Government Information Services, Access and Collections
As a loan-straddled graduate student myself, I wish I had found a site like this on funding my degree before starting graduate school. If I continue my research, though, I'll rest easy knowing that there is an insane amount of funding available for those who have the patience and ambition to find it and apply for it.
The federal government, foundations, and nonprofit organizations are primary sources of funding for graduate students, doctoral students and faculty members. This website is devoted to locating funding for these groups and explaining the application process for this funding.
I focused primarily on finding government-related information, lists, indexes and search engines. My goal was to include links that described how to find funding, how to apply for funding, and where to locate funding sites. It is by no means a complete list; however, there are enough search engines, indexes and lists to help you locate some sort of funding that you are interested in and eligible for.
The audience for this site is graduate students, phd students and faculty members. There is more than enough information out there for undergraduate funding; however, graduate funding tends to be randomly located for the most part. This site attempted to combine at least some of the information in one bundle.
Grants are like the mother lode of all funding. Competitive, difficult to apply for, challenging to comply to, anyone who receives a grant for research or studies deserves a cuppa cuppa. Following is a list of sources of grant funding. For application instructions, please see the section on Applying.
The University of Illinois has an excellent site called the The Illinois Research Information Service (IRIS). Available only by subscription, the IRIS database is filled with funding opportunities. This database has been around since 1979 and is updated daily. It contains records on over 7,900 federal and non-federal funding opportunities in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. The IRIS office also maintains a library of publications (informational brochures, application guidelines, and annual reports) from over 2,000 funding agencies. If your institution is a subsciber, you've hit a goldmine here. If not, the page also includes links to free research resource sites, most of which have also been mentioned in my site.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has compiled a fab Grants Information Center with links to everything a grantseeker needs. Check out their guide to Funding Sources for Individuals, as well as a section on Information Center Grants Resources on the Internet: A detailed guide. They even have a section on Database Search Tips. Oh, you'll also want to see their page on Funding Sources for Education, which includes both print and net sources. (just as an fyi, they also include a link to Colleges and Universities with Graduate Programs about Nonprofits, which includes a link to NYU's Wagner School, which is where I will be this fall!).
Of course, Yahoo has compiled an exhautive list of websites that have anything to do with Grants. If you have the patience, I'm sure you'll find something that suits your interests.
The University of Chicago has a clean site which includes links to Online Search Tools, Agency Forms (scroll down to get past the U of C forms), and Agency Websites.
Created by the Auditor's Office of the State of Ohio, this deceptively simple site of Internet Addresses of Interest to Grant-Seekers packs a load of resources especially for seeking federal grant funding. Includes links to federal agencies, circulars and searchable databases.
The Foundation Center has an RFP Bulletin it publishes regularly with requests for grant proposals organized by subject and due date.
The American Association of University Women's Educational Foundation 1999-2000 Fellowships and Grants site begins with this information: "The AAUW Educational Foundation has helped more than 7,000 women reach their personal and professional goals through a variety of fellowships and grants." There is also a link to this site in the Fellowship section.
An ok site that lists granting institutions is the University of Virginia's URL List for Grantseekers. The problem is, it hasn't been updated since late 1996 and many of the links are dead now. However, enough links do work that it is still a comprehensive site.
The University of Miami has a fairly decent list of grants and fellowships that can be viewed at http://spider.med.miami.edu/research/some_grants.html. It's in alphabetical order and not necessarily focused on any specific discipline.
Michigan State University has compiled The Grants and Related Resources Home Page, looks surprisingly the same as many sites on the first page. However, the kicker is a lot of the second tiers of information were also created by MSU and contain even more detailed info on subjects such as Grants for Individuals: Graduate Scholarships, Fellowships and Loans and Grants for Individuals: Postdocs and Faculty.
The Society of Research Administrators has a lengthy list of Private Funding Information. It also has a beautiful page of Policy Info & OMB Circulars with links to regulatory aids and many agency's grant guidelines and policies.
