dissertation funding

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• Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship

What is the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship? 

The Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) gives the University's most accomplished Ph.D. candidates an opportunity to devote full-time effort to an outstanding research project by providing time to finalize and write their dissertation during the fellowship year.

WHAT IS THE APPLICATION WINDOW? 

The 2024-25 application window will open October 9, 2023. The submission deadline is February 23, 2024 by 5:00 p.m. central time.

Deadline extensions will not be granted; late submissions will not be accepted.

How much is the award? 

$25,000 stipend, academic year tuition at the general graduate rate for up to 14 credits per semester, subsidized health insurance through the Graduate Assistant Health Plan for up to one calendar year, and a $1,000 conference grant.

Who Is Eligible? 

Programs may nominate Ph.D. candidates if the nominee:

• will have passed the written and oral preliminary examinations by February 23, 2024.
• will have completed all program coursework by the end of the spring semester 2024 (NOTE: nominee may be registered for program coursework in spring 2024, but may not have any incompletes in program coursework at the time of nomination).
• is expected to graduate in calendar year 2025.

HOW DO I APPLY? 

Program Nomination required. Please reach out to your Director of Graduate Studies or Graduate Program Coordinator .

Colleges have a set number of nomination slots. Check with your program to find out more information about your college’s internal selection process.

WHAT ARE THE APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS?

Completed by Nominee (Ph.D. candidate) and submitted directly to the nominating program

• Nominee’s Education Statement
• Nominee’s Summary of Accomplishments
• Nominee’s Statement of Research, see details below

Completed by Nominating Program

• DGS Questionnaire

At the request of a Ph.D. candidate, two (2) letters of recommendation are required.

• One letter from the nominee’s Advisor and/or Co-Advisor, see details below
• One letter from a non-advisor, see details below

All application materials are forwarded to the student’s graduate program for submission to the electronic nomination form . The graduate program will upload a single PDF of the application materials in the following order:

• Nominee's Education Statement
• Nominee's Summary of Accomplishments
• Nominee's Statement of Research
• Two Letters of Recommendation

Required PDF title format: Nominee Last Name, First Name - Program

Further Information

For more information about internal review and nomination procedures, please contact your Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) or designated program support staff. If you have additional questions, contact the  Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards .

APPLICATION MATERIAL INSTRUCTIONS

+ nominee’s statement of research, required elements.

• Maximum three pages, single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins.
• Include a working title for your research at the top of the proposal.
• Under the title, include an abstract, limited to 100 words, in terms that are jargon-free and accessible to the non-specialist.  

Appendix Page

Key references, diagrams or pictures may be included (but they are not required) on a single additional appendix page (no formatting requirements).

Expectations of content

• Provide a clear summary of your dissertation research and highlight your original contributions to the research, especially if part of a larger research project.
• Describe where your research fits within the context of existing research in the field and the contributions your research will add.
• Describe the area(s) of impact that you see your research having.
• Describe how receiving the DDF supports your professional and/or career goals.
• Specialized terminology must be defined. Faculty reviewers are drawn from many different fields across the University.   

Evaluation Rubric

• You may find this rubric  to be helpful as it will be used by the Faculty Review Committee to evaluate DDF applications.

+ LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Advisor or co-advisor (can be co-authored).

• 2-page maximum, may be co-authored by Advisor and Co-Advisor
• Describe the importance and significance of the overall research project and its impact on the broader discipline.
• Describe and provide examples of the specific contribution(s) the nominee made to the research project, demonstrating the nominee’s independence and research originality (e.g. invited presentations, awards, honors received).
• Describe how the nominee has evolved as a researcher, how that has guided their dissertation research project, and how they will benefit from the DDF.
• Describe the nominee’s timeliness of progress toward the degree. Has this nominee performed below, met, or exceeded expectations and provide explanation for any extenuating circumstances.

Non-Advisor

• 2-page maximum, from a non-Advisor

+ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are the review and selection considerations.

An interdepartmental faculty committee reviews nominations and selects award recipients. This rubric is used in review and for discussion.

Can my co-advisor write the second letter of recommendation?

No, the second letter of recommendation must be from a non-advisor. Your co-advisor can co-author the first letter with your advisor. A committee member or other non-advisor can author the second letter.

Are there any tips for a successful DDF application?

The nominee is encouraged to have their Statement of Research reviewed and critiqued by persons completely outside the field and unfamiliar with the discipline to assure that it meets the wide-audience test of accessibility. Many excellent nominees have not received awards in past years because their statements contained undefined specialized words and dense syntax, making the statement incomprehensible to reviewers not in the nominee's discipline.

DDF Conference Grant

The DDF Conference Grant supports a recipient’s presentation of dissertation research at a conference while on DDF tenure. The application form, which includes instructions and more information, is linked in the DDF Terms & Conditions. Applications are accepted on the 6th of every month, September through May, during a recipient’s DDF tenure.

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Dissertation Research—Planning, Researching, Publishing

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• Dissertation & Fellowship Funding

Searching For Grant Funding

Most foundation funding is awarded to nonprofit organizations, not to individual grantseekers.  However, here are a few search tools for individual grantseekers

• Candid  
• Foundation Directory Online  
• Pivot  
• Grant Forward  
• GrantsNet  

Research Funding

• Social Sciences
• Health Sciences
• Federal Agencies
• Funding for Underrepresented Groups
• American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS)  
• American Philosophical Society (APS)  
• APA Dissertation Research Award Program  
• Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships  
• Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (SSRC)  
• Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History  
• Social Science Research Council (SSRC)  
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellowships 
• AERA Dissertation Grants Call for Proposals  
• NAEd Spencer Dissertation Fellowships  
• American Association of School Administrators (AASA)  
• Association for Institutional Research (AIR)  
• Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)  
• Cosmos Scholars: A Grant Program of The Cosmos Club Foundation  
• GW Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD)  
• Institute of Education Sciences (IES)  
• Institute of International Education (IIE): Fulbright Program  
• U.S. Department of Education  
• Daland Fellowships in Clinical Investigation  
• Directory of Grants and Fellowships in the Global Health Sciences  
• GrantsNet Funding  
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)  
• Postdoctoral Fellowship Program  
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Active Living Research  
• American Musicological Society  
• Art History Fellowships  
• Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR)  
• Grants Programs: Individual Fellowships  
• History of Art: Travel Fellowships  
• Institute of Historical Research (IHR)  
• Office of University Partnerships Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant  
• GW Arts and Sciences Dissertation Funding List  
• Cybercorps Scholarlships  
• National Physical Science Consortium (NPSC)  
• DOD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships  
• National Science Foundation (NSF)  
• Directorate for Biological Sciences  
• Sloan Research Fellowships  
• Van Andel Institute Postdoctoral Program (VARI)  
• HealthResearchFunding.org  
• Grants.gov  
• Housing and Urban Development Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant  
• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)  
• NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship Program  
• Smithsonian Institute Office of Fellowships  
• U.S. Department of Energy  
• American Indian Graduate Center  
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)  
• Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs  
• Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships  
• Scholarships/Internships/Fellowships: United Negro College Fund (UNCF)  
• The Five College Fellowship Program for Minority Scholars  
• Underrepresented Groups  
• Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF)  
• Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellowship in Women’s Studies  
• AAUW Dissertation Fellowships  
• Jack Kent Cooke Dissertation Fellowship  

GW Guidelines

Whether you are applying for a research grant or financial assistance, all GW employees, faculty, and students must follow university policy and guidelines.

• Office of the Vice President for Research  
• GW Office of Student Financial Assistance  
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• Last Updated: May 23, 2024 6:34 PM
• URL: https://libguides.gwu.edu/dissertation

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Dissertation Completion Fellowships

Types of fellowships, eligibility, selection criteria, award amount, how to apply, application guidelines.

Dissertation Completion Fellowships support final-year doctoral students. These non-service fellowships allow students to focus exclusively on their research and writing without service obligations. Fellows are expected to defend their dissertation by the end of the academic year.

Submit Application »

General Dissertation Completion Fellowships

• Non-service fellowship
• Supports dissertation research and writing

Royster Society of Fellows (SOF) Dissertation Completion Fellowships

• Supports interdisciplinary learning and engagement
• Opportunities for mentoring, leadership, and professional development

Royster SOF Dissertation Completion Fellowships are endowed through the generous gifts of many friends of the University, most notably Dr. Thomas S. and Mrs. Caroline Royster Jr.

Royster SOF Special Purpose Dissertation Completion Fellowships:

• Membership in the Royster Society of Fellows
• Includes the Jessie Ball duPont Fellowship for Adolescent Studies

Submit only one application. Select the fellowship(s) you are interested in being considered for on the application form and submit the required supporting materials as appropriate. You will be considered for all fellowships that you select on your application.

Eligibility criteria apply to all Dissertation Completion Fellowships. You may not combine the Dissertation Completion Fellowship with other funding without permission from The Graduate School.

You are eligible if:

• You are a fully-enrolled, degree-seeking doctoral student in a residential program administered by The Graduate School.
• You are engaged full-time with writing your dissertation.
• You are able to complete your dissertation within the fellowship term.

Royster SOF 5-Year Fellows are NOT eligible to apply for continued support through a Dissertation Completion Fellowship.

Before applying, you must:

• Complete course requirements
• Pass written and oral preliminary exams
• Have your Dissertation Prospectus formally approved

You cannot apply for both a Dissertation Completion Fellowship and an Off-Campus Dissertation Research Fellowship at the same time.

Your application will be reviewed according to the following criteria:

• You have a strong graduate academic record.
• Your application materials are understandable to a general audience outside of your field.
• Your research design is clearly outlined and appropriate.
• Your research will contribute to and advance the scholarship within your field.
• There is confidence you will be able to complete your dissertation by the end of the fellowship term.
• Your program has minimal resources to support you during the fellowship term.
• You will be an involved and contributing member of the Royster Society of Fellows (for Royster SOF applicants only).

View an in-depth description of the review and selection process.

The fellowship provides a stipend, tuition, fees, and health insurance for one academic year (fall and spring semesters only). Royster SOF fellowships may also provide funds for professional travel.

Depending on funding, this award may change from year to year.

Each program may nominate up to three students for consideration.

Deadline The nomination deadline each year is in late February . -->

Check with your department for an internal deadline. You must submit your application early enough for your department to submit their nomination to The Graduate School by the nomination deadline. Deadlines are posted on the funding deadlines calendar.

• View Frequently Asked Questions about the online award application .
• Prepare an abstract, research description, research workplan, statement of research significance, and curriculum vitae . If appropriate, prepare a Royster SOF interest statement . Arrange for a letter of recommendation from your dissertation advisor. Be sure to follow the application guidelines .
• Before submitting your application, we suggest you get feedback on your materials from a person outside of your field.
• Submit your materials to The Graduate School Award Online Application .
• Once you submit your application, your recommender will receive an email notice to submit a letter of recommendation through the online system.
• Once your letter of recommendation is submitted, the fellowship and award approver(s) for your department will receive an email notifying them that your application is eligible for nomination.
• Your department must nominate you to The Graduate School by the deadline .
• We will notify awardees in April.

