Internal Funding

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.

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.

Who Is Eligible?

UMass doctoral students enrolled in a campus-based doctoral program who have completed at least one semester in their doctoral program at UMass Amherst at the time of application are eligible to apply. If you are enrolled in a joint master's/doctoral program you must complete your master's degree and one semester in your PhD program prior to applying for a Predissertation Grant.

Students are eligible to receive a Predissertation Grant only once. Applicants who were not awarded a grant in a previous application cycle are eligible to reapply, provided they still meet the eligibility requirements. Students may accept only one research grant of any kind from the Graduate School in the same academic year.

Applicants should complete proposed activities prior to presenting their dissertation prospectus; students who have presented or scheduled their dissertation prospectus presentation are not eligible to apply. 

Funds could support expenses related to:

• Preliminary research, including gathering pilot data, demonstrating proof of concept, or testing feasibility of research question(s) or method(s)
• Identifying dissertation research site(s)
• Initiating or strengthening research contacts to support future dissertation research
• Evaluating scope and content of potential research resources, such as archival records

Deadlines

• Tuesday, November 1, 2022: This cycle will fund research expenses beginning on or after December 15, 2022.
• Tuesday, April 4, 2023: This cycle will fund research expenses beginning on or after May 15, 2023. 

The application deadline is 11:59 PM on the posted due date—all required materials (including the advisor’s letter of recommendation) must be received by this time. Award notifications will be made by the end of the semester in which the application was submitted. 

How to Apply

To allow for sufficient planning time, we recommend students submit an application for a Predissertation Grant at least three months before funds are needed. A completed application includes:

1. A Predissertation Grant Application. You will login to the application using your UMass email. You may revise the text entry portions of your application by logging back in; PDFs cannot be edited once they are uploaded. 
2. A Budget Table (use this template; upload the completed Budget Table as a PDF with the Predissertation Grant Application. See tips below for preparing your Budget Table and Budget Justification.)
3. A Budget Justification, which provides details on how you arrived at the amounts listed in the Budget Table (uploaded as a PDF with the Predissertation Grant Application; use the tips below and review this sample Budget Table and Budget Justification to understand how these documents should be prepared.)
4. A letter of recommendation from your faculty advisor (see instructions below)

Include your first and last name in the file name for every document you upload to the Predissertation Research Grant Application. 

Tips for preparing your Budget Table and Budget Justification

1. Review the list of eligible and ineligible expenses below. 
2. Include enough detail in your Budget Justification for a reviewer to understand how the amounts in your budget table connect with the research activities described in your Project Description.
3. Consult the UMass Controller's Office website for standard mileage amounts and other travel expense guidelines. 
4. For travel outside the United States estimate living expenses based on your previous experience in that country or use the Fulbright-Hays Maintenance Allowance guide (use the Monthly Stipend column to estimate monthly living expenses in that location). 

Instructions for Faculty

The faculty advisor reviews the completed Budget Table and Budget Justification, writes a letter of recommendation, and submits it online. Note: Faculty do not receive a prompt to submit a letter; applicants must provide them with the link above. Faculty should login using their UMass email to access the submission portal; non-UMass faculty should contact Heidi Bauer-Clapp for submission instructions. 

Please include the student's first and last name in the file name. The letter of recommendation should address the following:

• The student’s ability to carry out the activities proposed in the Predissertation Grant application.
• The student’s progress in degree program and general academic qualifications.
• The merit of the intended dissertation research and how activities proposed in the Predissertation Grant application will support eventual dissertation research.

Review Criteria

Awards will be made based on the clarity and quality of the application and the potential for activities funded by Predissertation Grants to provide a strong foundation for the student's future dissertation research. Proposals written in clear language, with realistic and cost-efficient budgets, are more likely to be funded. Applications will be read by people from a variety of fields--avoid technical language and jargon. 

Expenses

Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

• Research-related travel (e.g. transportation, lodging)
• Costs associated with specialized training not available at UMass, including travel or fees (requests for specialized training or language instruction available at UMass or within the Five College network will not be funded)
• Payments to research participants
• Fees to use libraries, archives, or databases
• Purchasing research-related software NOT available through UMass Amherst

Ineligible expenses under this grant include:

• Salary for the graduate student applicant 
• Salary or other payments made directly to research assistants, consultants or other personnel (payments to research participants are allowed)
• Transcription
• Purchase of computers or tablets
• "Miscellaneous" or other non-specific requests
• Food (with the exception of meals during research-related travel)
• Costs to attend or present at conferences or meetings
• Routine laboratory or office supplies (these include items considered standard for your department/laboratory, i.e. things routinely in stock)
• Purchase of books
• Fees or other costs associated with publication
• Fees or other costs associated with membership in professional associations

In most cases, award funds will be disbursed as reimbursements, although some expenses such as equipment purchases must be paid directly by the University. Students should be prepared to pay for expenses out-of-pocket and received reimbursement when activities are completed. Awarded funds are managed by the student’s department; awardees must communicate with their department’s business manager prior to spending any grant funds. Grant recipients will be required to submit a brief report at the end of the grant period to account for how grant funds were spent.

