Finding Funding
To find suitable funding agencies, start by asking your faculty mentor(s), laboratory colleagues and recent alumni about their experiences. Federal agencies, such as NIH and NSF, sponsor fellowships and career development awards. The NIH fellowships are focused on providing training for biomedical, behavioral, and clinical researchers. Other federal agencies, and nonfederal agencies, such as societies, foundations, and associations, also solicit fellowship applications. Additionally, many institutions offer internally supported fellowships as well as institutional research training grants like NIH’s T32 awards.
At Stanford University, Chelsey Perry compiles lists of funding opportunities for graduate students, postdocs, and faculty. Email Chelsey (chelseyp@stanford.edu, request SMART email list) to subscribe to her emails. You can also view her comprehensive lists of funding opportunities:
- Build your funding train (graduate students): https://grantwriting.stanford.edu/funding-train/
- Fellowship opportunities (graduate students, postdocs, clinical fellows, etc.): https://med.stanford.edu/rmg/funding/fellowships.html
- SBSA’s funding lists (graduate students): https://med.stanford.edu/sbsa/resources/funding-and-training.html
- Grant opportunities (postdocs, clinical fellows, instructors, etc.): https://med.stanford.edu/rmg/funding/grants.html
- Funding opportunities to promote diversity (graduate students, postdocs, clinical fellows, etc.): https://med.stanford.edu/rmg/funding/diversity.html
- Stanford University Seed Funding: https://seedfunding.stanford.edu/
- Searchable databases (see Pivot or Foundation Directory): http://med.stanford.edu/rmg/funding/funding_database.html (Tips for searching: https://doresearch.stanford.edu/funding/tips-searching-funding-opportunities)
At Stanford, School of Medicine Postdocs applying to Career Development Awards must complete a Career Development PI waiver. More information here: http://med.stanford.edu/rmg/piwaiver.html
Postdocs and Instructors in the School of Medicine can also apply to R01 or R21 type federal or non-cereal research grants with an Expanded Career Development PI Waiver. More information here: http://med.stanford.edu/rmg/piwaiver.html#expanded