We will not consider your application if you exceed any of the page limits and/or you do not follow the proper format.

In addition to the online application, a complete application includes the following:

Format: No more than ½ page. Double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, numbered pages, your name on each page.

• Briefly summarize your research

Research Description

Briefly describe your dissertation research and your progress toward completion.

Address your research description to an audience of intelligent reviewers who may not be familiar with your field. Clearly explain the importance of your research to a lay audience. Do not use jargon or technical, field-specific terminology.

Format: No more than 3 pages. Double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, numbered pages, your name on each page.

Depending on your field of study, include:

• A summary of key literature
• General concepts
• Frame of reference for your study
• Your research questions
• Description of the data or other materials which will be/have been collected and analyzed
• Methods of collection and analysis
• Design considerations
• Description of any necessary approvals, such as Human Subjects Review

Research Progress, Work Plan, and Timetable:

Format: No more than 1 page. Double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, numbered pages, your name on each page.

• Describe your research progress to date and your planned sequence of tasks to be completed, with estimated timetable.

Significance of your Research:

• Explain the significance of your research to your field of study

Curriculum Vitae

Format: No more than 2 pages. 12-point font, 1-inch margins, numbered pages, and your name on each page.

• Include recent professional activities, awards, honors, courses you have taught, and research publications/presentations.
• Departmental funding received
• External funding (please note if received or pending)
• Because University funding is limited, we encourage you to apply for external funding, and such efforts will be viewed positively by the reviewers.

Citations (optional):

• May be included for important references
• Can be either footnotes or endnotes
• Can be single-spaced
• Must be within the three-page limit of the Research Description

Royster Society of Fellows Interest Statement:

*Required only if you are interested in being considered for the Royster Society of Fellows*

• Include a statement addressing your interest and ability to contribute as an active member of the Society of Fellows.

Letter of Recommendation from your Dissertation Advisor

Indicate the email address of your recommender in your application. Please note that only a single recommendation letter will be accepted. If you have joint advisors, they must submit a joint letter of recommendation.

Once you submit your application, your advisor will receive an email notice to submit the letter of recommendation. We can only accept letters of recommendation through the online system. Recommenders cannot submit letters directly to The Graduate School or to your department.

Instructions for recommenders: Each letter of recommendation should be no more than 4,000 characters (spaces included), which is approximately 600 words or one single-spaced page.

Address the letter of recommendation “To the Fellowship Committee.” Include:

• The quality of the student's research
• A rating of the student’s overall ability and potential based on the your knowledge of other students in the field
• The likelihood that the student will complete the dissertation during the award period
• The likely contributions of the student's research to the field
• Jessie Ball duPont Fellowship for Adolescent Studies

Graduate School Fellowships Office [email protected]

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Funding Opportunities

COGDOP Graduate Student Scholarships

APF awards 21 annual scholarships for graduate student research.

The purpose of this scholarship program is to assist graduate students of psychology with research costs associated with the master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. APF awards 21 annual scholarships for graduate student research:

• $5,000 Harry and Miriam Levinson Scholarship 
• $3,000 William and Dorothy Bevan Scholarship 
• $5,000 Charles and Carol Spielberger Scholarship 
• $5,000 Peter and Malina James & Dr. Louis P. James Legacy Scholarship 
• $3,000 Ruth G. and Joseph D. Matarazzo Scholarship 
• $2,500 William C. Howell Scholarship
• $2,000 Clarence J. Rosecrans Scholarship
• $2,000 Raymond K. Mulhern Scholarship
• $2,000 Dr. Judy Kuriansky Scholarship
• 12 additional $2,000 scholarships

Eligibility

APF encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds with respect to age, race, color, religion, creed, nationality, ability, sexual orientation, gender, and geography.

Graduate students enrolled in an interim master’s program or doctoral program are eligible to apply. If a student is currently enrolled in a terminal master’s program, the student must intend to enroll in a PhD program. Students at any stage of graduate study are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be enrolled in the graduate program at the time grants are awarded.

The purpose of the scholarship program is to assist graduate students of psychology with research costs associated with the master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. The American Psychological Association Science Directorate administers the granting of the scholarships.

Each graduate department of psychology that is a member of COGDOP may submit nominations. To verify if your department is a member of COGDOP, please check in with your institution. You may also contact COGDOP . APF does not have a list of COGDOP members. The number of candidates that each member department is allowed to nominate depends upon the  total number of doctoral students enrolled in the graduate program . Departments that have 100 or fewer students enrolled in their graduate programs may nominate one (1) candidate; departments that have 101-200 graduate students enrolled may nominate up to two (2) candidates; and departments that have more than 200 graduate students enrolled may nominate up to three (3) candidates. NOTE: nominees must be currently enrolled in the graduate program at the time scholarships are awarded.

Application Instructions

Application Materials:

• brief proposal of thesis or dissertation project (even if in progress – 10 pages max, not including references)
• department endorsement (requested through application portal) 
• transcript (an unofficial/student copy is acceptable)

Evaluation Criteria:

The major criteria are related to the research proposal. Proposals will be rated on the description of the context for the research (a brief literature review), the clarity and comprehensibility of the research question, the appropriateness of the research design, the general importance (theoretical, applied) of the research and the use of requested funds (with preference given for funds to actually conduct the research as opposed to tuition, travel, books and journals). Secondary criteria are related to the student’s background, including previous publications or presentations at conferences, awards won at the student’s institution, the endorsement from the Department chair / Director of Graduate Studies, breadth of courses taken and grades in courses.

Please be advised that APF does not provide feedback to applicants on their proposals.

Please review our  Program FAQs  for important details on the application process.

Recent Recipient

Ellen carroll.

University of Arizona

“Combatting White Individuals’ Reactance to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives With an Actionable Procedural Justice and Social Identity Framework”

Past Recipients

Katherine Chang, University of Rochester

Minjae Seo, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Louisa Kane, University of North Carolina at Chapel

Krutika Rathod, University of Maine

Peiyi Wang, University of California, Irvine

Alex Silver, University of Pittsburgh

Slaton Freeman, University of Colorado Denver

Ashley Bautista, University of Houston

Ellen Carroll, University of Arizona

Solangia Engler, Texas A&M University

McKenzie Miller, University at Albany, State University of New York

Fiona Horner, Carnegie Mellon University

Kristen Pasko, Rowan University

Kathleen Little, University of Miami

Ariel Snowden, Utah State University

Andrea Davis, doctoral student at University of Alabama at Birmingham

Gavin Rackoff, The Pennsylvania State University

Sophia Holmqvist, Temple University

Heather Anderson, University of Oregon

Elizabeth Espinal, Drexel University

Oya Pakkal, Brock University

Iris Ka-Yi Chat, Temple University

Megha Nagaswami, University of California, Los Angeles

Sharanya Rao, George Washington University

Daneele Thorpe, Stony Brook University

Abhishek Saxena, University of Rochester

Megan Schultz, University of Washington

Emily Padrutt, University of Minnesota

Andrea Wiglesworth, University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Mariajosé Paton, University of South Carolina

Kevin Summers, University of Denver

Kathryn Kemp, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Alessandra DallaVecchia, University of California, Los Angeles

