The University of Massachusetts Amherst

Internal Funding

You may be eligible for funding through grants and fellowships offered by the Graduate School to support the research and scholarly activities of our graduate students.

Graduate School Fellowships

Inclusion & Diversity Fellowships

The Graduate School at UMass Amherst offers two fellowships to support the recruitment, retention, and success of outstanding graduate students from historically underrepresented groups: the Spaulding-Smith Fellowship for STEM students, and the Research Enhancement and Leadership (REAL) Fellowship for doctoral students. Students are nominated by their degree programs and notified if they are selected.

Graduate School Research Grants

Predissertation Research Grants

Predissertation Grants of up to $1,500 offer early career doctoral students the opportunity to evaluate the feasibility of planned dissertation research, generate pilot data, or establish the necessary networks to carry out future dissertation research, among other activities. The aim is to help students gather information, answer questions, or solve problems related to their dissertation research design. These grants are NOT designed to fund dissertation research itself but rather to help you complete activities that will leave you well positioned to begin your dissertation research after you complete your prospectus.

Dissertation Fieldwork Grants

These grants of up to $5,000 provide support for fieldwork expenses. For the purpose of this grant, fieldwork is defined as data collection that takes place for an extended period of time (e.g. weeks or months) outside the Western Massachusetts geographical area. These grants are not designed to fund data analysis, only expenses related to data collection. In rare instances, applicants may request up to $8,000 to help support work that will take place over an extended period of time and therefore incur significant expense. Applicants will need to submit a statement as part of the application to explain why additional funds are being requested. 

Rapid Research Grants

The Graduate School Rapid Research Grant aims to provide funding for doctoral students to conduct unanticipated, time-sensitive research as part of their dissertation research. This opportunity is open to research activities that were not anticipated and will only be possible for a short, specific period of time.

Supplement for Travel with Children

These competitive grants are awarded as a supplement to the three Graduate School Grants (Predissertation, Fieldwork, and Rapid Research Grants). Students must submit the Supplement for Travel with Children application in the same cycle as the Predissertation, Fieldwork, or Rapid Research Grant application; the deadline for the supplement is the same as the primary application.

Supplement for Public Engagement

To support outreach and engagement efforts by graduate student researchers, the Graduate School offers Public Engagement Supplements. These competitive grants are awarded as a supplement to the three Graduate School Grants (Predissertation, Fieldwork, and Rapid Research Grants); most awards will be between $500 and $1,000. Public Engagement Supplements stem from the university's interest in advancing and applying knowledge and innovation to the betterment of society.

Other Internal Funding

Travel Grants

Travel Grants support graduate students in their efforts to establish themselves and acquire valuable experiences in their field. These awards are administered by the graduate program director (GPD) in each department and funded by a block grant from the Graduate School.

Interdisciplinary UMass Grants and Fellowships

Beyond the Graduate School, these interdisciplinary awards, grants, and fellowships are open to students from a variety of disciplines. 

Center for Research on Families 

The Center for Research on Families (CRF) offers Conference Registration Awards, Dissertation Awards, and Summer Methodology Scholarships. Students must be conducting research that may impact and benefit families, broadly defined.

Natural History Collections Summer Graduate Research Scholarship

This scholarship provides up to $5,000 to support collections-based summer research in botany, entomology, paleontology, and vertebrate biology. The call for applications generally opens in early February.   

The Center for Justice, Law, and Societies Graduate Fellow Positions 

CJLS is an interdisciplinary group of scholars who focus on the creation, implementation, and real-world applications of law. They welcome applications from graduate students in all departments and colleges throughout UMass.

CJLS fellows will serve a one-year term (this fellowship does not not take the place of a full-time teaching assistantship or research assistantship).  Benefits of the fellowship include:

  • Support from a community of interdisciplinary faculty and graduate students to develop an academic project (article, comp, or dissertation chapter) related to justice, law, and societies (broadly construed). This includes their assignment to two faculty mentors.
  • Funding to attend an interdisciplinary law-related conference (Law & Society Association; Law, Culture and Humanities, or another law-related conference subject to the approval of the fellowship director). This funding will include coverage of each fellow’s flight, hotel room, conference registration fee (including membership fees, if required for registration), up to $1000.
  • Funding and support to invite a faculty member to participate in the Five College Law, Justice, and Societies speaker series.

Visit the CJLS website for more details on the fellowship.

WSIP Mellon PhD Liasion Fellowship at the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) 

PhD students from all departments, colleges, and schools at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are invited to apply for a 2023 Mellon Liaison Fellowship, working with the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN). The Fellowship entails weekly online collaboration over three-six months, with a $5000 stipend.  Sponsored the World Studies Interdisciplinary Project (WSIP).

Applications are due by 8PM Thursday June 15, 2023. Early submission welcomed. Visit https://wsipworldstudies.com for details of the position and the application link.