Supplements for Public Engagement or Travel with Children

Applicants for Graduate School Grants are eligible to apply for supplements to cover costs associated with Public Engagement projects or childcare/travel with children during research. Please review the criteria and application information in the Public Engagement and Travel with Children sections of the Internal Funding web page.

Questions on the Graduate School Predissertation Grant should be addressed to Heidi Bauer-Clapp.

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. 

Who Is Eligible?

UMass Amherst doctoral students enrolled in a campus-based degree program and in good academic standing are eligible to apply. Students may receive this grant only once. Applicants who were not awarded a grant in a previous application cycle are eligible to reapply. Students may accept only one research grant from the Graduate School in an academic year. 

Deadlines

• Tuesday, October 25, 2022: This cycle will fund research expenses beginning on or after December 15, 2022. 
• Tuesday, March 28, 2023: This cycle will fund research expenses beginning on or after May 15, 2023. 

The application deadline is 11:59 PM on the posted due date. All required materials (including the advisor’s Letter of Recommendation) must be received by this time. Award notifications will be made by the end of the semester in which the application was submitted. 

How to Apply

To allow sufficient planning time, we recommend students submit a Dissertation Fieldwork Grant application at least six months before funds are needed. A completed application includes:

1. A Fieldwork Grant Application. You will login to the application using your UMass email. You may may revise the text entry portions of your application by logging back in; PDFs cannot be edited once they are uploaded. 
2. A three-page, single-spaced Project Description (uploaded as a PDF in the Fieldwork Grant Application). All figures, references, and the bibliography must be included within the three-page limit. Avoid jargon and technical language in your Project Description, as the content should be understandable by faculty in other fields. Use 11 or 12 pt. font and one inch margins on all sides of the document. Your Project Description should address each of the following:
   • What do you seek to accomplish with your dissertation research? (i.e., what are your research questions/aims/objectives?)
   • How will you accomplish this? (i.e., what research methods will you use?)
   • What contribution(s) will this research make?
   • How would a Fieldwork Grant contribute to your ability to successfully complete your dissertation?
3. A Budget Table (use this template; upload your completed Budget Table as a PDF in the Fieldwork Grant Application. See tips below for preparing your Budget Table and Budget Justification.)
4. A Budget Justification , which provides details on how you arrived at the amounts listed in the Budget Table (upload the Budget Justification as a PDF in the Fieldwork Grant Application; use the tips below and review this sample Budget Table and Budget Justification to understand how these documents should be prepared.)
5. A letter of recommendation submitted by your advisor (see instructions below). 

Include your first and last name in the file name for every document you upload to the Fieldwork Grant Application. 

Tips for preparing your Budget Table and Budget Justification

1. Review the list of eligible and ineligible expenses below. 
2. Include enough detail in your Budget Justification for a reviewer to understand how the amounts in your Budget Table connect with the research activities outlined in your Project Description.
3. Consult the UMass Controller's Office website for standard mileage amounts and other travel expense guidelines. 
4. For travel outside the United States estimate your living expenses using your prior experience in that country or the Fulbright-Hays Maintenance Allowance guide (use the Monthly Stipend column).

Instructions for Faculty Advisor

The faculty advisor reviews the completed Budget Table and Budget Justification, writes a letter of recommendation, and submits it online. Note: Faculty do not receive a prompt to submit a letter; use the link provided here. Faculty must login using their UMass email to access the submission portal; non-UMass faculty should contact Heidi Bauer-Clapp for submission instructions. 

Please include the student's first and last name in the file name. The letter of recommendation should address the following:

• The student’s ability to carry out the activities proposed in the Fieldwork Grant application.
• The student’s progress in degree program and general academic qualifications.
• The merit of the intended dissertation research and how activities proposed in the Fieldwork Grant application will help the student complete their dissertation.