FinAid has a Grants page that's much better than mine, with clearly outlined sections on databases, publications, government grants and other resources. It also has a section called Handouts, which links to a few grantwriting sites.
The National Adjunct Faculty Guild hosts The At-a-Glance Guide to Grants. Their links "are provided as a resource to adjunct faculty but are applicable to all researchers."
The American Philosophical Association, oddly enough, has an interesting list of grant opportunities. Some are clearly philosophically-minded, but it gives fresh ideas. A problem, however, is that I don't think it's been updated lately and doesn't include a lot of hyperlinks.
Another nice simple list is Grants and Funding, which is just a great big long list of places I hadn't thought to look.
Definitely the first place to go when searching for government grants and funding, the University of Wisconsin has compiled an EXCELLENT site highlighting federal grants. It includes links to all the federal agency grant sites, relevant databases and even grantwriting tips links.
Michigan State University has compiled The Grants and Related Resources Home Page, looks surprisingly the same as many sites on the first page. However, the kicker is a lot of the second tiers of information were also created by MSU and contain even more detailed info. For instance, check out its page on Federal Funding.
George Washington University hosts this site for primarily government Funding Opportunities, including links to EDGAR, Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Affairs, and Federal Register Notices.
The University of Virginia Department of Computer Science hosts a site with a great many links to Government Agency funding sites. It's unique in that it includes a lot of the defense-related sites.
United States Government Funding and Grant Resources is a nice site hosted by the University of Arkansas Medical School. It's just a simple list of links to government sites.
The U.S. Department of Education has a great deal of helpful information for grantseekers. First, there's Funding Opportunities, a page with information on If you're interested in applying for a grant or contract, here's information you'll need to know. Next, a list of FY 1999 Discretionary Grant Application Packages. And of course, there's the Student Financial Assistance page, although it focuses mainly loans. Also check out the DoE's Grants and Contracts Information Page for DoE Grants Info, Federal Register announcements, and links to other grants sites.
The Illinois General Assembly has a link to the Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation's Grant Alerts page which lists grants by deadline date. The only problem is, that's the only way the grants are listed.
USDA has some potentially good sites, but not all the links are working. One is for the Nationals Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program, another for A Guide to Grants, Fellowships, and Scholarships in International Forestry and Natural Resources and a third for Distance Learning and Telemedicine.
Department of Health and Human Services has a GrantsNet page that gives information about getting HHS grants.
The National Science Foundation lives for grants. Here's one of many grants-related NSF sites
National Telecommunications and Information Administration also gives grants, although they're more activity- and research-related.
Finally, the Federal Register is always a good place to look for federal grants. It's where you're going to find the rules that govern any government grants, although it's tricky weeding through all that you find.
Although it's nothing fancy, here are some links to use to search for applicable grants while at the U of I: http://www.uiuc.edu/research/grants.html.
Of course, there's always the IRIS site. Created by the University of Illinois, The Illinois Researcher Information Service (IRIS) is an excellent resource to use when searching for any type of funding. Available only by subscription, the IRIS office maintains a library of publications (informational brochures, application guidelines, and annual reports) from over 2,000 funding agencies. This database has been around since 1979 and is updated daily. It contains records on over 7,900 federal and non-federal funding opportunities in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. If your institution is a subsciber, you've hit a goldmine here. If not, the page also includes links to free research resource sites, most of which have also been mentioned in this site.
Hundreds of scholarships are available nationally to qualified students. Scholarships are often awarded for merit in academics, athletics, or a particular field of study, but may also be awarded based on, for example, ethnic background, religious affiliation, and special interests. They are gifts and do not need to be repaid.
This list is by no means complete; however, the search engines will give you a fairly comprehensive idea of the types of scholarship information that exists on the web. Since scholarships can be granted to undergraduates or graduate students, many sites listed include information for both levels.
