Funding sources for doctoral work can include the UW, non-profits, corporations, professional and academic associations, employers, and government agencies. Here are some funding opportunities for students in Geography to consider. See http://guides.lib.washington.edu/gfis (Links to an external site.)for links to additional funding resources and databases.
UW Resources to Help You Find Funding
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Department of Geography http://depts.washington.edu/geog/funding/ (Links to an external site.)
- Explanation of funding resources. See in particular the department’s Howard Martin Medal: Modest research support for graduate students distributed twice each year. These funds are used to support research by geography graduate students that can be meaningfully advanced with fairly small amounts ($100-$1500).
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Graduate Funding Information Service (GFIS) Blog https://grantsandfundinginformationserviceblog.wordpress.com/ (Links to an external site.)
- For assistantships, scholarships, and fellowships.
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Library Guide http://guides.lib.washington.edu/gfis (Links to an external site.)
- For links to funding resources and databases, including Grant Forward and SciVal Funding.
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The Graduate School Fellowships, Assistantships, and Awards http://www.grad.washington.edu/students/fa/calendar.shtml (Links to an external site.)
- Funding calendar of major internal and external funding opportunities.
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Graduate Opportunity and Minority Achievement Program (GO-MAP) http://www.grad.washington.edu/gomap/ (Links to an external site.)
- Funding opportunities for underrepresented students whose individual experiences and/or academic interests will bring diversity to scholarly perspectives and endeavors, and to the academic community.
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UW Departments, Colleges, Schools, and Research Centers for scholarships, fellowships, and assistantships
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- Select “Academic Student Employee” under “Category” for assistantships.
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Handshake http://uw.joinhandshake.com/login (Links to an external site.)
- Hourly positions on campus
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Office of Student Financial Aid http://www.washington.edu/students/osfa/graduate/ (Links to an external site.)
- Information about student loans for graduate students.
Selected UW Fellowships & Grants
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Bullitt Environmental Leadership Fellowship http://www.bullitt.org/programs/environmental-fellowship/ (Links to an external site.)
- Two-year $50,000/year fellowship for graduate students interested in pursuing leadership positions within the environmental field.
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Fritz/Boeing International Research and Study Fellowships http://www.grad.washington.edu/students/fa/fritz/index.shtml (Links to an external site.)
- Quarter-long grants to support UW graduate students conducting international research or study.
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Graduate School Presidential Dissertation Fellowship http://www.grad.washington.edu/students/fa/dissertation/index.shtml (Links to an external site.)
- Quarter-long fellowship (tuition, stipend, insurance) for dissertation writing. By departmental nomination.
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Jacobs Research Fund (Whatcom Museum Society) http://depts.washington.edu/jacobsf/application.html (Links to an external site.)
- Funds projects involving fieldwork with living peoples of North, Central and South America which result in publication or other dissemination of information about the fieldwork. Priority is given to research on endangered cultures and languages, and to research on the Pacific Northwest.
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Latino Scholars Graduate School Fellowship http://www.grad.washington.edu/students/fa/latino/index.shtml (Links to an external site.)
- $1,000 award for masters or doctoral students whose research, work, and/or service demonstrate a commitment to Latino communities.
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Project for Interdisciplinary Pedagogy Fellowship (PIP) http://www.uwb.edu/ias/about/pip (Links to an external site.)
- Funded opportunity for a small cohort of doctoral students to develop their teaching skills in an integrative interdisciplinary program spanning the arts and sciences.
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UW Retirement Association Fellowship in Aging www.grad.washington.edu/students/fa/uwra/index.shtml (Links to an external site.)
- Fellowship for graduate students not in their final year of study who have a demonstrated academic and personal interest in aging-related issues or concerns.
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West Coast Poverty Center Research Grants http://depts.washington.edu/wcpc/node/137 (Links to an external site.)
- Micro- (up to $400) and mini-grants ($5,000-10,000) to help support collaborations with community practitioners or agencies on topics related to poverty, social policy, and individual or family financial well-being.
Conference Travel
There are two major sources for conference travel available from UW. If you are presenting at a national ($300) or international ($500) conference, these opportunities will help fund your travel. Be mindful of deadlines – there are particular application windows for particular conference dates.
