Funding Upcoming Deadlines & Opportunities (March 2024)
To see additional fellowships and award opportunities, visit the CURF Resources for Graduate Students and Grad Center Grants and Fellowships webpages. Additional individual & student group funding and financial assistance can be found on our Graduate Funding & Finances page.
Funding and Professional Opportunities
Penn 3MT 2023 Competition
Deadline extended: March 2
Explaining your research quickly and clearly is a great skill to have during networking, interviews, and unexpected social situations. Penn's 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition will give you that experience and more! Win prizes of up to $1,000 and an opportunity to represent Penn in regional and inter-Ivy 3MT competitions! Learn more at: www.gsc.upenn.edu/penn-3mt
Penn Graduate Leadership Awards Nomination
Deadline extended: Friday, March 8
Know a graduating student who has made a significant and lasting contribution to enhancing the student experience and broader graduate and professional student community at Penn? Nominate them for one of the University's awards for graduate and professional student leaders! See award criteria and submit a nomination at gsc.upenn.edu/graduate-life/grad-life-awards
Penn Graduate Student Government Travel & Research Grants
Deadlines: March 15 – 22
Several graduate school governments use a portion of their student activity fee allocation to fund grants for individual travel, research, and professional development. These programs include:
- SASGov grants: Support for SAS Graduate Division research students to pursue research and professional development
- GSESG grants: Support for GSE students for conference travel and research
- GAPSA Conference and Professional Travel Grants: Grants of up to $2000 to reimburse students for costs associated with travel to and participate in academic and professional conferences or meetings.
Melanie Foundation Graduate Scholarship in Mental Health
Deadline: March 5
Scholarships support graduate students who are pursuing a doctoral or master’s degree in the mental health field. The scholarship offers support for one year.
YH Park Fellowship in Korean Studies
Deadline: March 24
Provides PhD tuition, 12-month stipend, and health insurance to graduate students in the humanities, social sciences, international management, international studies, or fine arts whose primary research area is Korea and whose dissertation will be on Korea. Fellows are expected to continue their scholarly activities outside of Korea after graduation and must have sufficient proficiency to use Korean-language sources in conducting research and writing dissertations. Open to current master's or PhD students. Open to US citizens and non-US citizens. Learn more.
Laura Bassi Scholarship
Deadline: March 24
Provides up to $2500 in editorial assistance to master's, doctoral, and junior academics whose research focuses on neglected topics of study within their disciplines, broadly construed. All currently enrolled master’s and doctoral candidates are eligible to apply, as are academics in the first five years of full-time employment. Applicants are required to submit a completed application form along with their CV through the application portal by the relevant deadline. Application fee; waivers available.
PIDC-D'Alessio Scholarship for Urban Development
Deadline: March 31
Scholarships of $2500 and a paid internship with PIDC for graduate students pursuing a career in urban studies, economics, law, public administration, real estate, regional and/or city planning, and urban planning and design.
CWiC Critical Speaking Fellowship
Deadline: April 10
Each year, CWiC supports two final year doctoral candidates in SAS who want to develop new courses that are built around oral communication. The goal of the fellowship is to offer a doctoral student financial support and an opportunity to develop an innovative course while completing a dissertation. Fellows receive tuition, fees, insurance and $39,425 for the 10-month fellowship in 2024-25.
Schmidt Science Fellows
Nomination Deadline: April 12
Penn is one of a select number of institutions invited to nominate graduating PhD students for the Schmidt Science Fellows in partnership with the Rhodes Trust. Schmidt Fellows receive a stipend of $110,000 a year for up to 2 years, and are supported to pursue a postdoctoral placement at a world-leading laboratory anywhere in the world in a disciplinary pivot from their PhD. During their Fellowship Year(s), they also participate in a varied and challenging Global Meeting Series that introduces new research ideas, techniques, and questions, in addition to a tailored training program. Students must complete a PhD in the sciences before the deadline and should be nominated by a faculty member. Call for nominations has been shared with Penn graduate deans and faculty in eligible schools. Open to students in Nursing, SAS, SEAS, and PSOM-BGS. Internal school processes for selection may vary. Contact your school's associate dean for graduate studies or graduate group chair for more information. Learn more about the program here.
Dow Building Engineering and Science Talent (BEST) Symposium
Deadline: April 30 | Symposium Dates: July 29-Aug 1
This annual conference was developed to introduced advanced doctoral students and postdoctoral scientists from minoritized backgrounds to the range of rewarding careers in industrial research and, in particular, to opportunities with one of the world’s largest and leading materials science companies, Dow. Applicants must be pursuing degrees in: Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or other closely related fields and should have a doctorate degree or expect to receive one by December 2025. Please visit the BEST Symposium website for more details and to apply.
DOE Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program
Deadline: May 1
Supplemental awards to outstanding U.S. graduate students to pursue part of their dissertation research at a Department of Energy (DOE) laboratory/facility in areas that address scientific challenges central to the Office of Science mission.
Ongoing Opportunities or Rolling Deadlines
Campaign for Community Grants
Deadline: rolling
The Campaign for Community aims to strengthen our Penn community by finding ways to discuss and understand key issues that may appear to be difficult or intractable. The program provides grants of up to $1500 for projects and activities that help advance the Campaign's goals of encouraging mutual understanding, respect, and discussion among members of the community on important topics. Learn more at https://provost.upenn.edu/campaign-community.
Dirksen Congressional Center Congressional Research Grants
Deadline: rolling
Eligibility: Students with a serious interest in studying Congress; a significant portion of the funds is awarded for PhD dissertation research
