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 […]
Welcome to the GradFund Blog
Welcome to the GradFund Blog
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 […]
Fellowships, Grants, and Scholarships: Which Award Fits My Graduate Program?
Merit-based awards for graduate students typically fall into one of three categories: Fellowships, grants, and scholarships. Each type of award supports graduate study in a different way, and each is tailored toward a specific type of graduate program. Knowing which type of award is a good fit for your program is an important first-step toward […]
Time to Plan: The Spring Semester
The funding calendar of external grants and fellowships to support graduate study has a distinct rhythm that we at GradFund know well: Small grants, scholarships, and pre-dissertation research grants have a concentration of deadlines during the early spring semester, but are broadly distributed throughout the academic year. Awards with large financial payoffs, such as early […]
The Power of Small Grants
Nearly every graduate student seeking funding for their dissertation research project starts out focused on finding one award that will pay for all their expenses at one fell swoop (and in one application season). However, there are many reasons to consider the power of small grants offered by professional societies, private companies, and foundations. From […]
Bringing Your Proposal Full-Circle: The Conclusion
Somewhere along the way through grammar school, many of us learned that the introduction tells the readers what you’re going to tell them, the body of the document tells them, and the conclusion tells the readers what you’ve told them (using new language to keep things interesting). As graduate students applying for grants and fellowships, […]