Graduate Students

Getting Started

Many funding opportunities exist for dissertation work, travel to conferences, and other projects that pertain to students earning their masters or PhDs. This page contains useful guides and resources for writing grant applications, navigating UO's internal processes for grant submissions, and finding funding.

If you have questions about any of these materials or aspects of applying for grants, or would like feedback on a proposal narrative, please contact Research Development Services.

Guidance & Resources

Ways to Improve Grant-Writing Skills

Resources to support the new grant-writer learning the style and technique for this specialized writing

Grant Proposal Examples - website database
Grant Writing Dos and Don'ts - UO webpage with guidance for grantwriters
Lessons Learned from 10,000 Proposal Reviews: Top Reviewer Criticisms and How to Avoid Them - Article (PDF) from AAAS's Research Competitiveness Program
NSF Guide for Proposal Writing
The Art of Grantsmanship - Web article from Human Frontier Science Program

Specialized Proposal Prep Resources

Internal UO resources available to to improve proposals

Subject Area Librarians - To help you identify relevant literature or assistance in identifying citation tools for organizing your resources
Zotero, Mendeley, and/or EndNote - Citation tools available to UO community
Research Development Services - A unit in the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation
Departmental Grant Administrators - Find the specialized personnel in your dept who support grants
Boilerplate for UO Facilities and Resources - Documents describing many aspects of facilities and resources on campus to be used in grant applications

Grant Planning & UO Processes

Downloadable PDF

It's essential to start early with grant planning. From start to finish, the process can take anywhere from six months to a year.

Downloadable PDF

UO's internal process can be complex. Be sure you contact the key people in your department and the central office before beginning your application.

Principal Investigator Status at UO: Graduate students applying to grants that are specifically geared toward students are eligible to apply with no special or extra process. But if you are seeking to be a Co-Principal Investigator with a UO Faculty as lead, there are some extra steps you'll need to take. Please see UO's Principal Investigator Policy for more details.
Preparing an Application at UO: If you want to take a deep dive into the application processes at UO, you can find more information on the OVPRI's webpage dedicated to preparing an application.

Videos & Articles

This collection of articles, videos and documents provide a wealth of guidance for designing, writing and submitting grant applications to a variety of disciplines and funders. Note the institutional top off policy covering tuition, fees, and health insurance applies to some nationally prestigious awards listed below, which are identified in the policy website.

Humanities Disciplines

Humanities Fellowships Workshop - Watch this UO workshop video to get information about where to find humanities funding and elements of an application. This workshop was geared toward faculty. PDF of PowerPoint
Humanities Mock Panel Review - This UO workshop video provides insight into the process grant peer reviewers use to determine what applications should be funded and which should be rejected.
Writing Proposals for ACLS Fellowship Competitions - This article from the ACLS will help you understand what's needed to be successful for a fellowship from the Society. The guidance here is applicable to broader dissertation and fellowship applications as well. This guide can help you apply for a Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship, Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowship in American Art, Getty/ACLS Postdoctoral Fellowship in the History of Art, and the ACLS Emerging Voices Fellowship*.

STEM Disciplines

NSF Introduction and Overview (56 min): This video will cover the basics of the origins, structure, funding rates and budget of the NSF, and provide an overview of the goal of broadening STEM education. Q & A included. Timetable document for video (PDF of PowerPoint)
NSF Mock Review Panel (16 min): This video will give you excellent insight into the workings of a NSF review process, and can help you better understand what reviewers consider when they make their recommendations to program officers. The video is aimed at faculty research grants, but can still provide worthwhile insight for graduate students applying to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program or the Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants (SBE Directorate only).
Other STEM funding opportunities worth noting include the APA Elizabeth Munsterberg Koppitz Child Psychology Graduate Student Fellowship*, Google Ph.D. Fellowship Program*, and HHMI Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study*.

All Disciplines

Ford Foundation Fellowships provide predoctoral, dissertation and postdoctoral support for doctoral students dedicated to diversity in academia.
Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans provides support to immigrants or the children of immigrants who are under the age of 30.
American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellowships support women who are U.S. citizens for research in all fields of study.

*Indicates this is a limited submission competition.