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Graduate School Fund for Excellence and Innovation (GSFEI) http://www.grad.washington.edu/students/fa/gsfei/travel.shtml (Links to an external site.)
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Graduate and Professional Student Senate Travel Grants (GPSS) http://depts.washington.edu/gpss/services/funding/travel-grants (Links to an external site.)
Also keep an eye out for departmental funding, scholarships from the conference itself, and travel grants from scholarly/academic/professional organizations in your field.
Selected Dissertation-Related Fellowships & Grants
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American Association of University Women (AAUW) American Fellowships http://www.aauw.org/what-we-do/educational-funding-and-awards/american-fellowships/ (Links to an external site.)
- Major fellowship to support women scholars who are completing dissertations, planning research leave from accredited institutions, or preparing research for publication. AAUW also offers an international fellowship for those who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
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American Educational Research Association (AERA) Dissertation Grants and Fellowships http://www.aera.net/ProfessionalOpportunitiesFunding/AERAFundingOpportunities/tabid/10241/Default.aspx (Links to an external site.)
- Research and Dissertation Grants Program provides small grants for conducting studies of education policy and practice using federally-funded, large-scale data sets. Minority Dissertation Fellowship Program in Education Research offers doctoral fellowships to enhance the competitiveness of outstanding minority scholars for academic appointments at major research universities.
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American Philosophical Society (APS) Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research http://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/lewisandclark (Links to an external site.)
- Awards of up to $5,000 to fund doctoral students’ exploration and field research in a variety of disciplines.
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CAORC Multi-Country Research Fellowship http://www.caorc.org/fellowships/multi (Links to an external site.)
- The Council of American Overseas Research Centers supports advanced regional or trans-regional research in the humanities, social sciences, or allied natural sciences for U.S. doctoral candidates and scholars who have already earned their Ph.D. Awards of up to $10,500. CAORC also offers other graduate fellowships.
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Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship http://woodrow.org/fellowships/newcombe/ (Links to an external site.)
- Major dissertation fellowship to encourage original and significant study of ethical or religious values in all fields of the humanities and social sciences.
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Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation Grants, Conference Grants, and Doctoral Fellowships http://www.cckf.org/e-dornation.htm (Links to an external site.)
- Grants, conference grants, publication support, and doctoral fellowships in the area of Chinese studies in the humanities and social sciences.
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Dan David Prize http://www.dandavidprize.org/scholarship-applications/ (Links to an external site.)
- Scholarships to registered doctoral and post-doctoral researchers studying at recognized universities throughout the world and doing research in one of the selected fields for the year in which the application is made.
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Ford Foundation Fellowship Program http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/FordFellowships/index.htm (Links to an external site.)
- Predoctoral, dissertation, and postdoctoral fellowships for individuals committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level.
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Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships http://www2.ed.gov/programs/iegpsddrap/index.html (Links to an external site.)
- Grants for dissertation research abroad for non-Western European Area Studies. Geographic areas include: Africa; East, Southeast, and South Asia, Pacific Islands; Near East; East Central Europe and Eurasia; and the Western Hemisphere (excluding US and territories). UW has an internal deadline (contact gradappt@uw.edu).
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Fulbright U.S. Student Study/Research Abroad Fellowships http://www.grad.washington.edu/students/fa/fulbright/index.shtml (Links to an external site.)
- The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide. The program currently awards approximately 1,800 grants annually in all fields of study, and operates in more than 155 countries worldwide. UW has an internal deadline (contact gradappt@uw.edu).
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Guggenheim Foundation Dissertation Fellowships http://www.hfg.org/df/guidelines.htm (Links to an external site.)
- Fellowships of $20,000 each are designed to contribute to the support of the doctoral candidate and are only appropriate for students approaching the final year of their PhD work. Not for research. Questions that interest the foundation concern violence and aggression in relation to social change, intergroup conflict, war, terrorism, crime, and family relationships, among other subjects.
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Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy Grants http://www.horowitz-foundation.org/grant-info/ (Links to an external site.)
