Tracy Costello, Assistant Dean of Postdoctoral Affairs at Graduate Student Success at University of South Florida, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Funding is a crucial step for postdoctoral scholars. Funding sources at this level generally fall into two categories: Fellowships (individual awards providing stipends, occasionally benefits, and possibly some research support) and Grants (typically awarded for a specific project, which might include the scholar’s salary/stipend).
Here are some insights for the main funding sources, grouped by the type of sponsor (government, private foundation or professional society, or institution).
Government Agencies (Federal Funding)
These are major sources of funding, especially in the sciences, and often support both stipend and project costs.
National Institutes of Health (NIH): A primary funder for biomedical, behavioral, social, and clinical research.
- Individual Postdoctoral Fellowships (F32): Provides a stipend, tuition/fees, and an institutional allowance for research-related expenses.
- Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00): A highly prestigious award designed to help a postdoc transition into an independent faculty position. The K99 phase covers mentored postdoctoral research (stipend/salary and research costs), followed by the R00 phase for independent research support.
National Science Foundation (NSF): Funds research and education in science and engineering.
- Postdoctoral Research Fellowships: NSF offers various fellowships in specific directorates (e.g., Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Biology, Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences) that typically provide a stipend and a research/training allowance.
- Project Grants (Standard/Collaborative): Postdocs can often be included in the project budget of their Principal Investigator’s (PI) research grants (like an NSF Standard Grant), covering their salary and project expenses.
Other U.S. Federal Agencies: Depending on the field, postdocs may find opportunities at the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Defense (DOD), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and others.
International: Programs like The Fulbright Program (Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program) and the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships (Canada) support research internationally.
Private Foundations and Non-Profits
These organizations often target specific diseases, research areas, or populations and can be excellent sources for both stipend and project support.
Disease-Specific Organizations: These foundations are very active in postdoctoral funding, offering fellowships and project grants. Examples include these, but there are SO MANY MORE! Search within professional societies and private foundations for funding opportunities.
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- American Heart Association (AHA)
- Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
- Alzheimer’s Association
- The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
…these are just a few!…
General Scientific Foundations: (A few… there are more!)
- The Life Sciences Research Foundation (LSRF)
- The Helen Hay Whitney Foundation (Biomedical Sciences)
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund (often focused on career transitions and interdisciplinary work)
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI): Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program (supports diversity and early-career scientists through postdoc and faculty phases).
…these are just a few!…
Institutional and Internal Funding
The research university or institute that you are currently working at can also provide funding, often to supplement other awards or as bridge funding.
- Internal Fellowships/Awards: Many universities offer their own internal fellowships, travel awards, or research grants specifically for postdocs to supplement their external support or cover research expenses. Check your research or postdoc office!
- PI-Secured Grants: Most postdocs are initially supported by the research grants (e.g., NIH R01, NSF, etc.) secured by their PI/mentor. This funding covers their salary/stipend and project costs. Postdocs are often able to write grants as co-PIs with their mentors to begin establishing their funding record.
Specialized and Diversity-Focused Opportunities
Humanities and Social Sciences: Organizations like the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) or the Wenner-Gren Foundation (for anthropology) offer post-PhD research grants and fellowships.
Diversity Fellowships: Programs like the Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Diversity Fellowship and the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program aim to support scholars from underrepresented groups.
International Fellowships: EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships (Europe), Research in Germany, EURAXESS, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), and the Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowships (Germany) are a few of the options for international research.
Tools for Finding Opportunities
- To efficiently search for and track these opportunities, you can utilize funding databases:
- Grants.gov: For U.S. federal funding.
- Fogarty International: NIH and non-NIH funding opportunities.
- Pivot.Proquest.com: A comprehensive database of public and private funding opportunities (but not all universities subscribe).
- GRAPES: The Graduate and Postdoctoral Extramural Support Database (UCLA).
- Johns Hopkins: List of Postdoc Funding Opportunities, including specialized lists for cancer/oncology and neuroscience/neurology.
Key Tip: Consult with your PI, your institution’s Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, or your Research Development/Grants Office. They often maintain curated lists and provide grant writing support.”
You can also read: Top 10 OncoGrants of the Week: Driving Real-World Progress in Cancer Science, Care Delivery, and Workforce Capability
