Research and Travel Support
This page lists research and travel funding opportunities for students at various stages of graduate study. Many of them are for research and travel devoted to particular areas of the world.
The American Councils for International Education offers a variety of fellowships for language study and/or field research in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia.
Deadlines vary by program.
The American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies Dissertation Planning Grant enable graduate students intending to do dissertation research in Sri Lanka to make a pre-dissertation visit to investigate the feasibility of their topic, to sharpen their research design, or to make other practical arrangements for future research.
Applications due December 1.
The American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC) Graduate Fellowships provide up to $1500 for travel or living expenses incurred during research in the South Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia, and/or Azerbaijan).
Applications due in early January.
The American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC) Research Fellowships provide up to $6,500 for travel, living, or research expenses incurred during research and mentoring activities in the South Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia, and/or Azerbaijan).
Applications due in early January.
American Institute of Indian Studies Junior Research Fellowships (for research in Indian studies in India).
Applications due in mid-November.
The American Institute of Pakistan Studies has fellowships for 2-9 months of dissertation research in Pakistan only or a country other than the US or Pakistan.
Applications due in February.
The American Philosophical Society’s Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research (for doctoral students who wish to participate in field studies for their dissertations or for other purposes).
Applications due in mid-November.
The American Philosophical Society’s Phillips Fund grants for Native American Research (for one year of research in Native American linguistics or ethnohistory; covers travel, tapes, and informants’ fees).
Applications due in early March.
The American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT) offers fellowships for up to one year for research in Turkey. Applicants must have fulfilled all requirements for the Ph.D. except the dissertation by June of the fellowship year. Non-US applicants must maintain an affiliation with an educational institution in the US or Canada.
Applications due in early November.
American-Scandinavian Foundation Fellowships has fellowships for US citizens to study/research in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, or Sweden for up to 1 year (applications due November 1), and for citizens of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, or Sweden to study/research in US for up to 1 year (applications due April 1).
The Belgian American Educational Foundation has fellowships for US citizens to study in Belgium and for Belgian citizens to study in the US.
Applications due October 31.
Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies for up to one year of support for research on modern and contemporary German and European affairs at the Freie Universität Berlin for graduate students who have completed all coursework requirements for the Ph.D. and who are US and Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
Applications due in early December.
The Permanent International Committee of Linguists (Le Comité International Permanent des Linguistes (CIPL)) provides a small number of travel grants of €500 each (about US$550) for students to present a paper at a linguistics conference outside their home country.
Applications are accepted twice a year: from March 1-May 15 and from October 1-November 15.
The Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange provides dissertation fellowships of up to $20,000 to support the final stages of writing dissertations in the field of Chinese Studies in the humanities and social sciences. Recipients must not be employed or receiving grants from other sources.
Applications due in mid-October.
The Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Documentation Programme (ELDP) at SOAS, University of London, provides Small Grants of up to £10,000 of research support for purposes related to the documentation of endangered languages, such as to carry out fieldwork, develop a pilot project, or complete a project already begun. Major documentation project grants are also available to support projects of up to three years that exceed the funding limit of the small grant.
Applications due in mid-October.
The Endangered Language Fund provides small grants for language maintenance and linguistic field work, with a preference for projects which serve both the native community and the field of linguistics.
Applications due in mid-March and early October.
The Firebird Foundation Fellowships were created to support the preservation of oral traditions and traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous populations. They provide up to $10,000 for research expenses in the field.
Applications are accepted quarterly on March 1, June 1, September 1, and December 1.
Foundation for Endangered Languages is committed to raising awareness of endangered languages and supporting revitalization and preservation of endangered languages throughout the world. They award grants to projects consistent with their aims. Applicants must be FEL members.
The France-Stanford Center for Interdisciplinary Studies Visiting Student Researcher Fellowship is awarded to Stanford graduate students (master's or doctoral) interested in undertaking research or pursuing an internship at a French institution.
Applications due in early March.
Fulbright Grants are awarded to applicants for study/research in the designing of their own projects. They will typically work with advisers at foreign universities or other institutes of high education. Awards are available in approximately 140 countries. Program requirements vary by country.
Applications due in mid-October.
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad provides grants to fund doctoral students to conduct research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies for 6-12 months. Proposals focusing on Western Europe are not eligible.
Applications due in early April.
The George J. Mitchell Scholarship, sponsored by the US-Ireland Alliance, provides one year of postgraduate study in any discipline offered by institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Applications due in late September.
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers various types of grants for study and research in Germany for citizens of other countries. Of particular interest is the scholarship database.