Review Criteria

The following information will be considered by reviewers: 

• Clarity and quality of the Project Description--applications will be reviewed by faculty outside your field who need to understand what you plan to do, how you will do this work, and the potential impact your work will have. Avoid jargon and technical language! 
• Feasibility of the proposed project
• Whether the budget is realistic and cost-efficient
• Quality of the letter of recommendation

Expenses

Eligible expenses include (but are not limited to):

• Research-related travel to research site(s) or local travel at the research site(s)
• Living expenses at research site(s) (e.g. lodging, food)
• Fees to use libraries, archives, or databases while at your research site(s)
• Duplication or distribution of research materials (e.g. photocopies of surveys)
• Purchase of research supplies or equipment, which will remain the property of the University

Ineligible expenses include:

• Salary for the graduate student applicant
• Expenses related to student training, including language or methodology training
• Transcription
• "Miscellaneous" or other non-specific requests
• Standard office or laboratory supplies (these include items considered standard for your department/laboratory, i.e. things routinely in stock)
• Purchase of computers or tablets (unless the student can demonstrate that such equipment is integral to data collection)
• Food (with the exception of meals while in the field)
• Costs to attend or present at conferences or meetings
• Purchasing data sets
• Purchase of books
• Fees or other costs associated with publication
• Fees or other costs associated with membership in professional associations
• Costs incurred at home while the researcher is in the field (e.g. rent)

In most cases, award funds will be disbursed as reimbursements, although some expenses such as equipment purchases must be paid directly by the University. Awarded funds are managed by the student’s department; awardees must communicate with their department’s business manager prior to spending any grant funds. Grant recipients will be required to submit a brief report at the end of the grant period to account for how grant funds were spent.

Supplements for Public Engagement or Travel with Children

Applicants for Graduate School Grants are eligible to apply for supplements to cover costs associated with Public Engagement projects or childcare/travel with children during research. Please review the criteria and application information in the Public Engagement and Travel with Children sections of the Internal Funding web page.

Questions on the Graduate School Fieldwork Grant should be addressed to Heidi Bauer-Clapp.

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.

For example: You are a political scientist conducting dissertation research on voter suppression in the U.S. About a month before the election it becomes apparent that a state not expected to experience significant voter suppression activity will now be heavily targeted. You request funds to travel to this state to observe suppression efforts and responses on election day, data you will only be able to collect at that specific time.

Rapid Research Grants are available for up to $1,000 for costs associated with data collection. Funds may not be used for data analysis; additional ineligible expenses are outlined below. 

Rapid Research Grants are not intended for students whose research is funded by their P.I. nor for activities you have previously planned as part of your degree. For planned research such as this, we invite you to apply for a Graduate School Grant (Predissertation or Fieldwork) during the appropriate cycle in the fall or spring. Funds may only be used for research activities that are time-sensitive, not because you need to reach a milestone or complete your research or dissertation by a certain time. 

Who Is Eligible?

UMass Amherst doctoral students who are enrolled full-time in a campus-based degree program and have completed at least one year in their doctoral program at the time of application are eligible to apply. Terminal MFA students may apply if they have  a convincing case that the research will enhance their degree. Applicants must also be in good academic standing with their department/program. UMass doctoral and terminal MFA students are eligible to receive a Rapid Research Grant grant only once.

Deadlines & How to Apply

Applications for Rapid Research Grants are accepted on a rolling basis and involve two steps:

1. Submit a brief explanation of the research opportunity via the online Rapid Research Grant Preliminary Application, including discussion of the time-sensitive nature of the proposed work and why it cannot wait until the next scheduled fall or spring Graduate School Grant cycle.
2. After review of the initial submission, select applicants will be invited to submit a full Rapid Research Grant application, which includes a one-page narrative, budget/budget justification, and letter of recommendation. Detailed application instructions will be sent to those invited to submit a full application.  

In most cases applicants will receive a response to the initial submission within two weeks. Review of full applications may take up to three weeks.

Review Criteria

Reviewers will consider the following when making award decisions:

• The time-sensitive nature of the proposed research—is this truly a limited opportunity to collect data that won't be available during the regular fall or spring Graduate School Grant cycle?
• Clarity and quality of the Project Description--applications will be reviewed by faculty outside your field who need to understand what you plan to do, how you will do this work, and the potential impact your work will have. Avoid jargon and technical language!
• Feasibility of the proposed project
• Potential of the proposed work to contribute to the student’s overall dissertation
• Whether the budget is realistic and cost-efficient
• Quality of the letter of recommendation
• The student’s research is not sponsored by a faculty P.I.

Expenses

In most cases, award funds will be disbursed as reimbursements, although some expenses such as equipment purchases must be paid directly by the University. Students should be prepared to pay for expenses out-of-pocket and receive reimbursement when activities are completed. Awarded funds are managed by the student’s department; awardees must communicate with their department’s business manager prior to spending any grant funds. Grant recipients will be required to submit a brief report at the end of the grant period to account for how grant funds were spent.

