars also working in your area.

There are funds out there for almost any area of study. Think creatively and explore all of your options.

Your Areas of Interest

Think outside of the box! Although you may be in the History Department, your research may also encompass economics and political science, or religion and philosophy, or any number of other disciplines. The way you think about and market your research can increase the number of programs to which you can apply. However, beware of applying for grants or fellowships in completely unrelated fields. Considering how long it takes to work on a grant application, make sure that the sources of funding you do apply for have a good chance of being funded.

Make First Contact

Many of the larger funding agencies now have applications on websites. Applications can be requested by email, by postcard or letter, or phone. Note that some small agencies prefer letters to phone calls. When requesting application materials, also request a list of last year's recipients and their projects (this may also be found in an annual report or at their website). In some cases you can also request a list of the scholars who sat on last year's (or who will sit on this year's) application review panel. (Also ask around your department if any of your professors have sat on review boards.) These resources will give you a good idea of what the agency may be looking for in an applicant.

Make Second Contact

Once you have received the application and other materials, you will probably have many questions. If you are not sure that your project fits into the program's areas of interest, call the agency. Try to speak directly with the person in charge of the funding program. Often, that person can give you insight into their review process and what they might be looking for that particular year. If this person is willing, make him/her your contact during the application process. When your application is submitted, by having made personal contact, your name will stand out.

Follow Directions

Although this may seem obvious, follow the directions in the application packet to the letter. Too many good applications never make the first cut because the student failed to read the application's directions fully. Remember, reviewers may be reading hundreds of applications. They are looking for reasons to eliminate applications. You could jeopardize your chances by going over their word limit, or using a smaller font than they allow, or single-spacing when they want double-spacing.

The Proposal

If you are applying for a fellowship available to students in many different areas of study, keep in mind that the reviewers on the panel may not know anything about your particular topic. If you are a philosophy student, your proposal will probably be read by someone in the humanities, but there may be nobody on the panel specifically from philosophy. So, write as concisely and clearly as you can, avoiding jargon specific to your field. This also shows the funding agency that although you know your own research, you can also present it to those outside your particular topic or area of study. This of course does not apply if you are applying for a fellowship limited to students in your own field, where you should demonstrate that you are familiar with specific terms and concepts.

Write a different proposal for each funding agency. Writing one and sending it out to several agencies usually does not work. After reading through hundreds or thousands of applications, most reviewers can tell when an application was not really written for a particular grant. Agencies will know that you have not considered their particular interests. This is especially true of smaller funding agencies. Let them know why you think your project is relevant to their areas of interest. Tell them how you will use their money. Many agencies will request a budget. Make sure this is clear and realistic.

Once you have a draft, call in all your favors and let many people read it, even people working outside of your department. If your objective is clear to someone unfamiliar with your discipline, then it will be clear to the members of a general review panel.

Once you have submitted your application packet (certified mail is always a good idea), follow up with the agency to insure that they have received everything. Often letters of recommendation and transcripts must be sent to the agency directly by the recommenders and universities. Make sure these will all arrive on time.

Success!

You have won everything for which you applied, but the agencies will not let you hold other fellowships concurrently. Don't panic. Many times you can bargain with the agencies and defer a fellowship for a year. They need to give the money away or they will lose that money in next year's budget - and you could end up with two years of funding.

Even though you have won funding, request a copy of your proposal with the readers' notes. These will help you apply for funding later on.
or
"If at first you don't succeed…"

If your proposal is not funded, don't despair! This is the typical scenario. Apply again. Most agencies will encourage you to reapply. Sometimes even the most polished, worthy proposal may not get funded for a variety of reasons. It may be that nobody serving on the review board that year knew your area well enough to recognize its importance to your field. It could be that the agency was looking for specific types of topics into which your proposal did not fall. Writing a solid proposal is certainly a way to get through the initial review, but some luck is also factored into the process.

To better your chances your second time around, request the readers' notes from the agency. This way you will know how to approach the proposal in the future. Many times your contact at the agency will be willing to discuss your proposal so you can get a better idea of why it wasn't funded the first time.

The search for funding takes time and dedication but it can really pay off. Winning a grant or a fellowship one year helps your chances of getting funding in the future. The key is to start looking now so you won't have to rush later.

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COS

Although COS stands for Community of Science, Inc., COS is really a Community of Scholars!

  • COS is the leading Internet site for the networking within the academic and scientific community.
  • COS maintains one of the most extensive databases on-line of current grant and fellowship opportunities called COS Funding Opportunities.
  • COS brings together the academics, institutions, scientists and researchers at more than 1,300 universities, corporations and government agencies, and creates an on-line network. It provides tools and services that enable these professionals to communicate, exchange information and find the people and technologies that are important to their work.
  • COS also maintains a database of detailed, first person profiles of more than 480,000 R&D professionals call COS Expertise.
  • Community of Science, Inc. is a privately held company, and is available to members only. However, Binghamton University has subscribed to COS, so access to its services are available to any graduate student enrolled at Binghamton University.

Further details

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