Funded awards
Fellowships and grants
In addition to providing research funding, certain grants and fellowships also confer significant prestige. Those designated as "prestigious" or highly prestigious" in the National Research Council award classification are summarized below; these awards typically count towards university rankings and incentive-based performance metrics.
Faculty Affairs can provide support with leave and related arrangements for many of these awards.
Office of Sponsored Programs can provide support with proposal and grant management for many of these awards.
Highly Prestigious
American Council of Learned Societies Fellowships
ACLS fellowships and grants recognize excellence in research in the humanities and interpretive social sciences. The peer-review process used to select awardees enables distinguished scholars to reach a broad consensus on standards of excellence in humanistic research.
Agency deadline: September
Award amount: Up to $60,000
Eligibility: The applicant must be a United States citizen, permanent resident, Indigenous individual, DACA recipient, asylee, refugee, or individual granted Temporary Protected Status and residing in the United States. Applicant's Ph.D. must be officially conferred within the last 8 years. Faculty applicants may not hold a tenured position.
Application: Submission includes an application form, proposal, personal statement, publication list, and additional supporting documents.
Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences Fellow
The Center offers a residential fellowship program for scholars working in a diverse range of disciplines that contribute to advancing research and thinking in social science. Fellows represent the core social and behavioral sciences (anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology) but also the humanities, education, linguistics, communications, and the biological, natural, health, and computer sciences.
Agency deadline: November
Award amount: Up to $81,000
Eligibility: The applicant must have a Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree, be at least 3-4 years from degree, be an academic faculty member or independent researcher, and speak English. Residents should not hold teaching appointments or other commitments during residency.
Application: Apply online through the website portal.
Guggenheim Fellowship
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation offers fellowships to exceptional individuals in pursuit of scholarship in any field of knowledge and creation in any art form, under the freest possible conditions.
Agency deadline: September
Award amount: Varies
Eligibility: All applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or Canada at the time of application. Those who have already received a Guggenheim Fellowship are not eligible to apply for another.
Application: Applicants are required to submit information about their proposed project, personal info, four references, and three supplementary statements that include a career narrative, list of work, and statement of plans.
MacArthur Fellow
The MacArthur Fellows Program is intended to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations.
Agency deadline: Made available only to chosen nominators.
Award amount: $800,000 (no strings attached)
Eligibility: The applicant must be a resident or citizen of the United States and not a government official.
Application: Nominations are by invitation only.
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship
NEH Fellowships are competitive awards granted to individual scholars pursuing projects that embody exceptional research, rigorous analysis, and clear writing.
Agency deadline: April
Award amount: $60,000 ($5,000 per month for 6-12 months)
Eligibility: Applications are open to U.S. citizens and foreign nationals living in the U.S. for at least three years.
Application: Proposals are submitted via grants.gov. Submission includes a 1,000-word proposal summary, 3-page narrative, 1-page work plan, 1-page bibliography, CV, 2 letters of reference, and additional supporting documents.
National Humanities Center Fellowship
Each year, the National Humanities Center welcomes up to forty scholars from across the humanities and all over the world. During their time in residence, Fellows are given the freedom to work on their projects while benefiting from the exceptional services of the Center.
Agency deadline: October
Award amount: Varies
Eligibility: Applicants must have a doctoral or equivalent degree in the humanities, social sciences, arts, or other fields engaging in humanistic projects. All career levels are encouraged to apply.
Application: Submission includes a 1,000-word project proposal, short bibliography, CV, project structure outline, and three references.
Prestigious
Beckman Young Investigators (BYI)
The Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) Program provides research support to the most promising young faculty members in the early stages of their academic careers in the chemical and life sciences, particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments and materials that will open up new avenues of research in science.
Agency deadline: August
Award amount: Around $600,000 ($150,000 annually)
Eligibility: Applicants must be within the first four years of a tenure-track position, have no more than five years of non-tenure track or industry experience, be ten years or less from the post-terminal degree, be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and not have more than $225,000 in direct, annualized external funding grants during the application year.
Application: Submission materials include a letter of intent, a full proposal, two institutional endorsers, and additional supporting documents.
Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program
The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.
Agency deadline: July
Award amount: Varies
Eligibility: Applicants should refer to the solicitations listed for details on specific award eligibility.
Application: It is highly recommended faculty check the PECASE box on the NSF CAREER award when submitting so they may also be considered for this award, which is designated as Prestigious by the NRC.
Fulbright Scholar Awards
The Fulbright Scholar program include opportunities for professionals, artists, and scholars at all career levels to teach, conduct research, or both in other countries. Location and eligibility vary across all awards, and some awards may be restricted to certain career levels or types of scholars.
Agency deadline: September
Award amount: Varies
Eligibility: Must be a U.S. citizen.
Application: See the website for information on specific award opportunities.
Humboldt Research Fellowship
Every year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation grants up to 100 Humboldt Research Awards to internationally leading researchers of all disciplines from abroad in recognition of their academic record to date. The awards fund collaborations with German researchers.
Agency deadline: Applications are reviewed biannually.
Award amount: €60,000 and up to 12 months stay in Germany
Eligibility:The nomination and invitation must be from an established researcher at a German institution. Self-nominations are not allowed.
Application: Applicants must provide a personal statement, information on the invitation to Germany, and a list of publications that specifies key publications. Additional supporting documents may be required.
Pew Biomedical Scholar Award
The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health.
Agency deadline: September
Award amount: $300,000 ($75,000 annually)
Eligibility: Applicants must hold a doctorate in biomedical sciences, medicine, or related field including engineering or the physical sciences. Applicants must also run an independent lab and hold a full-time appointment at the rank of assistant professor no more than five years.
Application: This is a limited submission competition.
Radcliffe Institute Fellowship
The Radcliffe Institute Fellowship Program annually selects and supports 50 leading artists and scholars who have both exceptional promise and demonstrated accomplishments. Applications in all academic disciplines, professions, and creative arts are encouraged to apply.
Agency deadline: September
Award amount: $78,000 plus an additional $5,000 to cover project expenses
Eligibility: Applicants must be at least 2 years from terminal degree and meet field specific requirements listed on the website.
Application: Submission includes an application form, CV, project proposal, writing sample, three references, and additional supporting documents.
Sloan Research Awards
The Sloan Research Fellowships seek to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise. Fellowships are awarded yearly to early career researchers in recognition of distinguished performance and a unique potential to make substantial contributions to their field.
Agency deadline: September
Award amount: $75,000
Eligibility: Applicants must have a letter of nomination from a department head or other senior researcher. No more than three nominations per department are allowed.
Application: Submission includes a nomination letter, CV, two representative articles, personal statement, and three letters of support (preferably from different institutions)
Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program Award (YIP)
The YIP is open to U.S. citizens and/or permanent residents who are scientists and engineers at U.S. research institutions. Investigators must have received their Ph.D. or equivalent degrees in the last seven years and show an exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research relevant to military interests.
Agency deadline: June
Award amount: Varies
Eligibility: Applicants must be a U.S citizen, national, or permanent resident employed on a full-time basis and hold a permanent position.
Application: Applications are submitted on the website.