- $7,500 grants to PhD candidates in all major areas of the social sciences, including anthropology, area studies, economics, political science, psychology, sociology, and urban studies, as well as newer areas such as evaluation research. Special awards are also available (for example, the Eli Ginzberg Award for a project involving major health and welfare problems in urban settings).
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Josephine de Kármán Fellowships http://www.dekarman.org/ (Links to an external site.)
- $22,000 fellowships for doctoral students in the final year. Study must be carried out only in the United States and all funds must be expended only within this country.
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Kappa Omicron Nu Marjorie M. Brown Fellowship Program http://www.kon.org/awards/grants.html (Links to an external site.)
- Supports doctoral research to continue Brown's philosophical work using critical social theory in the human sciences. PhD or DEd students are eligible to apply. Individual membership affiliation with Kappa Omicron Nu is available to those who meet the criteria for membership.
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Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships http://www.acls.org/programs/dcf/ (Links to an external site.)
- Year-long award of up to $38,000 to PhD candidates in the humanities or social sciences.
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National Academy of Education Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program http://naeducation.org/NAED_080200.htm (Links to an external site.)
- $25,000 award to support candidates whose dissertations show potential for bringing fresh and constructive perspectives to the history, theory, or practice of formal or informal education anywhere in the world.
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NSF Geography and Spatial Sciences Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards (GSS-DDRI) http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503621&org=NSF (Links to an external site.)
- The Geography and Spatial Sciences Program sponsors research on the geographic distributions and interactions of human, physical, and biotic systems on Earth. Investigators are encouraged to propose plans for research about the nature, causes, and consequences of human activity and natural environmental processes across a range of scales. Projects on a variety of topics qualify for support if they offer promise of contributing to scholarship by enhancing geographical knowledge, concepts, theories, methods, and their application to societal problems and concerns. Application deadlines are the second Thursday in August and the second Thursday in February each year.
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Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO) Scholar Awards http://www.peointernational.org/about-peo-scholar-awards-psa (Links to an external site.)
- Awards of up to $15,000 for women who are pursuing a doctoral degree at an accredited college or university. In addition to recognizing and encouraging excellence in higher education, these awards provide partial support for study/research for women who will make significant contributions in their varied fields.
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Reed Foundation Ruth Landes Memorial Research Fund http://thereedfoundation.org/landes/grants.html (Links to an external site.)
- Awards range from $10,000 to $60,000 per year, and may be used for research, including field studies and related expenses doctoral or postdoctoral scholars. Areas of supported research include, but are not limited to, aging, gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, immigrant and minority populations, culture and education, language and identity, and religion.
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Social Science Research Council (SSRC) Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (DPDF) & International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF)
- http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/dpdf-fellowship
- The DPDF helps early-stage doctoral students in the humanities and social sciences formulate innovative dissertation research proposals through workshops, exploratory summer research, and writing guided by peer review and faculty mentorship.
- http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/idrf-fellowship/
- The IDRF provides 9-12 months of support for post-candidacy doctoral students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences conducting dissertation research on non-U.S. topics. Average fellowship amount is $20,000.
- See http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/all/ for all SSRC funding opportunities.
- http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/dpdf-fellowship
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Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grants http://www.wennergren.org/grantprograms/2
- Maximum of $20,000 awarded to aid doctoral research of qualified doctoral students without regard to nationality or institutional or departmental affiliation. The Foundation supports research that demonstrates a clear link to anthropological theory and debates, and promises to make a solid contribution to advancing these ideas. There is no preference for any methodology, research location, or subfield. Application deadlines are May 1 and November 1 annually.
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Woodrow Wilson Foundation Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship http://woodrow.org/fellowships/newcombe
- Designed to encourage original and significant study of ethical or religious values in all fields of the humanities and social sciences. $25,000 will be awarded for 12 months of full-time dissertation writing; in addition, Fellows' graduate schools will be asked to waive tuition and/or remit some portion of their fees.
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Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellowship in Women’s Studies http://woodrow.org/fellowships/womens-studies/
- Supports the final dissertation writing year for PhD candidates in the humanities and social sciences whose work addresses topics of women and gender in interdisciplinary and original ways. The foundation encourages original and significant research about women that crosses disciplinary, regional, or cultural boundaries.
