Funding Opportunities

There are many funding opportunities available to graduate students. This list is not comprehensive. See the “Search for Funding” page for additional resources to perform your own search for external funding sources. 

This list is continually updated. To submit a grant opportunity to be included, please email Alexandra_L_Thomas@rush.edu.

Federally Supported Graduate Fellowships

The most popular fellowships for graduate students in the biomedical sciences are supported by the National Institutes of Health.

• Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31)
  • See the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for more details, including participating Institutes
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to apply
  • For individuals from racial or ethnic groups underrepresented in health-related sciences, individuals with disabilities, or individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, the F31-Diversity application could be appropriate
  • For students with bioinformatics projects related to diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolic disease, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has the Bioinformatics Interdisciplinary Predoctoral Fellowship in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases (F31) that may be appropriate.
  • The National Institute of Aging has its own F31 FOA intended to promote diversity in the translational research workforce for Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias
• The Dissertation Award (R36) is not technically a fellowship but does support dissertation research. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Some of these awards specifically encourage applicants from underrepresented backgrounds to apply. The R36 award is not as widely supported as the F31 but currently is available from the following Institutes:
  • National Institute of Aging: Aging Research Dissertation Awards to Increase Diversity
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: AHRQ Health Services Research Dissertation Program
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse: Substance Use/Substance Use Disorder Dissertation Research Award
  • National Institute of Mental Health: Mental Health Research Dissertation Grant to Enhance Workforce Diversity

• For late-stage graduate students preparing for a known postdoctoral position, the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32) might be of interest. This award provides up to three years of postdoctoral research training. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

• Alternatively, the Individual Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award (F99/K00) is appropriate for 3rd or 4th year graduate students planning to pursue a postdoctoral research position. This award provides support in two phases – as a PhD student and then as a postdoctoral fellow. An identified postdoctoral mentor is not required at the time of application. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. At this time, the following programs are active:
  • NIH Blueprint Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award
    • Supported by multiple Institutes, more information available on the program-specific website here
  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research: NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award and the NIDCR Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award for a Diverse Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research Workforce 
  • The National Human Genome Research Institute: NHGRI Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award for a Diverse Genomics Workforce
  • The National Cancer Institute: Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award
  • The National Institute of Aging: Transition to Aging Research for Predoctoral Students
• The National Science Foundation (NSF) also supports graduate fellowships through the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program. This award is intended for early-stage graduate (PhD and Master’s) students. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents.
• Late-stage graduate students can also apply for the NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB). The fellowship is awarded to the individual, not an institution, and applicants must apply directly. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents.

Grants & Fellowships from Other Organizations

• American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education Graduate Student Fellows Program
  • Must be Lantina/o/x and/or Hispanic and enrolled in PhD program
  • Annual summer deadline
• American Epilepsy Society
  • Predoctoral Fellowship for epilepsy-related research projects
  • Open to international students
  • Annual, deadline in January
• American Heart Association
  • Predoctoral Fellowship for cardiovascular-related research
  • Open to international students
  • Annual, deadline in September
• Autism Science Foundation
  • Predoctoral Fellowship for autism spectrum disorder-related research
  • Open to international students
  • Annual, deadline in December
• American Society of Hematology (ASH) Minority Hematology Graduate Award
  • Hematology-focused projects
  • Specific to minority applicants
  • Must be a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. or Canada
  • Annual, deadline in January 
• Fahs-Beck Scholars
  • Doctoral dissertation grant program
  • Open to international students
  • A fellowship program is open to faculty and postdocs
  • Two annual deadlines: April 1st and November 1st
• Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship Program
  • Provides three years of funding for research-based PhD-level training
  • Must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident
  • Annual, deadline in December 
• Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship
  • Provides one year of funding for the writing and defense of a dissertation leading to a PhD
  • Must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident
  • Annual, deadline in December 

• Gerber Foundation Novice Research Grants
  • Must submit a “Concept Paper” prior to full proposal
  • Open to international students
  • Two annual deadlines: February 15th and August 15th
• Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study
  • Open to pairs of thesis advisors and PhD students (2nd or 3rd year)
  • Advisor-student pairs must be nominated
  • Must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident or DACA eligible
  • Annual, deadline in December (nomination deadline in September)
• Hanna H. Gray Fellow Program
  • For graduate and medical students transitioning to a postdoctoral position focusing on biomedical and life science basic research
  • Also open to early stage postdocs (less than 16 months of postdoctoral research)
  • Specific to individuals from underrepresented groups in life science research
  • Open to non-US citizens with a degree from a US research institution
  • Annual, deadline in December

• International Brain Research Organization
  • International fellowships for neuroscience-related projects
  • See website for deadlines
• Josephine de Karman Fellowship Trust
  • Predoctoral dissertation fellowship
  • Open to international students
  • Annual, deadline in January
• National Medical Fellowships
  • A variety of scholarships and awards for students enrolled in graduate-level healthcare programs
  • Must be U.S. citizen or DACA eligible
• Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship
  • Nomination required
  • Open to international students
  • Annual, deadline in August
• Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation
  • Predoctoral Fellowships for myotonic dystrophy-related research
  • Open to international students
  • Annual, deadline in September 

• Parkinson’s Foundation
  • Postdoctoral fellowships for PD-related projects
  • Must have an identified postdoctoral mentor 
  • Open to international students
  • Annual, deadline in February (LOI due December)
• PhRMA Foundation
  • Predoctoral fellowships relating to Health Outcomes,
  • Informatics, Pharmaceutics, and Pharmacology/Toxicology
  • Open to international students
  • Check website for deadlines

• Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program
  • Predoctoral fellowship for tobacco-related disease research.
  • See website for the program’s specific research priorities
  • Open to international students
  • Annual, deadline in the fall

• Tylenol Future Care Scholarship
  • Graduate students seeking a degree to actively treat patients
  • Must be U.S. resident
  • Annual, deadline in August

• Women Chemists Committee/Eli Lilly Travel Award
  • Funding for undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral female chemists for travel to national or major meetings
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• External Fellowships for International Students
  • List of fellowships open to international students compiled by Caltech