Funding Opportunities

• • defense against rising authoritarianism

  • sustainable development, climate action, and mitigating the effects of climate change

  • economic justice and worker rights

  • information democracy

  • addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on an applicant’s home country or region

Open Society Foundations Scholarship

https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/civil-society-scholar-awards

Deadline: July

Eligibility: All U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and U.S. permanent residents (holders of a Permanent Resident Card), as well as individuals granted deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program1, Indigenous individuals exercising rights associated with the Jay Treaty of 1794, political asylees, and refugees, regardless of race, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation,

Individuals with evidence of superior academic achievement (such as grade point average, class rank, honors or other designations), and Individuals committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level.

Comprehensive list of University fellowships here.

Some external fellowships here.

Social Science Research Council

https://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/

Deadlines: January

The SSRC has multiple fellowships with varying eligibility criteria - check out the opportunities at their website above!

The Horowitz Foundation

https://www.horowitz-foundation.org/grant-info

Deadline: December 1

The foundation gives small grants ($2,500-$10,000) for PhD research

Eligibility: Applicants must be current PhD (or DrPH) candidates who are working on their dissertation; Applicants must not have a PhD; those who do, are ineligible; Applicants must have defended their dissertation proposal or had their topic approved by their department; Applicants can be from any country and any university in the world. US citizenship or residency is not required.

Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship

https://www.acls.org/competitions/mellon-acls-dissertation-innovation-fellowship/

Supporting early-stage doctoral students pursuing innovative approaches to dissertation research in the humanities and interpretive social sciences.

Fellowship Details

• Award: $40,000 stipend for the fellowship year, plus up to $8,000 for project-related research, training, development, and travel costs. The award also includes a $2,000 stipend for external mentorship.

• Tenure: one year beginning between July 1 and September 1, 2024.

• Completed applications must be submitted through the ACLS online fellowship administration system (ofa.acls.org) no later than 9 PM Eastern Daylight Time, October 25, 2023.

• Notifications will be sent via email by early April 2024.

• For information on how to request reviewer feedback, see FAQ.

Dissertation Proposal Development Program

https://cla.umn.edu/research-creative-work/graduate-research/dissertation-proposal-development-program/dpd-student-applicants

Deadline: March 1

Eligibility: 

• • Your dissertation proposal must not yet have been finalized.

  • You must register for GRAD 8401 the next fall. 

    • • If you are not in advanced doctoral status, your tuition would fall under general graduate tuition rates that include a 6-14 credit band for full-time registration.

      • If you are considered eligible for 8444 Advanced Doctoral Status (full-time equivalency for doctoral students, coursework and thesis credits completed), you may still apply for the DPD.

  • You must be within two semesters of when you passed your doctoral preliminary exams.

  • You must have a faculty advisor by the application deadline, who will endorse your participation if you are selected to participate in the program.

  • You must be available for all dates of the Dissertation Proposal Development Workshop.

  • Students in CDES, CFANS, CLA, and HHH may apply because their home units have agreed to fund tuition and the summer fellowship. Students in CEHD and CSE must confirm — before applying — with their department that it will fund tuition and summer fellowship. Students of other colleges must ask their departments whether they will participate. 

Travel grants

• • The Council of Graduate Students (COGS) has funds available to support travel. Review specifics (including application deadlines) here.

  • UM Thesis Research Travel Grants

    • Grants of up to $2,500 for domestic research and up to $5,000 for international research are available to PhD students who have completed a minimum of one academic year of graduate work at the University of Minnesota. Travel must be completed by December 31 of the year following application. More information

    • App deadline: early December

• Each fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) you are eligible for up to $1,000 travel reimbursement from the PhD program. Travel money would typically be approved for conference attendance, conference presentations, and research opportunities. Covered expenses can include conference registration fee, travel, ground transport, lodging, and food.

  • • Advance approval is needed: send an email to Program Coordinator with details about the trip and an approximate budget.

• • Follow reimbursement procedures here.

  • Review University travel policies here.