Jessica Huntt, St. John’s University

Dana Glenn, University of California, Riverside

Johanna Chajes, University of Virginia

Marisol Meyer, University of Miami

Violet Brown, Washington University in St. Louis

Margaret Baer. University of Toledo

Jordan Schueler, Texas A&M University

Sean Devine, McGill University

Sofia Uribe, Southern Methodist University

Danielle Abel

Jennifer Bertollo

Sarah Curci

Catherine Dion

Andrea Fields

Madelyn Frumkin

Ilana Gratch

Debrielle Jacques

Sarah Jessup

Erin Kaseda

Sophie Kerr

Roberto Lopez

Samantha Margherio

Stephanie McManimen

Okeoma Nwakanma

Giovanni Ramos

Ariana Rivens

Elisabeth Webb

Alena Borgatti

Jasmin Brooks

Anna Farmer

Michael Granovetter

Lauren Haliczer

Gerald Higginbotham

Laura Janakiefski

Ashley Jones

Brittany King

P. F. Jonah Li

Daniel Moriarity

Gold Okafor

Daniel Snook

Stassja Sichko

Lisa Taxier

Michelle Thai

Erika Trent

Amy Violante

Amanda Arulpragasam

Anita Schmalor

Annamarie Defayette

Ava Fergerson

Caitlyn Edwards

Cara DiClemente

Cara McClain

Chloe Huelsnitz

Eva Stelzer

Grace Kennedy

Lauren Henry

Leslie Gaynor

Nadia Bounoua

Nathaniel Eckland

Nelson Zounlome

Patricia Pehme

Rachel Ouellette

Rebecca Cipollina

Seigie Kennedy

Joseph Carpenter

Po-hun Chou

Sara Westbrook

Natasia Adams

Nathan Hager

Christopher Zerr

Kiera James

Shirin Bakhshay

Kris Gebhard

Keanan Joyner

Calyn Maske

Zachary Reese

Amanda Russo

Alexandra Sackett

Sarah Sperry

Naoyuki Sunami

Emily Willroth

Kelsey Clayback

Jessica Blayney

Katherine Adams

Amber Anthenien

Mika Armenta

Shelby Bandel

Nadia Brashier

Kaylie Carbine

Marina Chernikova

Brandon Chuang

Lisa Curry-Pochy

Katie Darabos

Mahsa Ershadi

Sophie Foss

Helena Rose Karnilowicz

David March

Heather McDaniel

Meghan Puglia

Laura Quinones-Camacho

Kathleen Stone

Aliona Tsypes

Sylvanna Vargas

Steven Boomhower

Eddie Chong

Rebecca Cox

Marisa Crowder

Christina Di Iorio Karageorgiou

Laura Elenbaas

Travis Evans

Lorra Garey

Leah Halper

Brittany Jakubiak

Lauren Luther

Colin Mahoney

Elena McDermott

Mona Moieni

Irmak Olcaysoy

Yolanda Vasquez-Salgado

Konstantinos Papazoglou

Ashley M. Shaw

Samantha L. Connolly

Lauren L. Long

Allison H. Kalpakci

Elizabeth A. Nick

Joanna Korman

Luis A. Parra

Robert M.G. Reinhart

Brandon M. Fritz

Charles J. Lynch

Vanessa M. Brown

Kevin Haworth

Jolene A. Jacquart

Pauline Goger

Lawrence Houston

Victoria Oleynick

Charles Brandt

Erica Coates

Kelsie Okamura

Carey Pulverman

Jamie Cassoff

Craig Speil

Sara Masland

Stephanie Wemm

Adam Putnam

Chelcie Heaney

Stephanie Brewer

Katherine Forney

Matthew Judah

Read about the 2014 winners

Justin Karr

Alexandra Rodman

Erika Fulton

P. Priscilla Lui

Jason Oliver

Jonathan Stange

Kathryn O’Toole

Adam Miller

Gabrielle D’Lima

Sunny Dutra

Adriene Beltz

Read about the 2013 winners

Amanda Venta

Timothy Jarome

Erin Ward-Ciesielski

Stephanie Groman

John Medaglia

Kelly McWilliams

Darya Zabelina

Lisham Ashrafioun

Daniel Kopala-Sibley

Emily Cogsdill

Shayna Henry

Lauren Richmond

Lauren Margulieux

Read about the 2012 winners

Stephen Becker

Kristy Benoit

Erik Girvan

Courtney Gosnell

Gloria Luong

Jessica Keeney

Molly Walsh

Erin Thomas

Daniel Stout

Ann Johnson

Kevin Zabel

Brandon Warren

Read about the 2011 winners

Konrad Bresin

Aaron Fisher

Kelsie Forbush

Larisa Heiphetz

Cecilia Martinez-Torteya

Ian McDonough

Eric Pedersen

Adam S. Smith

Michael K. Scullin

Jill Waring

Yung-Jui Yang

Read about the 2010 winners

Peggy M. Zoccola

Joshua M. Carp

Saul L. Miller

Meghan W. Cody

Christine A. Conelea

Katie M. Edwards

Karim Kassam

Jennifer C. G. Larson

Meghan R. Miller

John J. Panos

Edward A. Selby

Michael T. Treadway

Xiaomeng Xu

Read about the 2009 winners

Arathi Sethumadhavan

Kristen M. Culbert

Jennifer M. Brielmaier

Melody Manchi Chao

Rachel H. Lucas-Thompson

Melissa J. Mathews

Aimilia Papazoglou

Laura C. Rusch

Brenda Jeanette Salley

Naomi Samimi Sadeh

Julie Maria St. Cyr-Baker

Kimberly Allison Van Orden

Laura M. Widman

Danielle Knatz Bello

David B. Portnoy

Robin L. Aupperle

Ethan H. Beckley

Leigh C. P. Botley

Whitney E. Botsford

Adam D. Brown

Kristin E. Flegal

Donna A. Kreher

Carissa A. Low

Sita G. Patel

Heather L. Rogers

Jennifer L. Wright

Laura E. Knouse

Sarah A. Palyo

Lisa M. Christian

Sarah Frenkiel-Fishman

Matthew C. Hocking

Katherine H. Karlsgodt

Jeffrey D. Karpicke

Meghan D. McAuliffe

Beth Mechlin

Ilke Oztekin

Elizabeth J. Rahn

Lisa M. Sontag

Jenny C. Su

Jillian Holm-Denoma

Jennifer Mohawk

Deann Atchley

Debbie Talmi

Eric D. Jackson

Julia Dmitrieva

Nina Kaiser

Karen M. Rodrigue

Kristen M. Kennedy

Ryan Bogdan

Sara Chiara Haden

Simine Vazire

Michael Cohen

Susan M. Kiene

Derek Evan Nee

Andrea B. Burns

Erik Chihhung Chang

Hsin-Chin Chen

Kara Dyckman

Jessica Lord Bean

Leh Woon Mok

John V. Petrocelli

Michael Pitts

Erin Costanzo

Stewart Shankman

Adam Brickman

Sherrie Delinsky

Stephen Gillaspy

Michael Himle

Dominique Morisano

Elizabeth Podniesinski

Kalynn Schulz

Jessica Tracy

Lauren Warren

Amanda Bolbecker

Jennifer Dysart

Tanya Goyal

Emily Impett

William Lamb

Jill Levitt

Alan Scoboria

Indre Viskontas

Molly White

Jennifer Wildes

John Petrocelli

Robin Edelstein

Elizabeth Flanagan

Moria Smoski

Kristen Weede Alexander

Erika Bauer

Livia L. Gilstrap

Cynthia Huang-Pollock

Timothy C. Justus

Helen J. Kaczmarek

Angela Krom Fournier

Tamar Mendelson

Donald J. Seyler

Oshin A. Vartanian

Alexander J. Schut

Jennifer A. Block

Noel A. Card

Angela M. Carter

Amy N. Cohen

Michael J. Crowley

David A. Gallo

Elizabeth D. Krause

Matthew P. Martens

David J. Rademacher

Rocio Rivadeneyra

Jennifer W. Sutton

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Funding for Graduate Students

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From research experiences across the world to internships at its headquarters, the U.S. National Science Foundation offers graduate students and recent Ph.D.s paid opportunities to expand their skills and knowledge in science and engineering.

On this page

Information for principal investigators

This page highlights opportunities that graduate students and recent Ph.D.s can directly apply to.

If you're interested in supporting graduate students with NSF funding, explore NSF's  Funding Search  page. Most of NSF's funding opportunities allow proposers to include graduate student researchers in their project budget.

Some NSF opportunities focus explicitly on supporting graduate student training through  internships  and other activities, like NSF's  Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN) program.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

The prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program  supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master's or doctoral degrees in STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — or in STEM education.

The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support that can be used at accredited U.S. institutions. This support includes an annual stipend and a cost-of-education allowance covering tuition and fees.

Eligibility

Applicants must be citizens, nationals or permanent residents of the United States. Applicants must be pursuing full-time research-based master's and doctoral degrees in STEM or in STEM education at accredited U.S. institutions.

How to apply

Applications are due in the fall of each year. Learn more about the program and how to apply at  nsfgrfp.org .

And read NSF 101 for some tips on how to apply .

International Research Experiences for Students (IRES)

NSF's IRES program offers international research opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students.

Participants are mentored by researchers at a foreign lab, allowing them to build their professional network. IRES opportunities usually involve small groups of students who travel to a host institution for a summer-length research project.

Undergraduate or graduate students who are citizens, nationals or permanent residents of the United States are eligible to apply.

Students must contact researchers with IRES funding for information and application materials. Application materials for different IRES opportunities can vary: they may require a statement of purpose, transcripts, reference letters or additional materials.

To find active IRES projects, visit the  NSF IRES Project Search . Each project lists the name and contact information of the principal investigator, or lead, of that project.

You can also find many (but not all) IRES opportunities on the  NSF Education and Training Application  website, where you can prepare and submit applications for IRES and other NSF education and training opportunities.

Computer and Information Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships (CSGrad4US)

The CSGrad4US program helps bachelor's degree holders return to academia and pursue their research interests in computer and information science and engineering fields.

The three-year fellowship includes a stipend and cost-of-education allowance. 

Applicants must be citizens, nationals or permanent residents of the United States who are not currently enrolled in any degree-granting program and have never enrolled in a doctoral program. Applicants must intend to apply for full-time enrollment in a research-based doctoral degree program in a computer and information science and engineering field within two years.

Applications are typically due in the spring or early summer of each year. Learn more about the program and how to apply on the CISE Graduate Fellowships page.

Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIG)

Some of NSF's programs offer grants to doctoral students, allowing them to undertake significant data-gathering projects and conduct field research in settings away from their campus.

The award amounts of these grants vary across programs but typically fall between $15,000 to $40,000 (excluding indirect costs).

Doctoral students enrolled in U.S. institutions of higher education who are conducting scientific research are eligible to apply. Applicants do not need to be U.S. citizens.

These proposals are submitted to NSF through regular organizational channels by the doctoral student's dissertation advisor, with the student serving as the co-principal investigator on the proposal.

Visit NSF's  Funding Search  to see the list of programs that currently accept DDRIG proposals. Deadlines vary by program: some accept proposals at any time while others have annual or semi-annual deadlines.

Note: Information on the NSF-funded Law and Science Dissertation Grant (LSDG) can be found on the LSDG website .

NSF Research Traineeship Program (NRT)

The NSF Research Traineeship Program gives graduate students opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge needed to pursue a range of STEM careers.

Graduate students funded by the program receive, at minimum, 12-month-long stipends that support their participation in the program's training activities, which can include courses, workshops and research projects.

Graduate students who are citizens, nationals and permanent residents of the United States are eligible to participate as funded trainees in the NRT program. International students can participate as unfunded trainees. Participants must be enrolled in research-based master's or doctoral degree programs.

Students must contact researchers with NRT funding for information and application materials.

To find active NRT projects, visit the  NSF NRT Project Search . Each project lists the name and contact information of the Principal Investigator, or lead, of that project.

For more information about the NSF Research Traineeship Program, please contact  [email protected] .

Mathematical Sciences Graduate Internship

NSF's Mathematical Sciences Graduate Internship program supports summer research internships for doctoral students in the mathematical sciences. These internships are primarily at national laboratories and focus on introducing students to applications of mathematical or statistical theories outside of academia.

Current graduate students pursuing doctoral degrees in mathematics, statistics or applied mathematics are eligible to apply. Participants do not need to be U.S. citizens.

Applications are due in the fall or winter each year. Learn more about the program and how to apply on the internship website .

Presidential Management Fellowship Program

The Presidential Management Fellows Program is a two-year paid fellowship designed to prepare current or recent graduate students for a career in the analysis and management of public policies and programs. At NSF, fellows serve as program and management analysts and a variety of other positions requiring a scientific degree.

Current or recent graduate students are eligible to apply.

Applications are due in the fall of each year. Learn more about the program and how to apply at  pmf.gov .

Summer Scholars Internship Program

NSF's Summer Scholars Internship Program is a 10-week-long summer internship for undergraduate and graduate students. Students participating in the program work in NSF offices that align with their academic interests.

Through the program, interns learn about science administration and how federal policies affect the science and engineering community.

Graduate students and undergraduates who are citizens, nationals or permanent residents of the United States are eligible to apply.

Students interested in the NSF Summer Scholars Internship Program can apply through the following organizations:

• QEM Network
• Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities National Internship Program

For more information on the NSF Summer Scholars Internship Program, please contact  [email protected] .

Applying for a postdoc?

NSF's Postdoctoral Research Fellowships support independent postdoctoral research, allowing fellows to perform work that will broaden their perspectives, facilitate interdisciplinary interactions, and help establish them in leadership positions.

These two- or three-year fellowships provide a stipend and a research and training allowance.

Citizens, nationals and permanent residents of the United States who have recently earned a Ph.D. or will have earned their Ph.D. before beginning the fellowship are eligible to apply.

Current postdoctoral fellowship opportunities can be found on NSF's  Funding Search .

Deadlines vary by program: some accept proposals at any time while others have annual deadlines.

Department of Health and Human Services

Part 1. Overview Information

It is critical that recipients follow the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide , except where instructed to do otherwise (in this NOFO or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts ). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced. Recipients must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in and follow the AHRQ Grants Policy and Guidance found on the AHRQ website at http://www.ahrq.gov/funding/policies/nofoguidance/index.html .

When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.

Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants.gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

• Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online.
• Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants.gov and eRA Commons to track your application. Check with your institutional officials regarding availability.
• Use Grants.gov Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application.

Table of Contents

Part 1. Overview Information Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description Section II. Award Information Section III. Eligibility Information Section IV. Application and Submission Information Section V. Application Review Information Section VI. Award Administration Information Section VII. Agency Contacts Section VIII. Other Information

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Research Objectives

The overall goal of the AHRQ Grants for Health Services Research Dissertation Program (R36) is to support individuals for dissertation research in health services research as part of completing a research doctorate degree. More information about AHRQ training and career development programs may be found at the AHRQ Training and Education website and information about research training and career development may be found at the NIH Extramural Training Mechanisms website .