The University of Illinois has an excellent site called the The Illinois Researcher Information Service (IRIS). Available only by subscription, the IRIS database is filled with funding opportunities. The IRIS office also maintains a library of publications (informational brochures, application guidelines, and annual reports) from over 2,000 funding agencies. This database has been around since 1979 and is updated daily. It contains records on over 7,900 federal and non-federal funding opportunities in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. If your institution is a subsciber, you've hit a goldmine here. If not, the page also includes links to free research resource sites, most of which have also been mentioned in my site.
Alphabetical Index to Scholarships and Other Financial Aid Programs from the Texas State Government Comptroller of Public Accounts. Fairly long, unordered list of scholarships, both Texas and non-Texas specific. Includes a strong list of federal programs including loans, grants and government agencies. They have also organized their information by due date.
The American Meteorological Society hosts this site which lists six types of scholarships they sponsor.
FastWEB The FastWEB page is a personalized scholarship search.
FinAid: The SmartStudent Guide to Financial Aid provides a free, comprehensive, independent, and objective guide to student financial aid. A public service site, it includes helpful information on search engines, scams and scholarships.
Created by First Union Bank, this site has helpful information on scholarships, although not many links to related information.
The Scholarship Page Browse and search for scholarships on this page sponsored by Innovative Web Creations. Includes information organized by subject, ethnicity, gender, organization, etc. Also has helpful links section.
Yahoo.com has compiled a site that lists hundreds of places to look for scholarships. It is a bit overwhelming, but if you have patience, look here for an exhaustive list of options: http://dir.yahoo.com/Education/Financial_Aid/Scholarship_Programs/
Fedix is government-related search engine related to the Federal Information Exchange program. It has links to information on several government agencies.
Hope "scholarship" information. Although technically not a "scholarship," students can take a tax credit during their first two years of postsecondary education. This Ohio Board of Regents hosts this clear question and answer site.
MOLIS Scholarship Search The MOLIS page provides information about scholarship opportunities for qualified minority applicants.
The Oregon State Library hosts this site filled with excellent funding information, including scholarship links.
Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation is one of a number of government-sponsored organizations that distributes scholarships for specific subject areas. "The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the official federal memorial to honor our thirty-third President."
The University of Illinois Office for Academic Policy Analysis administers three scholarships which it identifies on its website at http://www.uoapa.uillinois.edu/scholarships/.
Student Affairs Development lists several scholarships for students who show exceptional potential for scholarship and leadership.
Campus Honors Program explains how to qualify for honors scholarships. Also, the Financial Aid office lists a few places to look for scholarship info at http://www.osfa.uiuc.edu/Scholarships/scholar.htm.
If you want to go to Library School, UIUC has a great scholarship program. Scholarships are listed at http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/gslis/school/awards.html. Many schools, like the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, offer inside scholarships that you should also look into.
Fellowships are gift funds generally given by foundations (institutions established by endowments). They can also be given by the government, by associations, or by universities. Often the terms graduate scholarships and fellowships are used interchangeably. Like scholarships and grants, fellowships do not need to be repaid; however, a final report often needs to be delivered to the granting foundation.
The Foundation Center has compiled a list of 39 books listing Graduate School Fellowships. They also have a page describing where one can link to information about fellowships and scholarships.
The University of Illinois has an excellent site called the The Illinois Researcher Information Service (IRIS). Available only by subscription, the IRIS database is filled with funding opportunities. The IRIS office also maintains a library of publications (informational brochures, application guidelines, and annual reports) from over 2,000 funding agencies. This database has been around since 1979 and is updated daily. It contains records on over 7,900 federal and non-federal funding opportunities in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. If your institution is a subsciber, you've hit a goldmine here. If not, the page also includes links to free research resource sites, most of which have also been mentioned in my site.
The University of Maryland hosts this list of 179 National Fellowships. For each fellowship it gives the title, program description, eligibility requirements, contact information, and deadline.
The University of Miami has a fairly decent list of grants and fellowships that can be viewed at http://spider.med.miami.edu/research/some_grants.html. It's in alphabetical order and not necessarily focused on any specific discipline.
The American Philosophical Association has a list of foundations, associations and societies that sponsor grants and fellowships not necessarily related to philosophy.