Deadlines vary by program.
Graduate Women in Science (GWIS) Fellowships offer up to $10,000 of research funding to women scientists. Women in social science whose research uses the scientific method — i.e. involves hypothesis-driven research — are eligible to apply.
Applications due in early January.
The Henry Luce Foundation/ACLS Program in China Studies offers a predissertation summer travel grant to provide funding for graduate students to explore venues and make preliminary research arrangements, and to gain advice from potential collaborators regarding subsequent research in China.
Applications due in early November.
The Humanities and Social Sciences Chateaubriand Fellowship is a grant offered by the Education Office of the Embassy of France in the United States which allows Ph.D. students at a US university to conduct research at a French university for 4 to 9 months. Fellowships are not available to French citizens.
Applications due in mid-January.
Institut Francais d'Amérique: Gilbert Chinard, Harmon Chadbourn Rorison, and Edouard Morot-Sir Fellowships provide small grants (up to $1,500) for visits of at least one month to France to work on doctoral dissertation research.
Applications due mid-December.
The International Dissertation Research Fellowship provides approximately $23,000 for 6-12 months of dissertation research about non-US or US indigenous cultures and societies; need not be a US citizen, but must be enrolled in a US graduate program.
Applications due in early November.
The Jacobs Research Fund is a grant program supporting anthropological research on the indigenous peoples of Canada, Mexico, mainland United States, including Alaska, with a focus on the Pacific Northwest.
Applications due February 15.
Korea Foundation Fellowship for Field Research provides travel expenses and a monthly stipend for up to 12 months of dissertation research in Korea. Applicants must be graduate students at a non-Korean institution.
Applications due in late August or early September.
The Leifur Eiriksson Foundation funds graduate students from U.S. universities for research or study at universities in Iceland. Provides up to $25,000 in project costs, including travel.
Applications due in mid-November.
The MMUF Travel and Research Grants provide assistance in completing research prior to the start of dissertation writing to doctoral candidates who previously participated in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowships. The grants provide up to $5,000 for a period of one summer or one semester.
Applications due in mid-March.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) provides funding that supports fieldwork and other activities relevant to the digital recording, documenting, and archiving of endangered languages. Funding will be available in the form of doctoral dissertation research improvement grants for up to 24 months.
Applications due in in mid-January and mid-July.
Smithsonian Graduate Fellowships allows 10 weeks of research at the Smithsonian for graduate students who have not been advanced to candidacy.
Applications due November 1.
The Stanford Center for African Studies African Language Fellowship funds intensive language study in the U.S. or abroad.
Check web page for information on application due date.
Stanford Center for East Asian Studies has several awards for graduate students, including summer grants for academically related work for students of Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, as well as travel grants for presenting papers at major academic conferences.
Deadlines vary by program.
The Stanford Europe Center provides grants to graduate students to prepare for dissertation research and to conduct research on approved dissertation projects. The center also supports early graduate students who wish to determine the feasibility of a dissertation topic or acquire training relevant for that topic.
Applications due in mid-April and mid-November.
Stanford Diversity Dissertation Research Opportunity Fund provides funding of up to $5,000 on a competitive basis to support dissertation research expenses on diversity-related topics.
Applications due in late March.
Stanford Graduate Research Opportunity (GRO) Program awards humanities and social sciences students grants of up to $5,000 for research expenses directly related for dissertation.
Applications due in late October and late April. Deadlines vary by program.
Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies offers various grants for language/area specific research (e.g. Japanese, China studies). Funding amounts/support vary by grant.
Applications due in mid-February.
Stanford Latin American Studies Graduate Student Grants provides funding to graduate students for various programs like field work travel, conference travel, working group funding, Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) or work on their existing programs in Ayacucho and Venezuela.
Deadlines vary by program.
The Stanford Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research Graduate Dissertation Fellows Program provides $35,000 in financial support and $2,500 towards research-related expenses for students whose dissertation research focuses on women and/or gender.
Applications due in early February.
Wenner-Gren Dissertation Fieldwork Grants provide up to $20,000 are awarded to support dissertation research that contributes to anthropological knowledge.
Applications due in early May and early November.
The Computer Science Research Conference Scholarships from ACM's Women in Computing provide support for women undergraduate and graduate students in computer science and related programs to attend computer science research conferences. Applicants do not need to be presenting a paper or poster to apply. Scholarships of up to $600 are available for intra-continental conference travel, and scholarships of up to $1200 are available for intercontinental conference travel.
There are 6 mid-month application deadlines, each related to a span of conference dates.