Applications for dissertation research grants must be responsive to AHRQ’s mission, which is to produce evidence to make health care safer, higher quality, more accessible, equitable, and affordable, and to work with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other partners to make sure that the evidence is understood and used. The research sponsored and conducted by the Agency develops and presents scientific evidence regarding all aspects of health care in the United States. It addresses issues of organization, delivery, financing, utilization, patient and provider behavior, outcomes, effectiveness, and cost. It evaluates both clinical services and the system in which these services are provided. These scientific results improve the evidence base to enable better decisions about health care, including such areas as disease prevention, appropriate use of medical technologies, improving diagnosis and treatment in cost-effective ways, long-term care, and reducing disparities based on race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status. AHRQ welcomes any area of health services research relevant to AHRQ's priority areas as a dissertation project topic.

AHRQ's priority areas of focus are:

• Research to improve health care patient safety.
• Harnessing data and technology to improve health care quality and patient outcomes and to provide a 360-degree view of the patient.
• Research to increase accessibility and affordability of health care by examining innovative market approaches to care delivery and financing.

Results should be directly relevant to customers, such as providers and practitioners, administrators, payers, consumers, policymakers, and insurers.

Candidates are encouraged to address health services research issues critical to AHRQ priority populations, as defined in Section IV.7.

Additionally, candidates should focus on projects that hold promise for advancing health equity and move beyond documenting the pervasiveness of disparities. AHRQ encourages a focus on developing or understanding evidence-based solutions to address inequities in care delivery that are driven by discrimination, structural racism, and other social, economic, and environmental determinates of health.

Candidates must conduct dissertation projects which focus on health care delivery in the United States. AHRQ will not accept international health care research projects.

This NOFO describes the procedures and criteria for the AHRQ dissertation grant program. It updates and supersedes the AHRQ Grants for Health Services Research Dissertation AHRQ PA-18-765 , published May 2, 2018.

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

These projects are being funded pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 299a(b)(1), which provides that AHRQ may provide training grants in the field of health services research. All applications submitted and AHRQ grants made in response to this NOFO are subject to 45 CFR Part 75 (Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for HHS Awards; https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=pt45.1.75) , the HHS Grants Policy Statement (see https://www.ahrq.gov/funding/policies/hhspolicy/index.html ), and the terms and conditions set forth in the Notice of Award

Higher Education Institutions

• Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
• Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for AHRQ support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

• Hispanic-serving Institutions
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
• Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education

• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)

Local Governments

• State Governments
• County Governments
• City or Township Governments
• Special District Governments
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)

Federal Governments

• Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
• U.S. Territory or Possession
• Independent School Districts
• Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
• Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
• Regional Organizations

AHRQ's authorizing legislation does not allow for-profit organizations to be eligible to lead applications under this research mechanism. For-profit organizations may participate in projects as members of consortia or as subcontractors only. Because the purpose of this program is to improve healthcare in the United States, foreign institutions may participate in projects as members of consortia or as subcontractors only. Applications submitted by for-profit organizations or foreign institutions will not be reviewed. Organizations described in section 501(c) 4 of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying are not eligible.

For dissertation grants, the applicant organization must be an accredited doctoral granting institution at which the student is registered and matriculating. Individuals cannot apply directly.

HHS grants policy requires that the grant recipient perform a substantive role in the conduct of the planned project or program activity and not merely serve as a conduit of funds to another party or parties. If consortium/contractual activities represent a significant portion of the overall project, the applicant must justify why the applicant organization, rather than the party(s) performing this portion of the overall project, should be the recipient and what substantive role the applicant organization will play. Justification can be provided in the Specific Aims or Research Strategy section of the PHS398 Research Plan Component sections of the SF424 (R&R) application. There is no budget allocation guideline for determining substantial involvement; determination of substantial involvement is based on a review of the primary project activities for which grant support is provided and the organization(s) that will be performing those activities.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.

Foreign components, as defined in the HHS Grants Policy Statement via https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/grants/grants/policies-regulations/hhsgps107.pdf , may participate in projects as member of consortia or as subcontractors only.

Applicant Organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so recipients should begin the registration process as soon as possible

• System for Award Management (SAM) System for Award Management (SAM) Recipients must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually . The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
• NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)- A UEI is issued as part of the SAM.gov registration process. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
• eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants.gov registration; all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
• Grants.gov Grants.gov Recipients must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Any individual(s) at the dissertation stage of training with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for AHRQ support.

The PD/PI is also referred to in this NOFO as a "Candidate."

Only one PD/PI may be designated on the application.

Candidates are eligible to apply for this award provided that they:

• Are U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or permanent residents by the time of the grant award;
• Are full-time students (as defined by the student's institution) in good standing, who are enrolled in an accredited research doctoral program in such fields as behavioral sciences, health services research, nursing, social sciences, epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy, health informatics, engineering, economics and mathematics;
• Will have completed all non-dissertation requirements for their doctoral degree by the time of submission of the application, including completion of their qualifying exams. The only exception allowed will be the completion of required clinical internships that follow completion of the dissertation;
• Do not have more than part-time employment (defined as greater than twenty hours per week) in addition to the requirements of their current, full-time academic student appointment at the time the award is made; and
• Are not recipients of mentored career development awards.

Information for candidates with active National Research Service Award (NRSA) support:

As noted above, individuals supported under NRSA mechanisms, including T32, F31 and F32 research training awards are eligible to apply for an AHRQ dissertation award.

The request for support must satisfy the applicant's institutional policies and the application must include a statement describing the expenses requested under the AHRQ R36 dissertation grant program which are not supported through the active NRSA training grant or fellowship. However, individuals may only request up to $15,000 direct costs for additional, non-salary expenses; no funds may be requested for salary, fringe benefit, or stipend support during the period supported by the NRSA mechanism.

This NOFO does not require cost sharing.

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

The AHRQ will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time This means that the AHRQ will not accept:

• A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
• A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.

The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this NOFO. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.

It is critical that recipients follow the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide SF424 (R&R) Application Guide , except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows AHRQ staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.

By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information , prospective recipients are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:

• Descriptive title of proposed activity
• Name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of the PD(s)/PI(s)
• Names of other key personnel
• Participating institution(s)
• Number and title of this funding opportunity

The letter of intent should be emailed to:

Amy Chanlongbutra, Sc.D., MPH, CHES Division of Research Education Office of Extramural Research, Education, and Priority Populations Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Telephone: (301) 427-1542 Email: [email protected]

All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this NOFO.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

The dissertation candidate, who must be matriculated in an accredited doctoral program, will be the designated PD/PI. The mentor for the PD/PI must be listed as a key person.

The only other key persons to be listed are the other members of the dissertation committee. Attach a biographical sketch for the PD/PI, mentor, and all other key personnel. It is strongly encouraged that the doctoral dissertation committee include recognized health services researchers with appropriate interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary expertise necessary to fully support the research activities.

Budget Component: Special Instructions for AHRQ applications

AHRQ is not using the Modular Grant Application and Award Process. Applicants applying for funding from AHRQ are to ignore application instructions concerning the Modular Grant Application and Award Process, and prepare applications using instructions for the Research and Related Budget Components of the SF 424 (R&R). Applications submitted in the Modular format will not be reviewed.

The applicant must provide justification for each budget item requested in the detailed budget for the total period of support being requested. Include salary, equipment, travel, and other costs as appropriate. The budget component is described further below.

Unallowable Costs:

Specific costs not allowed on dissertation research grants include: salary support for individuals other than the candidate, consultant/consulting costs (including computer and statistical consulting support), alterations/renovations, space rental, contracting or consortium costs, dissertation defense or deposit fees, membership fees, costs associated with faculty/advisor mentor supervision.

The above lists of allowable and unallowable costs are not all-inclusive, and the applicant should contact AHRQ grants management staff regarding any other items being considered for which there are questions regarding allowability.

Level of Effort:

The candidate must devote at least 40 hours per week to the dissertation for a minimum of nine months beginning at the time of award. The requested start date of award must be estimated to begin no less than eight months from the submission date. Receipt of additional compensation (e.g., pay) from other sources for performance of work that is distinctly separate from the actual work involved in the conduct of the dissertation is allowable, but cannot exceed a paid level of effort greater than 20 hours per week beginning at the time of award.

Facilities and Administrative Costs:

Facilities and administrative costs (i.e., overhead or indirect costs) are limited to no more than eight percent of modified total direct costs.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Research Strategy :

Part of the research strategy must describe any potential outcomes, products and/or impact of the proposed dissertation on policy or practice, as well as dissemination plans, which involve traditional academic as well as nontraditional means of communicating relevant research findings to policymakers or health care delivery personnel. A clear description of the unique contribution of this effort must be included, especially if the research builds upon ongoing or previously conducted work by the principal investigator, or other dissertation committee member/faculty.

NOTE: As described in the SF 424 (R&R), the Project Summary/Abstract and Project Narrative are separate from the Research Strategy.

Letters of Support:

Two letters are required. (NOTE: These differ in content from the optional Cover Letter described in the SF424 (R&R) instructions).

These letters are uploaded where indicated in the Other Research Plan Sections of the PHS 398 Research Plan. Because only one pdf file is allowed for the Letter of Support item in the PHS Research Plan Component, combine these letters with any other optional Letters of Support (below) into one file. Each letter is limited to a total of two pages.

The required letters are:

1. A letter from the faculty committee or the University official directly responsible for supervising the dissertation research must be submitted with the grant application. The letter must specifically address the potential of the candidate, as well as the qualifications and experience of the candidate to conduct the study as proposed, both in terms of content and methodological expertise gained from coursework. In addition, the letter must:

• Certify that the dissertation grant application reflects the planned dissertation work to be conducted by the Candidate;
• Certify that the Candidate has completed all other necessary requirements for completion of the doctorate degree, other than the dissertation proposal defense. This includes certifying that all coursework required for the completion of the Ph.D. will be completed prior to submission. Please note that certification that the proposal defense has been successfully completed will be required prior to AHRQ issuing an award, should the application be selected for funding.
• Certify, if applicable, that the candidate will not have more than part-time employment (defined as greater than twenty hours per week) in addition to the requirements of their current, full-time academic student appointment at the time the award is made.
• Acknowledge the existence of sufficient institutional infrastructure support for the candidate, including but not limited to items such as office space, computer access, mentoring plan, etc.;
• Include a mentorship description that clearly notes the frequency of meetings as well as content and methodological support to be provided; and
• Indicate that a collaborative process was established between the candidate and advisors in the development and review of this dissertation grant application.

2. A letter from the Candidate which must discuss career goals, background and interest in health services research, the anticipated manner in which the proposed dissertation will contribute to career goals, and the unique relevance of the proposed dissertation to AHRQ.

The applicant should pay particular attention to the application guide instructions concerning letters of support. Letters of support, recommendation, or affirmation, other than those stated above, from any entity or individual not directly participating in the project should not be included.