The American Association of University Women's Educational Foundation 1999-2000 Fellowships and Grants site begins with this information: "The AAUW Educational Foundation has helped more than 7,000 women reach their personal and professional goals through a variety of fellowships and grants." Need I say more?
The Office of Scientific and Engineering Personnel National Research Council's Fellowship Programs Unit hosts this excellent site on both government and foundation grants for all levels. It includes a nice section on aids and hints.
Innovative Web Creations designed this site which lists 8 seemingly random fellowships one could apply for.
Yahoo comes through for us again with their Grant-Making Foundations page which lists several major foundations and their projects.
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars was "Created by the Congress of the United States in 1968 as the nation's official memorial to its twenty-eighth president..." Its purpose is to symbolize and strengthen the fruitful relationship "between the world of learning and the world of public affairs." This page describes the Fellowships Available in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
The Public Policy and International Affairs Programs of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation is another Wilson-related link that works to create the next generation of policy leadership and vision. There are links to government-sponsored fellowships here.
The The Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships in Humanistic Studies can also be found on the Wilson site at http://www.woodrow.org/mellon/
USAID sponsors the Thomas Jefferson Fellowship Program, whose "primary goal is the development of the human resources potential of citizens of developing countries."
Founded by act of Congress in 1986, the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation is an independent establishment of the executive branch of the federal government. In addition to its fellowship awards, it undertakes other activities relating to secondary education about the Constitution's history.
The University of Illinois Financial Aid Office lists four fellowships awarded in national competition. The University also lists fellowships administered by the U of I.. There's also the Graduate College Financial Aid page, which lists how to get fellowships, as does http://www.grad.uiuc.edu/fellowship/index.html.
International Programs in Engineering offers a few fellowships listed here. Many programs offer in-house fellowships like these, so researching your school might offer leads to subject-specific fellowships, as well.
This page mainly has search engines for any type of funding. It's a hodge-podge of leftover information that didn't fit neatly into any of the other categories. It's clearly the biggest work in progress.
Although not a grant itself, the Federal Money Retriever gives you a good idea of how much money is given where. Check this out for some interesting figures.
Similarly, the National Center for Educational Statistics has a bunch of tables that contain interesting information on Scholarships and Fellowships.
The Foundation Center is an excellent starting place for anything grant-related. "The mission of the Foundation Center is to foster public understanding of the foundation field by collecting, organizing, analyzing, and disseminating information on foundations, corporate giving, and related subjects. Our audiences include grantseekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public."
Of course you are more than welcome to check out the UIUC Office of Financial Aid, but I'm afraid it doesn't compare with what other schools have listed.
If your funding doeesn't work out, you can always fall back on SallieMae or some of the other funding options they point out here. Also check out NellieMae, or the Federal Loans and Grants page put out by the Federal Information Center.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is another place to look for funding. There's no list, just a query option, but has tons of information.
The Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education has a nice site on several topics related to higher education. Also check out DoE's Student Guide, which has all sorts of helpful hints.
The University of Michigan, having the greatest Documents Library site, of course has a page on Federal Grants, Contracts and Auctions.
UCLA has a site that discusses several funding options and includes a good definition page.
The Princeton Review is a popular site that mostly gives information about schools, but does have some good funding tips.
The Texas Comptroller's Office has an Alphabetical Index to Scholarships and Other Financial Aid Programs which is loaded with scholarships, fellowships and grants. They also have a fantastic section on Federal Financial Aid.
California Student Aid Commission has a site full of information for college students, including a an alphabetical Financial Aid Quick Reference Guide.
The New York Office of Higher Education has a constructive site on all things college, including a section on Financial Aid.
Ohio Board of Regents has a simple site on Useful Student Financial Aid Links.
A random site on Nationally Coveted College Scholarships, Graduate Fellowships & Postdoctoral Awards comes from the University of New Mexico. It includes lists of subject links for just about everything, including Health, Science and Engineering, Women, Minorities, and HodgePodge.
