Syracuse University

Maxwell School

Roscoe Martin Fund for Dissertation and Thesis Research

The Roscoe Martin Fund provides grants to graduate students for expenses related to dissertation and thesis research, including travel to perform research, data fees, and other research needs. Call for Proposals

Andrew Berlin Family National Security Research Fund

The Institute for Security Policy and Law (SPL)—a collaboration between Maxwell and the SU College of Law—awards grants through the Berlin Fund to faculty and student teams that promote research on salient topics in security studies, including national security, homeland security, and human security. Funds can be used to cover the costs of conducting and disseminating research. Applications consisting of a project description, a timeline for the activities covered, and a simple budget are accepted on a rolling basis. Contact Keli Perrin (kaperrin@law.syr.edu) with questions or to submit an application. 

Moynihan Summer Research Grants

Each spring, applications are invited for Summer Research Grants from the Regional Centers of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs. The purpose of the awards is to provide students the opportunity to develop field experience, whether to gather preliminary data, make contacts, map topics, or increase the competitiveness of future proposals for funding.  Any graduate student enrolled in a MA or PhD program at Syracuse University may apply. Visit the Center websites or call the Moynihan Institute at (315) 443-4022 for more information.  

Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC) Mini-Grant Research Program 

The mission of PARCC is to advance research on conflict and collaboration, including theory, practice, and education.  PARCC grants research awards in the range of $500 to $3,000 to support research activities in PARCC's areas of focus: International and Interstate Conflicts, Environmental Collaboration, Collaborative Governance, and Advocacy and Activism. The awards selection is based on potential contribution to scholarship, possibility of future funding, consistency with the goals of PARCC, and cost-effectiveness.  Funds are used for such activities as data acquisition, survey design, the hosting of research conferences at Maxwell, and research assistance.  

Graduate School

Summer Dissertation Fellowships 

In 2019, the Graduate School announced a pilot summer funding program of dissertation fellowships to advanced doctoral students. The summer dissertation fellowships provide $4,000 each to a select group of outstanding doctoral students to facilitate progress towards completion of the dissertation. Funding can be used to offset cost of living expenses and/or to cover research-related expenses. 

Federal 

NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)

To provide predoctoral individuals with supervised research training in specified health and health-related areas leading toward the research doctoral degree (e.g., PhD).

NIH Individual Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award (F99/K00)

To support outstanding graduate students who have demonstrated potential and interest in pursuing careers as independent researchers in the transition from predoctoral studies to successful research postdoctoral appointments. 

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) 

The NSF GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support including an annual stipend and a cost of education allowance to the institution.

The SU Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) helps students pursue this program: Register with CFSA.    

NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIG) 

The NSF awards grants to doctoral students to improve the quality of dissertation research. These grants allow doctoral students to undertake significant data-gathering projects and to conduct field research in settings away from their campus which would not otherwise be possible. Proposals are judged on the basis of their scientific merit, including the theoretical importance of the research question and the appropriateness of the proposed data and methodology to be used in addressing the question.

See How to Write and Submit an NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (DDRIG) Proposal. 

Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program 

Provides grants to colleges and universities to fund individual doctoral students who conduct research in other countries, in modern foreign languages and area studies for periods of six to 12 months.

Non-Federal 

American Academy of University Women (AAUW) American Dissertation Fellowship

Funding: $20,000 

Deadline: November

The purpose of the American Dissertation Fellowship is to offset a scholar’s living expenses while she completes her dissertation. The fellowship must be used for the final year of writing the dissertation.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Additionally, applicants must have completed all course work, passed all preliminary examinations, and received approval for their research proposals or plans by the preceding November. Students holding fellowships for writing a dissertation in the year prior to the AAUW fellowships year are not eligible. Open to applicants in all fields of study. Scholars engaged in science, technology, engineering and math fields or those researching gender issues are especially encouraged to apply.

Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship

Funding: $35,000, plus funds for research costs of up to $3,000 and for university fees of up to $5,000

Deadline:  October 

The Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship is designed to support advanced graduate students in humanities and social sciences disciplines during their final year of PhD dissertation writing.

All doctoral candidates who are completing their PhD research in the United States are eligible to apply. Applicants are required to be less than six years into their program at the time of application. This fellowship is open to all scholars pursuing their PhDs in humanistic research, regardless of time period, world region, or methodology employed. Scholars whose research contributes new perspectives on the history and interests of historically marginalized populations are especially encouraged to apply.

SSRC Mellon International Dissertation Research Fellowship

Funding: $23,000

Deadline: November 

The Mellon International Dissertation Research Fellowship supports PhD candidates in the humanities and the social sciences who are completing dissertations on Native American peoples and non-United States topics. 

All graduate students enrolled in PhD programs in the United States are eligible to apply. All dissertation research requirements -except on-site research- must be completed before the fellowship begins. The IDRF program is designed to support research only and cannot be used for studies at foreign universities, conference participation, or dissertation write-up.

Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship

Funding: $25,000

Deadline: November 

The Charlotte Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships funds PhD candidates in the humanities and the social sciences whose research grapples with ethical or religious values.

All doctoral candidates who are completing their PhD research in the United States are eligible to apply. Successful applicants are expected to use their fellowship appointment for dissertation writing only. Applicants who have won other national awards such as the ACLS, AAUW, Ford, Mellon, NAEd/Spencer, or Whiting fellowship are not eligible.

Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy

Funding: $7,500 

Deadline: December 

Research grants are open to researchers in all social science disciplines. Projects must deal with contemporary issues in the social sciences, particularly issues of policy relevance. Applicants need not be citizens of the United States, and grants are not restricted to U.S. residents.

Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship Program

Funding: $28,000

Deadline: December 

 The Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship funds PhD candidates who exhibit superior academic achievement and are dedicated to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level.

 Applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents. Fellows are expected to complete all departmental and institutional requirements, except for dissertation writing and defense, prior to the application deadline. Members of populations historically underrepresented in the academy are especially encouraged to apply.