Resource Sharing Plan : Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following modification:

• Generally, Resource Sharing Plans are expected, but they are not applicable for this NOFO.

Only limited Appendix materials are allowed.

Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide with the following modification:

Acceptable Appendix materials are a copy of the official transcript of the candidate's doctoral program record, to date, and copies of any survey instruments or questionnaires, data collection or interview guides used in the proposed research, if applicable.

• Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. See NIH/NIOSH/AHRQ New Policy Appendix Guide located at NOT-OD-18-126

Other Plan(s):

• A Data Management and Sharing Plan is not applicable for this NOFO.

When conducting clinical research, follow all instructions for completing Planned Enrollment Reports as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

When conducting clinical research, follow all instructions for completing Cumulative Inclusion Enrollment Report as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:

If you answered Yes to the question Are Human Subjects Involved? on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.

Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

Delayed Onset Study

Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start).

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed. For details regarding IRB approval, recipients may refer to the "AHRQ Revised Policy for Institutional Review Board (IRB) Review of Human Subjects Protocols in Grant Applications" ( https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not-hs-00-003.html ). Applicant should also be aware of the AHRQ policy for use of single IRB for cooperative research, 45 CFR 46.114 (b) https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-HS-20-005.html .

See Part 1. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov.

The Federal awarding agency may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the Federal awarding agency is ready to make a Federal award, the Federal awarding agency may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates and times. Recipients are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday , the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Recipients must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons , NIH’s electronic system for grants administration. AHRQ and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date and time. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late.

Recipients are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

For efficient grant administration, AHRQ grant administration procedures will be used and conducted in accordance with the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement. The Grants Policy Statement can be found at http://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/grants/grants/policies-regulations/hhsgps107.pdf .

. Pre-award costs are NOT allowed.

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Recipients must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit How to Apply Application Guide . If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance. For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII .

Important reminders:

All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile form . Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to AHRQ. See Section III of this NOFO for information on registration requirements.

The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier provided on the application is the same identifier used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health, and for responsiveness by AHRQ.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval of human subjects is not required prior to peer review of an application (see https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-HS-00-003.html ). However, initiation of IRB review, if necessary or applicable, is strongly encouraged to assure timely commencement of research.

Although there is no immediate acknowledgement of the receipt of an application, recipients are generally notified of the review and funding assignment within eight (8) weeks.

Please be sure that you observe the total cost, project period, and page number limitations specified above for this NOFO. Application processing may be delayed or the application may be rejected if it does not comply with these requirements.

Recipients are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-19-083.html . https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-19-083.html . Any instructions provided here are in addition to the instructions in the policy.

Priority Populations

AHRQ is committed to the inclusion of priority populations in health services research. The overall portfolio of health services research that AHRQ conducts and supports shall include the populations specifically named in AHRQ’s authorizing legislation: inner city; rural; low income; minority; women; children; elderly; and those with special healthcare needs, including those who have disabilities, need chronic care, or need end-of-life healthcare. 42 U.S.C. 299(c)(1). AHRQ also includes in its definition of priority populations those groups identified in Section 2(a) of Executive Order 13985 as members of underserved communities: Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

AHRQ will broadly implement this inclusion policy across the research that AHRQ supports and conducts so that the portfolio of research is inclusive of all populations. AHRQ intends that these populations be included in studies such that the research design explicitly allows conduct of valid analyses. The policy applies to all grant applications. Investigators should review the document entitled, AHRQ Policy on the Inclusion of Priority Populations, which is available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-HS-21-015.html . Recipients under this NOFO must consider and discuss including priority populations in research design as specified in this Notice.

Public Access to AHRQ-Funded Scientific Publications

Investigators should review the document titled AHRQ Announces new Policy for Public Access to AHRQ-Funded Scientific Publications , which is available at ( http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-HS-16-008.html ). For all research arising from AHRQ support, this policy requires that AHRQ-funded authors submit an electronic version of the author’s final peer-reviewed accepted manuscript to the National Library of Medicine's PubMed Central (PMC) to be made publicly available within 12 months of the publisher’s date of publication.

Plan for Sharing Research Data

The precise content of the data-sharing plan will vary, depending on the data being collected and how the investigator is planning to share the data. Recipients who are planning to share data should describe briefly the expected schedule for data sharing; the format of the final dataset; the documentation to be provided; whether or not any analytic tools also will be provided; whether or not a data-sharing agreement will be required and, if so, a brief description of such an agreement (including the criteria for deciding who can receive the data and whether or not any conditions will be placed on their use); and the mode of data sharing (e.g., under its own auspices by mailing a disk or posting data on its institutional or personal website or through a data archive or enclave). Investigators choosing to share under their own auspices may wish to enter into a data-sharing agreement. References to data sharing may also be appropriate in other sections of the application.

The reasonableness of the data sharing plan or the rationale for not sharing research data will be assessed by the reviewers. However, reviewers will not factor the proposed data sharing plan into the determination of scientific merit or the priority score.

Data Confidentiality

The AHRQ confidentiality statute, 42 USC 299c-3(c), requires that information that is obtained in the course of AHRQ supported activities and that identifies individuals or establishments be used only for the purpose for which it was supplied. Information that is obtained in the course of AHRQ-supported activities and that identifies an individual may be published or released only with the consent of the individual who supplied the information or is described in it. There are civil monetary penalties for violation of the confidentiality provision of the AHRQ statute. 42 USC 299c-3(d). In the Human Subjects section of the application, recipients must describe procedures for ensuring the confidentiality of the identifying information to be collected (see NOT-HS-18-012 : Confidentiality in AHRQ-Supported Research). The description of the procedures should include a discussion of who will be permitted access to this information, both raw data and machine-readable files, and how personal identifiers and other identifying or identifiable data will be restricted and safeguarded. Identifiable patient health information collected by recipient under this RFA will also be obtained and managed in accordance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule, 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164.

The recipient should ensure that computer systems containing confidential data have a level and scope of security that equals or exceeds that established by the HIPAA Security Rules if applicable (see HIPAA website in prior paragraph) and that established by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in OMB Circular No. A-130, Appendix III - Security of Federal Automated Information Systems. The applicability and intended means of applying these confidentiality and security standards to subcontractors and vendors, if any, should be addressed in the application.

Sharing Research Resources: Rights in Data

Unless otherwise provided in grant awards, AHRQ recipients may copyright, or seek patents for, as appropriate, final and interim products and materials developed in whole or in part with AHRQ support, including, but not limited to, methodological tools, measures, software with documentation, literature searches, and analyses. Such copyrights and patents are subject to a royalty-free, non-exclusive, and irrevocable AHRQ license to reproduce, publish, use or disseminate for any purpose consistent with AHRQ’s statutory responsibilities and to authorize others to do so for any purpose consistent with AHRQ’s statutory responsibilities. In accordance with its legislative dissemination mandate, AHRQ purposes may include, subject to statutory confidentiality protections, making project materials, databases, results, and algorithms available for verification or replication by other researchers. In addition, subject to AHRQ budget constraints, final products may be made available to the healthcare community and the public by AHRQ or its agents if such distribution would significantly increase access to a product and thereby produce substantial or valuable public health benefits. Ordinarily, to accomplish distribution, AHRQ publicizes research findings but relies on recipients to publish research results in peer-reviewed journals and to market grant-supported products. AHRQ requests that recipients notify the Office of Communications (OC) when an AHRQ-funded research article has been accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Researchers should submit manuscripts that have been accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal to [email protected] at least four to six weeks in advance of the journal’s expected publication date.

Regulations applicable to AHRQ recipients concerning intangible rights and copyright can be found at 45 CFR 75.322.

The mission of AHRQ is to produce evidence to make healthcare safer, higher quality, more accessible, equitable, and affordable, and to work with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other partners to make sure that the evidence is understood and used.

AHRQ's priority areas of focus are detailed here: https://www.ahrq.gov/funding/policies/nofoguidance/index.html .

As part of this mission, applications are submitted to AHRQ to support health services research which are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the AHRQ peer review system.

Applications that are complete and responsive to the NOFO will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate objective group convened in accordance with standard AHRQ peer-review procedures that are described in 42 CFR Part 67, Subpart A. Incomplete and/or non-responsive applications or applications not following instructions given in this NOFO will not be reviewed.

Merit Review Criteria: Merit Review Criteria, as described below, will be considered in the review process.

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? Is the prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project rigorous? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?

Are the PD/PI and mentor(s) appropriately trained and well suited to the proposed research project? Is there evidence that an appropriate level of effort will be devoted by the mentor(s) to ensure the successful completion of the dissertation project? Is there evidence that mentor(s) has been adequately prepared to actively work with the PD/PI and has actively worked with the PD/PI to date in the development of the proposed dissertation project? Does a viable mentoring plan and/or mentor/PD/PI agreement exist? Does the PD/PI demonstrate potential to have a successful career in health services research?

Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?

Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Have the investigators included plans to address weaknesses in the rigor of prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project? Have the investigators presented strategies to ensure a robust and unbiased approach, as appropriate for the work proposed? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be managed?

If the project involves human subjects and/or clinical research, are the plans to address

1) the protection of human subjects from research risks, and

2) inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion or exclusion of individuals of all ages (including children and older adults), justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed?

Will the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Are the institutional support, equipment, and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, subject populations, or collaborative arrangements?

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate the justification for involvement of human subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their participation according to the following five review criteria: 1) risk to subjects, 2) adequacy of protection against risks, 3) potential benefits to the subjects and others, 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained, and 5) data and safety monitoring for clinical trials.

For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate: 1) the justification for the exemption, 2) human subjects involvement and characteristics, and 3) sources of materials. For additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Human Subjects .

For details regarding IRB approval, recipients may refer to the "AHRQ Revised Policy for Institutional Review Board (IRB) Review of Human Subjects Protocols in Grant Applications" ( https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not-hs-00-003.html ). Applicant should also be aware of the AHRQ policy for use of single IRB for cooperative research, 45 CFR 46.114 (b) https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-HS-20-005.html .

Inclusion of Priority Populations

Peer reviewers will assess the adequacy of plans to address the needs of AHRQ priority populations.

Peer reviewers must include their assessment of the proposed inclusion plan for priority populations in evaluating the overall scientific and technical merit of the application and assigning the impact score.

In evaluating the overall impact of the application, the review groups will:

• Evaluate the application for the presence or absence of the inclusion plan based on the proposed research objectives.
• Evaluate the adequacy of the proposed plan for the inclusion of priority populations.
• Evaluate the proposed justification for the exclusion of priority populations when a requirement for inclusion is described as inappropriate with respect to the purpose of the research.
• Evaluate the plans for outreach and recruitment of study participants, including priority populations, where appropriate.
• Evaluate the proposed plan for study design, execution and outcome assessments so that study results will be relevant to one or more priority populations, where appropriate.
• Assess the plan as being acceptable or unacceptable with regard to the appropriateness of the inclusion or exclusion of priority populations in the proposed research.

Degree of Responsiveness

Reviewers will assess how well the application addresses the purpose and objectives of this NOFO. How responsive is the application to the special eligibility criteria, including the project requirements, noted in the NOFO?