Additional Funding Opportunities
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American Association of Geographers (AAG) Grants and Awards http://www.aag.org/cs/grantsawards
- AAG International Geographic Information Fund http://www.aag.org/cs/grants/igif
- Three types of awards: Student Travel Grants, Graduate Research Awards, and Student Paper Awards. These awards are intended to support full-time students who are working in any area of spatial analysis or geographic information science or systems (SA/GISS).
- AAG Specialty and Affinity Group Awards http://www.aag.org/cs/grants/aag_groups
- Many AAG Specialty and Affinity Groups confer travel grants, hold paper competitions, and bestow honors and awards at the AAG Annual Meeting. Notices for these competitions may appear on the relevant specialty group’s website or listserve, or on the AAG News site (http://news.aag.org
- AAG International Geographic Information Fund http://www.aag.org/cs/grants/igif
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American Indian Graduate Center Graduate Fellowships http://www.aigcs.org/scholarships/graduate-fellowships/
- Scholarships to American Indian and Alaska Native students to defray the cost of attendance in higher education, including graduate and professional schools.
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Antipode Foundation International Workshop Award http://antipodefoundation.org/international-workshop-awards/
- Supports radical geographers holding events (including conferences, workshops, seminar series, summer schools and action research meetings) that further radical analyses of geographical issues and engender the development of a new and better society.
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Antipode Foundation Scholar-Activist Projects Awards http://antipodefoundation.org/scholar-activist-project-awards/
- Project funding work that can include (but is not limited to): collaborative research with artistic, community, cultural, grassroots, or social movement groups; the production of educational materials and other innovative pedagogical initiatives; and the promotion of links between universities and institutions/organisations outside the academy.
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Bill Raskob Foundation Interest-Free Loan Program http://www.billraskob.org/index.html
- The Foundation aids students through educational loans at no interest. The Foundation does not award scholarships, grants or gifts.
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Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund http://www.davisputter.org/
- Grants to students actively working for peace and justice. These need-based scholarships are awarded to those able to do academic work at the university level and who are part of the progressive movement on the campus and in the community.
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Dolores Zohrab Leibmann Fellowship http://www.grad.washington.edu/students/fa/liebmann/index.shtml
- Supports graduate students who show outstanding character and ability who hold promise for achievement and distinction in their chosen fields of study. The University of Washington is one of the institutions selected to submit three nominees for this national fellowship.
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Emerging Leaders in Science and Society http://www.aaas.org/page/eliss-overview
- An extracurricular, volunteer experience for graduate and professional students. Fellows collaborate with a multi- campus team to help local and national stakeholders better understand and address a complex issue.
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Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) Scholarship Program http://thegsbascholarship.org/facts.php
- The GSBA Scholarship Fund awards educational scholarships to undergraduate LGBTQ and Allied students who exhibit leadership potential, demonstrate strong academic abilities, and who are actively involved in school and community organizations.
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Hispanic Scholarship Fund https://hsf.net/en/scholarships/
- Merit-based scholarships available for Hispanic/Latin@ graduate students.
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Human Geography Small Grants Program http://www.hugeog.com/index.php/grant-program
- Funds up to $5,000 from the Institute for Human Geography that can be used to support radical activism, research, and writing.
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National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) Graduate Scholarships & Awards http://www.nwsa.org/content.asp?contentid=16
- A variety of funding opportunities for research in the interdisciplinary field of women’s studies.
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National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=6201&org=NSF
- The GRFP provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant achievements in science and engineering. At the time of application, the student must not have completed post-baccalaureate study in excess of 36 quarter hours in any of the fields listed in the program description. Students can apply before beginning graduate study.
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Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans http://www.pdsoros.org/
- Up to two years of support for New Americans, immigrants, or the children of immigrants, who are pursuing graduate studies in the United States.
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Pride Foundation Scholarships http://www.pridefoundation.org/what-we-do/scholarships
- Scholarships available to support graduate study. Preference is given to students who are self-identified LGBTQ, members of LGBTQ families, or straight allies who have been strongly supportive of the LGBTQ community. All scholarships emphasize demonstrated commitment to equality and civil rights for all people.