University of Wisconsin-Stout Grants and Scholarships on the World Wide Web is a good overall site, with info on grants, scholarships, and grantwriting.
The Oregon State Library has a great overall site on Grants and Funding with a good Federal Grants section, Guides and Grant Resources, Scholarships, and Additional Grant Resource Lists.
Columbia University School of Public Administration has a neat Selective Directory of Grants & Fellowships. Also check out this section of the site: Popular Web-Site Listings To Surf On The Internet.
I feel like I'd be negligent if I had a site on grants and didn't include the Carnegie Foundation, a major grantmaking foundation. The MacArthur Foundation is another big name in grants funding.
And finally, there's the RAMS site, which is a site with links to four search engines that search for government funding. FEDIX provides free and instant access to information on research and education grants, programs, contracts, etc. MOLIS is a free online database of information regarding the research and educational capabilities of minority serving institutions. FOA is a free e-mail service that automatically sends its subscribers research and education opportunities within specific areas of interest, from eight participating agencies. And U.S. Opportunity Alert delivers research and education opportunities from 17 major federal agencies and from hundreds of corporations, foundations and associations.
The best way to get a grant, scholarship, or fellowship is to know how to apply for one. There are several guides online that describe how to research funding options, request application materials, write grant requests, and complete the application processes. Following are some of these guides.
For starters, The Foundation Center has compiled a guide for grantseekers. The Foundation Center's User-Friendly Guide to Funding Research and Resources is a fabulous place to get a big picture view of grantseeking. It includes a question and answer section, a glossary, and tips for researching grants and writing grant proposals.
Another Foundation Center page is Proposal Writing: A Short Course. This gives a simple, helpful tutorial on proposal writing. It also includes a section on additional readings on proposal writing.
Penn State University created a guide for faculty members on Proposal Development. It includes a section on developing an outline, contacting agencies, and on preparing a full proposal.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has a fab list of internet proposal writing resources as well as resources in print. This is all part of their Grants Information Center, a fantastic starting point for grantseekers.
The Regional Alliance for Mathematics and Science Education hosts a Grant Writing Guide which covers the entire process and includes sample outlines, letters and forms, as well as information on what happens if you get funded or turned down.
Sea Coast Web Design has a 10-Point Plan for Standard Grant Funding Proposal which includes complete sample cover letters, applications and budgets, as well as tips and additional links to grantsmakers.
A good overview of what many universities need to go through when applying for grants can be found in Cornell's Guide to Proposal Preparation and Submission. Look through this to determine questions to ask of your university prior to applying for specific grants.
The University of Miami includes grantwriting tools in their Internet resources to support research at UM site. They brilliantly include Strunk & White's Elements of Style in their Tools for Writing Grants section.
The University of Southern California has a gopher site with sample inquiry letters and proposals, as well as some grantwriting tips. Don't let the gopher part scare you; their section on foundation funding gives great tips, although it is a bit dated.
The Evergreen State Society in Seattle, WA created a site on Institutional Fundraising which has a great question and answer section about grants. Although it focuses on nonprofit grantseeking, it contains relevant information for students and faculty members, as well.
The Paladin Group has a page on the Elements of a Grant Proposal.
The National Science Foundation hosts a Grant Proposal Guide which applies only to NSF grants. It gives a good indication of how demanding this process can be. FastLane is the official National Science Foundation guide to writing grants. It is an interactive real-time system used to conduct NSF business over the Internet.
The National Endowment for the Humanities also has a site for Applying for a Grant, as does the National Endowment for the Arts (Guidelines and Applications).
Finally, the Department of Education has a goldmine of information on applying for funding, starting with their What Should I Know About ED Grants? page. The DoE includes their FY 1999 Discretionary Grant Application Packages, their Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs and Resources, a link to Education Department Grants Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), additional Grants and Contracts information, and Resources for Institutions.
University LibraryFor comments on this page contact: Government Information Services, Access and Collections
Last modified by: Leo Dion on 10/24/08