Budget and Period of Support

The committee will evaluate whether the proposed budget is reasonable, and whether the requested period of support is appropriate in relation to the proposed research.

For Resubmissions, the committee will evaluate the application as now presented, taking into consideration the responses to comments from the previous scientific review group and changes made to the project.

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

Resource Sharing Plans

Not Applicable

Not Applicable.

Applications that are complete and responsive to the NOFO will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate Scientific Review Group convened in accordance with standard AHRQ peer review procedures that are described in 42 CFR Part 67, Subpart A. Incomplete and/or non-responsive applications or applications not following instructions given in this NOFO will not be reviewed.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:

• May undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score.
• Will receive a written critique.

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established AHRQ referral guidelines to the appropriate AHRQ Office or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this NOFO.

The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
• Availability of funds.
• Responsiveness to goals and objectives of the NOFO.
• Proposed approach to addressing health equity.
• Relevance and fit within AHRQ research priorities, as well as overall programmatic and geographic balance of the proposed project to program priorities.

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons . Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the HHS Grants Policy Statement (see https://www.ahrq.gov/funding/policies/hhspolicy/index.html ).

If the application is under consideration for funding, AHRQ Division of Grants Management staff will request "Just-In-Time" information from the applicant. Just-In-Time information generally consists of information on other support, any additional information necessary to address administrative and budgetary issues, and certification of IRB approval of the project's proposed use of human subjects. For details regarding IRB approval, recipients may refer to the "AHRQ Revised Policy for Institutional Review Board (IRB) Review of Human Subjects Protocols in Grant Applications" ( https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not-hs-00-003.html ). Applicant should also be aware of the AHRQ policy for use of single IRB for cooperative research, 45 CFR 46.114 (b) https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-HS-20-005.html .

If all administrative and programmatic issues are resolved, a formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the AHRQ grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the e-mail address designated by the recipient organization during the eRA Commons registration process.

Recipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions.

Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.

Individual awards are based on the application submitted to, and as approved by, the AHRQ and are subject to the AHRQ-specific terms and conditions identified in the NoA.

Any application awarded in response to this NOFO will be subject to the SAM Registration, and Transparency Act requirements as noted on the AHRQ web site at

https://www.ahrq.gov/funding/grant-mgmt/index.html .

The dissertation award terminates once the requirements for the doctoral degree are met. Should an award terminate before the reflected project period end date, the recipient is required to submit a letter to the AHRQ Grants Management Specialist, countersigned by an authorized institutional official, indicating the expected end date. Unexpended funds are to be reported on the final Federal Financial Report (FFR) and returned to the AHRQ within 90 days of the project period end date.

All AHRQ grant and cooperative agreement awards are subject to OMB's Uniform Grant Guidance, HHS’s Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for HHS Awards, ( http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=pt45.1.75 , and the HHS Grants Policy Statement (see http://www.ahrq.gov/funding/policies/hhspolicy/index.html ), and the terms and conditions set forth in the Notice of Award.

All recipients will be subject to a term and condition that applies the terms of 48 CFR section 3.908 to the award, and requires that recipients inform their employees in writing of employee whistleblower rights and protections under 41URecipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions.

All AHRQ grant and cooperative agreement awards are subject to HHS’s Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for HHS Awards, ( http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=pt45.1.75 , and the HHS Grants Policy Statement (see http://www.ahrq.gov/funding/policies/hhspolicy/index.html ), and the terms and conditions set forth in the Notice of Award.

All recipients will be subject to a term and condition that applies the terms of 48 CFR section 3.908 to the award, and requires that recipients inform their employees in writing of employee whistleblower rights and protections under 41 U.S.C. 4712 in the predominant native language of the workforce.

As necessary, additional Terms and Conditions will be incorporated into the NoA.

If you are successful and receive a Notice of Award, in accepting the award, you agree that the award and any activities thereunder are subject to all provisions of 45 CFR Part 75, currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.

AHRQ regulatory procedures that pertain to suspension and termination are specified in 45 CFR 75.371 through 75.375. There is a prohibition on certain telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment that became effective on or after August 13, 2020. Should you successfully compete for an award, recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS will be required to complete an HHS Assurance of Compliance form (HHS 690) in which you agree, as a condition of receiving the grant, to administer your programs in compliance with federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex and disability, and agreeing to comply with federal conscience laws, where applicable. This includes ensuring that entities take meaningful steps to provide meaningful access to persons with limited English proficiency; and ensuring effective communication with persons with disabilities. Where applicable, Title XI and Section 1557 prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and gender identity, The HHS Office for Civil Rights provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. See https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/forproviders/provider-obligations/index.html and https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/forindividuals/nondiscrimination/index.html .

• For guidance on meeting your legal obligation to take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to your programs or activities by limited English proficient individuals, see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/special-topics/limited-englishproficiency/fact-sheet-guidance/index.html and https://www.lep.gov .
• For information on your specific legal obligations for serving qualified individuals with disabilities, including providing program access, reasonable modifications, and to provide effective communication, see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/disability/index.html .
• HHS funded health and education programs must be administered in an environment free of sexual harassment, see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/sexdiscrimination/index.html .
• For guidance on administering your project in compliance with applicable federal religious nondiscrimination laws and applicable federal conscience protection and associated antidiscrimination laws, see https://www.hhs.gov/conscience/conscience-protections/index.html and https://www.hhs.gov/conscience/religious-freedom/index.html .

Contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at

OCR Home | HHS.gov or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697.

Health Literacy Below are available HHS resources.

HHS Health.gov: Health Literate Care Model

AHRQ: Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit

For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to AHRQ grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this NOFO.

In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), AHRQ awards will be subject to the Federal Recipient Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by recipients as described in 45 CFR Part 75.205 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by recipients. This provision will apply to all AHRQ grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award

When multiple years are involved, recipients will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually unless specific otherwise in the terms of the award.

For details regarding annual progress report submission, refer to https://www.ahrq.gov/funding/grant-mgmt/noncomp.html . If instructions on the AHRQ website are different from the RPPR Instructions, follow the instructions on the AHRQ website. Annual progress reports are due 3 months before the start date of the next budget period of the award.

In addition to the annual Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) that is required of grants with multiple years of funding, awards under this NOFO carry the requirement to submit a Disparities Impact Statement as part of the RPPRs. Instructions on reporting requirements will be provided at the time of grant award. Conference calls with the AHRQ Program Official for the grant may also be required at the discretion of the Program Official.

Recipients are required to submit expenditure data on the Federal Financial Report (FFR; SF 425) annually.

Expenditure data is to be reported on the Federal Financial Report (FFR; SF 425). AHRQ requires annual financial expenditure reports for ALL grant programs as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement ( https://www.ahrq.gov/funding/policies/hhspolicy/index.html ). AHRQ implementation of the FFR retains a financial reporting period that coincides with the budget period of a particular project. However, the due date for annual FFRs is 90 days after the end of the calendar quarter in which the budget period ends. For example, if the budget period ends 4/30/2023, the annual FFR is due 9/30/2023 (90 days after the end of the calendar quarter of 6/30/2023).

A final Progress Report, final Federal Financial Report, and Final Invention Statement are required when an award ends. All final reports are due within 120 days of the project period end date. For further details regarding grant closeout requirements, refer to Post Award Grants Management | Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (ahrq.gov)

AHRQ NOFOs outline intended research goals and objectives. Post award, AHRQ will review and measure performance based on the details and outcomes that are shared within the RPPR, as described at 45 CFR Part 75.301 and 2 CFR Part 200.301.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for recipients of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All recipients of applicable AHRQ grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over the threshold. See the HHS Grants Policy Statement ( http://www.ahrq.gov/funding/policies/hhspolicy/index.html ) for additional information on this reporting requirement.

In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at 45 CFR 75.113 and 2 CFR Part 200.113 and Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200, recipients that have currently active Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies with a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of a Federal award, must report and maintain the currency of information reported in the System for Award Management (SAM) about civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings in connection with the award or performance of a Federal award that reached final disposition within the most recent five-year period. The recipient must also make semiannual disclosures regarding such proceedings. Proceedings information will be made publicly available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS). This is a statutory requirement under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313). As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all information posted in the designated integrity and performance system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available. Full reporting requirements and procedures are found in Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200 Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential recipients.

eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, and post-submission issues)

Finding Help Online: https://www.era.nih.gov/need-help (preferred method of contact) Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace) Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726 Email: [email protected]

Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due date).

Nicholas Kenney, Ph.D. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Office of Extramural Research, Education and Priority Populations Division of Scientific Review Telephone: (301) 427-1869 Email: [email protected]

Anna Caponiti Division of Grants Management Office of Management Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Telephone: 301-427-1402 Email: [email protected]

Recently issued AHRQ policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by AHRQ is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. Notices can also be found at AHRQ Grants Policy Notices.

This program is described in the Assistance Listings (formerly called the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance) at https://sam.gov/content/home and is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review.

Awards are made under the authority of 42 USC 299 et seq., and in accordance with 45 CFR Part 75 and other referenced applicable statutes and regulations. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement. The HHS Grants Policy Statement can be found at http://www.ahrq.gov/funding/policies/hhspolicy/index.html .

Note: For help accessing PDF, RTF, MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Audio or Video files, see Help Downloading Files .

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Other Training-Related Programs

Dissertation award, program purpose.

Although not technically fellowships, these grants support dissertation research costs of students in accredited research doctoral programs in the United States (including Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories or possessions).

Eligibility

Career level.

U.S. citizen or permanent resident, enrolled in a research doctoral degree program.

Graduate/Clinical Doctorate

INSTITUTION

U.S. domestic institutions

Currently Supported Investigators

Stipend levels & info.

• NIH Policies for NRSA Stipends, Compensation and Other Income
• NRSA Stipends (FY 2024)
• NRSA Stipends (FY 2023)
• Stipend/Salary FAQs

Policy Notices

• NOT-OD-24-116: Childcare Costs for Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellows and Institutional Research Training Awards
• NOT-OD-24-107: Implementation of Revisions to the NIH and AHRQ Fellowship Application and Review Process
• NOT-OD-24-084: Overview of Grant Application and Review Changes for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2025
• NOT-OD-23-111: Reminder – NIH Policies for NRSA Stipends, Compensation and Other Income
• NOT-OD-23-076: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2023
• NOT-OD-22-190: Adjustments to NIH and AHRQ Grant Application Due Dates Between September 22 and September 30, 2022
• NOT-OD-22-132: Correction to Stipend Levels for Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2022

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Mental Health Research Dissertation Grant to Enhance Workforce Diversity (R36)

To enhance the diversity of the mental health research workforce by providing dissertation awards in all research areas within the strategic priorities of the NIMH to individuals from underrepresented groups  in biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences research.

Notice of funding opportunity 

PAR-22-172 

New Applications: August 10, December 9, April 11 Resubmissions: August 10, December 9, April 11 AIDS Applications: January 7, May 7, September 7

Program director(s)/Principal investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) eligibility

Predoctoral students enrolled in research doctoral programs from groups underrepresented in biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences research  .