Ineligible expenses include:

• costs associated with data analysis, such as transcription or having samples analyzed
• paying oneself a stipend or salary
• costs associated with publishing your research
• costs to attend or present at conferences or meetings
• typing, duplication, or editing of the dissertation
• normal living expenses except expenses associated with research-related travel
• routine laboratory or office supplies (these include items considered standard for your department/laboratory, i.e. things routinely in stock)
• purchase of software or specialized equipment that is already available on campus
• purchase of computers, tablets, or similar technology
• purchase of books

Supplements for Public Engagement or Travel with Children

Applicants for Graduate School Rapid Research Grants are eligible to apply for supplements to cover costs associated with Public Engagement projects or childcare/travel with children during research. Please review the criteria and application information in the Public Engagement and Travel with Children sections of the Internal Funding web page.

Questions on the Graduate School Rapid Research Grant should be addressed to Heidi Bauer-Clapp (hbauerclapp@umass.edu).

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.

Supplements of up to $500 are intended to support UMass Amherst graduate student parents to cover expenses incurred while traveling with children under the age of 18 during activities funded by a Graduate School Grant. Applicants must certify that requested funds are above and beyond normal dependent care expenses (e.g. costs for day care or care by a family member not specific to the research activities will not be covered).

To apply for a Supplement for Travel with Children, complete the Supplement Application Form and the Travel with Children Budget Template and submit it by the deadline for your primary grant application. (Please save the budget as a PDF with your first and last name in the file name.)

Supplements for Travel with Children will be provided as a non-working fellowship, which is considered taxable income and may impact need-based financial aid, including student loans. Recipients should contact Financial Aid with questions on how awarded funds may impact loan eligibility.

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 UMass’s interest in advancing and applying knowledge and innovation to the betterment of society.

Public Engagement Supplements should outline a mutually beneficial collaboration between the graduate student researcher and an off-campus community, organization, or group. Examples of funded activities could include (but are not limited to):

• purchasing equipment to record a podcast to communicate about your field with non-experts
• developing an ongoing outreach program
• incorporating a special project into your dissertation research to address needs within your research community
• hosting events or developing materials to share your research results with impacted communities

Applications for a Public Engagement Supplement include a budget and a short essay (no more than 500 words) that addresses each of the following:

• Specific aim or aims of your public engagement project
• Overview of what you plan to do in your proposed public engagement project
• What community/group/organization will benefit from your public engagement project?
• How will this community/group/organization benefit?
• How will you collaborate with the community/group/organization in project development and implementation? (Proposed projects should not impose a burden—administrative or otherwise—on communities, groups, or organizations.)
• Plan for assessing the success of your public engagement project

Use the Supplement for Public Engagement Budget Template to develop your budget. Save your essay and budget as PDF files and upload them in the Supplement for Public Engagement Application Form. Include your first and last name in the file name for each document. 

Eligible expenses may include travel, equipment, materials/supplies. Salary or other payments to individuals are not allowed. Students interested in applying for the Public Engagement Supplement are encouraged to contact Heidi Bauer-Clapp to discuss their project and budget at least two weeks in advance of the application deadline. All funds awarded as Public Engagement Supplements must be used prior to defending your dissertation. 

Applications for Public Engagement Supplements will be evaluated on the feasibility of the proposed project, quality of the project aims, and the potential impact on the intended community/group/organization.

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.

Who Is Eligible?

Enrolled, matriculated graduate students (including those on Program Fee/Continuous Enrollment) traveling for professional development activities or presentations at conferences, professional meetings, and exhibitions.

Requirements

Applicants must provide verification of acceptance or invitation to present their work to their GPD. These funds are not designed to cover research related expenses.

The review and approval process will be managed by departments under the direction of the GPD. GPDs/departments will determine the amount of individual awards, priorities for allocating funding to students, and how many students to fund.

How to Request Funding

Students who anticipate professional travel as described above should check with their GPD on the department process to request funding. These travel grants are processed as a business expense reimbursement. Students who receive funding should check with their business office on specific procedures for reimbursement.

For GPDs and Business Managers

GPDs and department business managers will be notified of the amount of their block grant in September. Once you have been notified of the amount of your allocation you may begin to make awards to students. Funds are awarded for the academic year and may be used to cover travel taking place between Sept. 1 and Aug. 31 of that year. Individual grants should be disbursed to students following university business expense reimbursement guidelines.

Each department will be required to report annually on their use of Graduate Student Travel Grant funds; departments failing to submit a report will not receive an allocation for the next year. Funds may not be carried over from one academic year to the next.

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

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 (CJLS) invites applications for 4–6 Graduate Fellow positions 2022–23

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

Fellows will serve a one-year term (this fellowship does not not take the place of a full time TAship or RAship).  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), including 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

For more details, see http://www.umasscjls.org/umass-graduate-fellowship.html. Apply here by April 25!

Questions? Contact 2022–23 Fellowship co-directors Lauren McCarthy (mccarthy@legal.umass.edu) or Rebecca Hamlin (rhamlin@umass.edu).