Fellowships and scholarships are structured as financial investments in an individual scholar, rather than a specific research project or scholarly endeavor. As such, applications for these types of awards often require a personal statement or personal essay of some sort that presents your intellectual biography as a scholar. Striking the appropriate tone and including the […]
Welcome to the GradFund Blog
Welcome to the GradFund Blog
Giving and Working with Peer Feedback
How does one approach providing feedback to peers on grant and fellowship application drafts? This summer, many of you will be participating in the Graduate Funding Mentoring Program where you will work with peers to develop competitive application essays. The following advice is meant to guide through process of both giving and receiving critical feedback. […]
Preparing to Write: Some Tips to Get You Started on that Fellowship or Grant Application
The early stages of writing can be key to putting together a compelling proposal. During this period, you establish a pattern of working and the foundational structure upon which your proposal will be based. This is a period of planning, research, and vision that will pay off as you write your proposal. Following are some […]
Bird’s Eye View – A Timeline for Applying for Funding
Because research funding is cyclical, it’s good to be thinking in advance, often far in advance, about what your next funding move should be. This post is an overview of the funding process. Our blog has more in-depth discussions of many of these topics, so feel free to click through as you go along. Stage […]
Understanding an External Award Program
Taking the time to fully understand an award program is a critical part of the application preparation process that novice proposal writers sometimes overlook. GradFund suggests carefully following the multi-step process below before even beginning to draft your application materials. These steps will allow you to tailor your application to the guidelines, funder’s goals, and […]
Completion Fellowships: Understanding your Options
Completion fellowships provide doctoral students a year of financial support to finish writing their dissertation. These fellowships not only provide financial support for those whose funding packages may have run out by the time they start working on their dissertation, they also stamp a mark of prestige on your research and your promise as a […]
How to Describe Teaching in a Fellowship Application
Applications for external funding competitions occasionally require a teaching statement or personal statement that focuses on teaching. However, even if you have years of classroom experience, it may be challenging to succinctly communicate your effectiveness in the classroom. The following tips are meant to guide you through writing any part of an application that involves […]
Applying for Fulbright Funding to Support your Graduate Research
A Fulbright is one of the most recognized and prestigious awards available to scholars. Instituted after World War II, the Fulbright award is designed to support an extended stay overseas and there are many different types of Fulbright awards available to students and scholars throughout their careers. At the graduate student level there are two […]
Understanding Postdocs with a Teaching or Research Emphasis
Nationally competitive postdoctoral fellowships are a logical next-step for many graduate students, especially those pursuing a tenure-track career. These awards typically fall into two basic categories: those with an emphasis on teaching, and those with an emphasis on research. As a dissertating graduate student beginning to think about applying for postdoctoral fellowships, it will be […]
Ambassador, Scholar, Fellow
Applicants for nationally competitive fellowships are often focused on the financial benefits of the award, and may overlook the funders’ larger purpose: To nurture a community of scholars devoted to advancing the program’s research goals. To develop that community, funders seek fellows who will engage with one another, and with former fellows, by networking and […]