By the time of award, the individual must be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card, USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status).

Institution eligibility

U.S. domestic institutions

Additional information

Award recipients will receive 1-2 years of support to complete their dissertation leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent research degree, a combined M.D./Ph.D. degree, or another formally combined professional and research doctoral degree in biomedical, behavioral, health services, or clinical sciences. The R36 allows for budget requests to cover, per year, a salary consistent with the current fiscal year National Research Service Award (NRSA) predoctoral stipend level and up to $15,000 for additional expenses such as fringe benefits (including health insurance for self and family members), travel to scientific meetings, and dissertation research costs according to institutional policies. Support is NOT available for individuals enrolled in medical or other professional schools unless they are enrolled in a combined professional doctorate/Ph.D. program in biomedical or behavioral research.

The faculty advisor, dissertation committee chair, or university official directly responsible for supervising the dissertation research must submit a Letter of Certification explaining how the candidate’s participation would further the goals of the program to promote diversity in health-related research (see Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity ( NOT-OD-20-031  )).

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to review the funding opportunity and the FAQs below before contacting the appropriate NIMH Research Training and Career Development representative for additional information.

Q: When should I submit an R36 application?

A: At the time of award, applicants are expected to require 1-2 years of dissertation research to complete their Ph.D. requirements. Note that the time between submission and receipt of an award is approximately 6-9 months. You must have an approved dissertation proposal at the time of award, and show evidence of high academic performance in the field of study and a commitment to a career as an independent research scientist, physician-scientist, or other clinician-scientist (dual-degree training).

Q: I’m a student in a combined M.D./Ph.D. program. Can I apply for the R36 to cover the last couple of years of my medical training?

A: This award supports the completion of the doctoral research project. Except for costs associated with the dissertation (such as dissertation credits), no funds may be used to pay tuition or fees. If you are an M.D./Ph.D. student and have already completed your Ph.D. dissertation research, you are not eligible.

Q: How do I know if my project aligns with NIMH priorities?

A: We encourage you to identify the NIMH Division that best fits your proposed research and send your Specific Aims and NIH Biosketch to the appropriate program officer .

Q: How will my R36 application be evaluated? What makes a competitive application?

A: See Section V of the funding opportunity for application review criteria.

Here are some general tips for writing your R36:

• Carefully read the funding opportunity, including Section V to understand how your application will be evaluated.
• Be sure your mentor’s commitment to your project is apparent in the narrative, which should enthusiastically describe your research project and the resources they will provide for you over and above the award.
• Be as thorough as possible in your description of your dissertation study and provide appropriate justification for the proposed work through literature citations, data from other sources, or investigator-generated data.
• Try to frame your dissertation study in terms of your path to becoming a leader in the field. Provide context for your research, why it interests you, and where you might go with future research.
• Don’t wait until the last minute! Ask your mentor and people outside your mentoring team to carefully read your application and note any errors, inconsistencies, or other mistakes.

Q: Do you have examples of R36 applications or other resources that may aid me in completing the application?

A: NIMH does not provide examples of R36 applications. For NIMH and NIH resources on the application process and grant writing tips, see the NIMH Funding Page .

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The proposal deadline for the Dissertation and Research Grants is May 30, 2024.

Dissertation Grants —Dissertation Grants are available for advanced doctoral students and are intended to support the student while analyzing data and writing the doctoral dissertation.

Research Grants —Research Grants are available for faculty at institutions of higher education, postdoctoral researchers, and other doctoral ­level scholars. 

Resources & Databases

Funding from the graduate school.

Learn about about awards from The Graduate School at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Student assistantships, grants, and scholarships

• Graduate Tuition Incentive Scholarship 
• Graduate Student Transportation Grant
• Graduate Student Opportunity Fund

Dissertation fellowships

• Dissertation Completion Fellowships
• Off-Campus Dissertation Fellowships
• Summer Research Fellowships

Proposal writing

Successful proposals collection.

This collection of successful proposals serves as a reference for UNC-Chapel Hill graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in the process of applying for funding for research or advanced study. It can be accessed with a valid ONYEN.

The Successful Proposals Collection is maintained by the Graduate Funding Information Center and by The Graduate School. These proposals have been voluntarily provided by your fellow Carolina community members as reference materials. Reusing them, in part or in whole, may constitute academic dishonesty and/or intellectual property violations.

To submit one of your successful proposals to the collection, please contact GFIC .

For international students

• Funding resources for international students
• Funding for U.S. study

Funding databases

Infoed global spin.

SPIN is a comprehensive database containing over 40,000 funding opportunities from more than 10,000 federal, public, non-profit, and private sponsors. Users can search SPIN anonymously, or can create accounts and save search preferences, sign up for e-mail notifications, and organize and export funding searches and opportunities. We recommend that students filter their search results at least by Applicant Type (master’s or doctoral/terminal degree student), Project Type (dissertation, fellowship, student scholarship, etc.), and Citizenship.

Strive is a scholarship and fellowship database with over 1,000 funding opportunities and editable filters to help users narrow their search. It is managed by the Office of Distinguished Scholarships here at UNC. Strive includes funding opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students; it is recommended that graduate students filter their search results by selecting Graduate School/Research in the Award Type category.

ProFellow is a funding database with over 1,000 listings and editable filters including citizenship, location, and discipline. Each listing includes relevant keywords that may be used in future searches as well as several related funding opportunities that may be of interest. In addition to providing a funding database, ProFellow also runs a blog which features content with tips for writing winning research proposals, lists of fellowships within certain disciplines, guides for creating a competitive fellowship application. ProFellow requires users to make an account in order to access the funding database. Anonymous users can access the blog portion of the site.

Embark Carolina

Embark Carolina is a new, dynamic resource that is a part of UNC’s effort to open access to global opportunities so students can pursue more diverse experiences. Explore the Global Guide to find an opportunity and search the Funding Finder to fund it.

CGS Federal Graduate and Postdoc Fellowships Database

The Council of Graduate Schools fellowships database contains listings for federally funded graduate and postdoc fellowships. Searches in this database can be filtered by items such as field of study, organization, applicant type, and compensation amount.

UNC-Chapel Hill external award winners

The UNC-Chapel Hill external award winners page features a list of external awards won by graduate students beginning in 2007. Entries are organized according to academic year, department, student name, and the name and sponsor of the award.

Office of Distinguished Scholarships 

The Office of Distinguished Scholarships (ODS) is available to advise students on applications, suggest interviewing strategies, and put you in touch with faculty members who can assist with writing project proposals.

National Science Foundation

Resources for writing proposals for the National Science Foundation.

NSF general resources

• From the National Science Foundation [NSF 1-11]; effective January 2011.
• Detailed guide to the rules, policies, and procedures for NSF grants.
• Advice for proposal writers on the process of applying for an NSF grant.

NSF graduate research fellowship resources

• Videos from the three-part NSF doctoral dissertation improvement grant (DDIG workshops). Access part one , part two , and part three .
• Learn more about the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) in this presentation from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign , compiled by William Hahn, former director.
• Learn essay insights, including tips for crafting your personal statement, previous research experience statement, a proposed plan of research statement, and more . Compiled by the University of Missouri.
• Sample applications from graduate students . Take a look at this collection of complete, successful NSF GRFP proposals in the field of environmental sciences.

Wayne State University

Graduate school graduate school, scholarships and awards.

AGRADE Master's Scholarship Graduate Professional Scholarship Graduate School thesis/dissertation research support Graduate Student Professional Travel Awards Heberlein Teaching Award Summer Dissertation Award

AGRADE Master's Scholarship

The AGRADE MA Scholarship is designed to recruit and reward AGRADE students who have graduated with their bachelor's degree and are ready to enroll in their first master's-only semester at Wayne State. The AGRADE scholarship will pay for up to 4 credit hours of tuition at the in-state Graduate School rate for two consecutive semesters, Fall and Winter OR Winter and Fall (no coverage is provided during the Spring/Summer term).

AGRADE application deadlines come up in April and October of each year. Students who have been admitted to a master's program and who will start their first master's-only semester in either the Spring/Summer or Fall term should apply in April for funding in the Fall cycle. Students who have been admitted to a master's program and who will start their first master's-only semester in the Winter term should apply in October for funding in the Winter cycle. Recipients of the AGRADE scholarship must register for a minimum of 6 credit hours each term.

Application deadline: April 26, 2024

AGRADE Scholarship application

Graduate Professional Scholarship

The Graduate School sponsors an annual Graduate Professional Scholarship competition for tuition awards in the fall and winter semesters. The GPS scholarship provides tuition coverage at the in-state rate* (differential tuition included, EXCEPT for the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences where coverage is only at the Graduate School in-state rate). A minimum of 6 graduate credits and maximum of 10 credits can be covered in each of the fall and winter semesters. Covered courses must count towards degree requirements (undergraduate, audited or dropped/withdrawn courses are not covered by GPS).

The review process is conducted by a selection committee of university faculty. Award decisions are not subject to appeal. Applicants must reapply to be considered for subsequent years.

Eligibility

• Students pursuing advanced professional degrees (Ed.D., M.S.W.) or graduate degrees (master's, Ph.D.) in all Wayne State University schools and colleges are eligible.  Students pursuing the PharmD., J.D. or M.D. are ineligible and should consult the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Law School or School of Medicine respectively concerning financial assistance.
• Students must have applied for admission to a Wayne State graduate or advanced professional degree program before they can apply for the Graduate Professional Scholarship.
• To be considered for a Graduate Professional Scholarship award, new students must be formally admitted to an advanced professional or graduate program by May 1, 2024. 
• Students admitted to post-bachelor, graduate non-degree and graduate certificate programs are not eligible.
• A graduate assistantship (GRA, GSA or GTA)
• A tuition-paying internship
• A tuition-paying fellowship
• A tuition-paying scholarship
• A full-time WSU position with tuition benefits
• Recipients must make satisfactory progress in all courses and must register for a minimum of six graduate credit hours each semester to retain the scholarship award.
• The scholarship must be used during the period for which it is granted.
• The purpose of this scholarship is to support students to become skilled professionals. Thus, recipients are encouraged to participate in at least three Professional Development (PD) events during the academic year.

Application

Before applying for or accepting any scholarship or fellowship, please consult with  WSU Financial Aid  regarding how such an award may affect your financial aid package, including loan eligibility.

• Click on the button below to apply.
• Applicants will need to create a new Slate account or use their existing Slate account to submit the application.
• Once logged in, click on "Start New Application."
• Select "2024-2025 Graduate Professional Scholarship" from the drop down menu.
• Click on "Create Application."

GPS application

Application deadline:   March 15, 2024 .

* Students who are assessed out-of-state tuition, including students on F1 visas and other non-resident students are still responsible for paying the out-of-state portion of their tuition bills. To determine if you qualify for in-state tuition rates, check here .

Graduate School thesis/dissertation research support

The Graduate School has a grant program to defray expenses necessary to the completion of approved thesis or dissertation research. Awards are limited to a maximum of $1,000 for dissertation research and $500 for thesis projects. Matching support from the student's department is required. Eligibility is restricted to one award per student per degree. Funds from the thesis/dissertation program must be expended within six months from receiving the funds.