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Seattle Foundation Walter H. Meyer/Garry L. White Memorial Scholarship http://www.seattlefoundation.org/scholarships/Pages/ScholarshipListing.aspx
- $5,000 scholarships directed specifically to returning adult students who are either attending or prepared to attend a 2- or 4-year public or private university, at the graduate or undergraduate level. If attending at the graduate level, the applicant must be over the age of 30.
Language Study
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Blakemore Freeman Fellowships http://www.blakemorefoundation.org/
- Grants that fund an academic year of advanced language study abroad of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and selected Southeast Asian languages. An applicant must have (at minimum) a bachelor's degree and have completed at least three years of study of the language at the college level by the start of the grant.
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Boren Fellowships http://www.borenawards.org/boren_fellowship/basics.html
- Boren Fellowships, an initiative of the National Security Education Program, provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. graduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests, and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded. Boren Fellowships provide up to $24,000 for overseas study. In addition, Boren Fellowships can provide limited funding for domestic language study that will supplement the overseas component. The maximum award for a combined overseas and domestic program is $30,000. Awards for a minimum of 12 weeks and maximum of 24 months.
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Critical Language Scholarship http://www.clscholarship.org/
- Fully-funded overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students in the following languages: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, and Urdu.
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Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship http://jsis.washington.edu/advise/flas/
- Fellowships for advanced training in Canadian, East-, Central-, South-, and Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, Russian and Eastern European and Western European Area Studies. For graduate and professional students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Academic year awards are for language and area studies. Summer fellowships are solely to support intensive language study.
Selected Visiting/Residential Fellowships
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American Philosophical Society Library Research Fellowships http://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/resident
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Bolin Fellowships at Williams College http://faculty.williams.edu/graduate-fellowships-2/graduate-fellowships/
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Brocher Foundation Residencies http://www.brocher.ch/calls/
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Center for US-Mexican Studies Scholars Program http://usmex.ucsd.edu/scholars/application-process.html
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Dartmouth College Chavez/Eastman/Marshall Dissertation Fellowship http://graduate.dartmouth.edu/funding/fellowships/cem.htmlS
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Five College Fellowship Program https://www.fivecolleges.edu/faculty/fellowships
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Frederick Douglass Institute Pre- or Post-doctoral Fellowship Program http://www.rochester.edu/college/aas/grad_programs/fellowships.html
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Harvard Academy Scholars Program Pre and Postdoctoral Fellowships http://academy.wcfia.harvard.edu/academy_scholars_program.html
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Newberry Library Short-Term Resident Fellowship for Individual Research http://www.newberry.org/research/felshp/short-term.html
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School of Advanced Research, Santa Fe http://sarweb.org/index.php?resident_scholars
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Trinity College Ann Plato Pre- or Post-doctoral Fellowship http://www.trincoll.edu/Academics/dean/positions/pages/Ann.aspx
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Wesleyan Animal Studies Human-Animal Studies Fellowship http://www.animalsandsociety.org/pages/human-animal-studies-fellowship
Selected Post-Graduate Opportunities
Many of the Visiting/Residential Fellowships listed above also offer post-doctoral opportunities.
See the following resource from the UW Career Center for useful information, search tools, and links for finding and funding a post-doc: http://www.careers.uw.edu/sites/default/files/all/editors/docs/gradstudents/StrategiesforSuccess - FindingFundingaPostdocPosition-10-08.pdf
Here are a few more postgraduate opportunities:
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Bonderman Graduate Travel Fellowships http://bonderman.uw.edu/
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Dan David Prize http://www.dandavidprize.org/scholarship-applications/
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Ford Foundation Fellowship Program http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/FordFellowships/index.htm
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Luce Scholars Program http://www.grad.washington.edu/students/fa/luce/index.shtml
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Reed Foundation Research Grants http://thereedfoundation.org/landes/grants.html
Rachel Wishkoski, Graduate Funding Information Service
Research Commons Consultation Studio Allen Library South (ground floor)
Updated May 2015