Applications for thesis/dissertation support must be submitted to and approved by the Graduate School prior to beginning the actual conduct of research activities for which support is requested. To meet this provision, applications should be submitted well in advance of the desired starting date of research. Requests for retroactive funding of activities already conducted will not be considered.

Please note that expenses must be approved before the related research activity begins. Costs associated with preparation of the thesis or dissertation manuscript itself are not allowable under this program.

• All applicants must be in good academic standing and registered for doctoral candidate or maintenance status dissertation research credits, or master's thesis research credits at WSU.

Ph.D. students

• Limited to Ph.D. candidates who are engaged in dissertation research.
• Ph.D. candidates must have an approved dissertation prospectus on file in the Graduate School to receive awards.

Master's students

• Limited to master's candidates involved in thesis research.
• Master's candidates must have an approved thesis outline on file in their school/college or a letter from their advisor stating that a thesis plan has been approved at the departmental level.

Thesis/Dissertation Research Support application

Receipt submission

Graduate Student Professional Travel Awards

Submit an application for support of travel to present at an academic or professional event. Awards will be made up to a maximum of $1000. A matching amount is required from your school/college, department, or PI. For more information on allowed expenses, visit the travel expenses webpage . Questions should be addressed to the Graduate School at  [email protected] . 

• Student must present their research at the conference
• Check with your department for any additional guidelines or eligibility requirements

Travel Award application

Garrett T. Heberlein Endowed Award for Excellence in Teaching for Graduate Students

These awards, established by contributions from the former Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, Gary Heberlein, recognize Wayne State graduate students for demonstrating instructional excellence. The awards are designed, in part, to elevate the attention given to teaching as part of graduate education and the preparation of graduate students to serve as college and university faculty. The awards include an honorarium and a citation that will be presented at the Academic Recognition Ceremony. 

See previous recipients

The Heberlein Teaching Award competition is open to all graduate students who are currently enrolled in a Wayne State graduate program and who are employed as graduate teaching assistants at the university during the current 2023-2024 academic year. One award is made each year in each of three categories: Ph.D. students teaching lecture sections, Ph.D. students leading recitation/laboratory sections, and master's student instructors.  

• The Heberlein Teaching Award recipients are determined through the nomination process below.
• Nomination materials
• Nominations should be made by the department chair using the nomination form.
• Letters of support from the department chair (please note any departmental awards for teaching won by the student) and other letters of support (up to three total)
• The nominee's teaching portfolio (specific instructions are on the nomination form) 
• A one-page table summary of the Student Evaluation of Teaching scores (no comments)
• A current curriculum vitae
• Nomination materials cannot exceed 15 pages.

Nomination deadline: December 1, 2023

Heberlein nomination form

Summer Dissertation Award

The Graduate School holds an annual competition for Summer Dissertation Award for advanced Ph.D. students. The award period covers the months of June, July and August, and provides summer support to recipients while they work full time on their dissertations.

Consideration will be given to Ph.D. candidates who have an approved prospectus on file and anticipate defending their dissertations within the academic year following the award period. The application requires the signed endorsement of the dissertation advisor, confirming that the student has sufficient resources and faculty support to conduct full-time dissertation work during the summer. The most recent Annual Review/Individual Development Plan must also be included in the application. See application below for full details.

Consideration for awards will be given to Ph.D. students who have:

• Have satisfied all the requirements for their degrees except the final dissertation defense.
• Have not exceeded the seven-year limit for completion.
• Have completed sufficient work on their dissertation projects, plus have resources and facultysupport in place to devote full-time to completing and defending their dissertations by May 31, 2025. Students who plan to defend in spring/summer 2024 are not eligible .
• Have not previously received a Summer Dissertation Award.
• Have been continuously enrolled following a successful prospectus defense.

Note that as stated by  university policy , Wayne State employees, i.e. persons providing a service to the university, are not eligible to receive fellowships.

Application deadline: December 18, 2023

Summer Dissertation application

Graduate School

Office of the provost, funding opportunities.

There are many ways to fund your graduate studies, and we have highlighted a selection of key resources below. To estimate your tuition as a VCU graduate student, please utilize the post-undergraduate calculator . Current students are encouraged to read the twice-monthly graduate student newsletter, With the ProgRAM , where we frequently share third-party fellowship, scholarship and funding opportunities.

Financing graduate study

Financial aid.

The VCU Student Financial Services team is available to support you through the process of applying for financial aid and budgeting for your education. Visit the SFS website to estimate your tuition, connect with a peer money coach or learn more about financial aid and expense planning.

Graduate assistantships and fellowships

A number of graduate teaching and research assistantships and fellowships are available to current and incoming graduate students. The criteria and award amounts vary across departments and disciplines. For information on specific opportunities, connect with your graduate program of interest .

National Scholarship Office

The  VCU National Scholarship Office  supports students in discovering and applying for competitive national and international scholarships and fellowships. These opportunities can support graduate students by funding their studies, research, fieldwork and more. The NSO offers information sessions, workshops, individual advising and for-credit courses, which are free to current students and VCU alumni. 

RAMS Scholarship Hub

The RAMS Scholarship Hub  is a centralized, searchable database where students can browse available scholarship opportunities offered through various VCU colleges, schools and departments. The Hub features a streamlined application process; current students can apply for several scholarships using a single application, supplemented by answering additional award-specific questions.

Military Student Services

VCU's  Military Student Services works with veterans, active service members, spouses and dependents to support their transition from military life to academics.  MSS provides advocacy, counseling, connections to resources, and information  on the GI Bill, educational assistance and scholarship opportunities. 

VCU Libraries: Pivot

Students can access Pivot, a funding opportunities and collaborators database, through VCU Libraries Research Guides . Pivot combines the most comprehensive, editorially maintained database of funding opportunities worth an estimated $33 billion with a unique database of 3 million pre-populated scholar profiles.

Additional funding opportunities provided by the Graduate School

The Graduate School is pleased to announce we are partnering with the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to sponsor a COVES fellow! 

The   Commonwealth of Virginia Engineering and Science   (COVES) Fellowship is a 12-week fellowship program of the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (VASEM). Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows will serve as science advisors in a variety of possible placements, including legislative offices, executive agencies, or prominent companies and nonprofits in the state of Virginia. 

Fellows will gain experience by serving their host office and performing relevant tasks such as researching, drafting, and revising relevant policies. Fellows will also be paired with a VASEM member who will serve as an experienced science policy mentor throughout the fellowship.

• Fellows will serve from May 28th through August 16th, 2024.
• A stipend of $9,000 and $2,000 in professional development funds will be provided to recipients. 
• The 2024 COVES Fellowship will run primarily in person with some remote opportunities.
• Fellowship orientation in Richmond, VA: May 23 - May 24, 2024.

Eligibility requirements

To be considered, applicants must be enrolled in a graduate program at VCU. (Masters or Ph.D.)

Interested graduate students should complete the 2024 COVES Application and submit it to [email protected] by Monday, December 11, 2023. 

The following should be included with the COVES application as a single attachment. 

• Resume or CV
• Advisor Letter of Support
• Personal Statement
• Science Policy in Virginia
• Diversity Statement
• External-funding consideration (optional)

The Graduate School Dissertation Assistantship program is for Ph.D. scholars who have completed all program requirements, including didactic courses, except for the dissertation and who will defend the dissertation and graduate by the end of the semester for the award period. Qualifying students must be nominated to your school/college Dean’s Office by their program directors. Due to the funding source, this program is only available to Ph.D. students.

Dissertation Assistantships will be awarded as follows:

• Fall-Only: university tuition (no fees) and $9,375 stipend
• Spring-Only: university tuition (no fees) and $9,375 stipend
• Fall and Spring: university tuition (no fees) and $18, 750
• No summer support will be offered via this award.

This award is not intended to replace any existing funding or funding commitment. Programs may, however, pay university/program fees and/or supplement the stipend to align with the funding levels of other students. There may be no work required other than work on the dissertation.

To be considered, applicants must meet these requirements:

• Must have received Graduate School approval of degree candidacy and defended a dissertation proposal, if required
• Must be planning to work full-time towards completion of the dissertation only during the award period, and must certify that they will not be employed in any other position, internal or external, for the award period.

Nominations will be evaluated based on:

• Scholarship
• Methodology
• Clarity of style and presentation
• Strength of recommendations
• Academic record

Applicants 

Application period: may 13-31,2024.

Applicants are to complete the Graduate School Dissertation Assistantship application . Application materials include the following:

• One or two-page outline of the student’s research plan
• Letter of recommendation from the graduate program director or department chair that includes confirmation of the intended graduation date
• Letter of certification from the student that they will not be employed in any other position, internal or external, for the award period

Please note that the Graduate School will submit completed applications to your school/college Associate Dean for a transmittal letter of support and confirmation of the intended graduation date.

If you have any questions, please contact  [email protected] .

The VCU Graduate School has partnered with the  SREB Doctoral Scholars Program to provide support services to eligible (see below) students seeking their Ph.D. and planning to become college or university professors. Preference will be given to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The VCU University Award is for scholars expecting admission for the Fall 2024 semester.   The University Award offers three years of program support. In addition, the award provides professional development support and covers expenses associated with attending the Compact for Faculty Diversity Annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring.

For the first two years, the Graduate School will pay university tuition only (not fees), $25,000 stipend support, and administrative cost. In the student’s third year, the school/department will pay university tuition and stipend support for each student commensurate with similar fields who are at the same level and administrative cost. The school/department will pay the university fees for this Institutional Award.

The VCU Graduate School is pleased to announce the 2024-2025 Doctoral Scholars Program , University Award. The deadline to apply is April 15, 2024.

In the selection of a diverse group of participants, the University shall not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin (including ethnicity), age, sex, parenting status, marital status, political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability.

• Must be accepted into a campus-based Ph.D. program starting Fall 2024.
• Must hold (or will receive) a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university by the beginning of the fall semester of the year of the application. The program particularly encourages applicants who seek Ph.D.s in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or have legal permanent resident status.
• Must not be employed outside of your department or discipline.
• Must plan to become a full-time college or university faculty member after earning a Ph.D.

Please complete the Google Form application. Application materials include the following:

• Include department, discipline or major field of study
• Include area of specialization
• Transmittal letter of recommendation from the graduate program director, department chair or associate dean of graduate education (may be included in the application materials section or submitted to   [email protected]  to be attached to the completed application)

Please note that applications will also be reviewed based on letters of recommendation submitted with the graduate admissions application. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] .

The Graduate School is pleased to announce the Graduate School Master's Scholarship. The scholarship provides $2,500 to assist in the defrayment of tuition and fees upon verification of enrollment in a minimum of 6 credit hours.

• Applicants are to apply directly to their respective schools/colleges
• Must be newly admitted to a graduate master's degree program for Spring 2024
• Enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours, graduate coursework for credit

Please be advised that schools/colleges may have criteria in addition to these requirements.