Upcoming Grants and Fellowships Workshops!
Events offered by the Office of Grants and Fellowships teach graduate students and postdocs tips and tools to strategically search for relevant funding and help participants craft competitive, cohesive funding proposals.
Ask the Office of Grants & Fellowships Drop-In Office Hours
Tuesdays, September 8th through November 17th - 2:00-3:00pm (Hybrid: Goodell 516 or Zoom)
Have questions about finding funding opportunities, coming up with your research question, framing your objectives, or other challenges in the early stage of proposal drafting? Stop by either in-person or over Zoom to talk to one of the OGF staff about your project. No registration required.
Grant Series Part I: Funding Search Strategies
Wednesday, September 9th - 2:30-3:30pm (515 Goodell)
Need external funding to support your research? Get started by learning about basic tools available to UMass graduate students and postdocs to help find grants and fellowships. We’ll also discuss tips to manage your funding search.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Info Session
Thursday, September 10th - 1:00-2:00pm (online)
Learn more about the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), which is open to domestic students in STEM and social science programs. Undergraduates who plan to enroll in a graduate program in Fall 2027 and incoming graduate students starting the first year of their graduate program should plan to apply! The GRFP provides three years of support for graduate school and UMass has a high rate of success for our applicants! This session will provide tips for crafting compelling application essays, offer insight on what reviewers look for, and outline resources to help you develop your application. Students should verify their eligibility to apply for the fellowship on the NSF GRFP website.
Grants & Fellowships: The First Two Years
Monday, September 14th - 1:00-2:00pm (515 Goodell)
This session is designed for graduate students in the first two years of a research-based doctoral program to learn about early career funding opportunities and start drafting short- and long-term funding plans.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Series: Personal Statement
Tuesday, September 15th - 10:00-11:15am (online)
Stumped on how to start writing your personal statement? Do you have a draft but you’re not sure if you’re moving in the right direction? This session will provide advice on what to include in the Personal Statement and how to make your writing compelling and cohesive.
Grant Series Part II: Framing & Writing the Proposal
Friday, September 18th - 2:30-4:00pm (515 Goodell)
A successful grant proposal requires good ideas that are organized well. This session will outline various application elements, provide tips to craft a clear, cohesive proposal, and discuss common reasons proposals fail.
Grant Series Part I: Funding Search Strategies
Tuesday, September 22nd - 4:00-5:00pm (515 Goodell)
Need external funding to support your research? Get started by learning about basic tools available to UMass graduate students and postdocs to help find grants and fellowships. We’ll also discuss tips to manage your funding search.
Writing Competitive Personal Statements for a Fellowship Application
Wednesday, September 23rd - 10:00-11:00am (515 Goodell)
When you apply for a fellowship that requires a personal statement, what do reviewers want to learn from that narrative? How do personal statements differ from, and complement, research proposals? And what’s too personal? This session will help demystify the fellowship application personal statement and provide tips for framing, writing, and revising a winning essay.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Series: Research Statement
Thursday, September 24th - 1:30-3:00pm (515 Goodell)
A good NSF GRFP Research Statement is concise, persuasive, and compelling—how can you cover all the necessary points in only two pages? This session will outline the basic structure of a research statement and provide tips on how to refine your ideas through the writing process.
Organize your Grant Proposal for Reader Comprehension
Thursday, October 1st - 1:00-2:00pm (515 Goodell)
Grant writers often get stuck in the revision phase--you know what you want to say, but aren't sure how to organize the narrative so it makes sense to a reviewer. This session is ideal for those who have a draft of a grant application and are looking for ideas on how to make the writing clear, concise, and more logically organized.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Series: Broader Impacts & Intellectual Merit
Monday, October 5th - 11:30am-1:00pm (515 Goodell)
Both application essays require a section on Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts, and these concepts are key factors for review, but what is NSF really looking for? Come learn what these terms mean in the context of your application and how to develop strong content!
ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship Application Peer Review Session
Monday, October 5th - 4:00-5:30pm (515 Goodell)
Looking to get a fresh set of eyes on your ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship application before the October 28th deadline? Come exchange drafts with other grant seekers at this interactive peer review working session. You’ll receive feedback from other graduate students, plus build your own editing skills by reviewing their applications in turn. Pizza will be provided.
Grant Series Part II: Framing & Writing the Proposal
Tuesday, October 6th - 3:00-4:30pm (515 Goodell)
A successful grant proposal requires good ideas that are organized well. This session will outline various application elements, provide tips to craft a clear, cohesive proposal, and discuss common reasons proposals fail.
Grants & Fellowships: The First Two Years
Wednesday, October 7th - 2:30-3:30pm (515 Goodell)
This session is designed for graduate students in the first two years of a research-based doctoral program to learn about early career funding opportunities and start drafting short- and long-term funding plans.
Graduate School Research Grants Info Session
Thursday, October 8th - 11:30am-12:30pm (online)
The Graduate School offers four research grant programs for doctoral students and students in MFA programs to support research and creative work. This Info Session will provide an overview of each opportunity and outline what makes an application competitive.
Convincing Funders that Your Work Matters
Thursday, October 8th - 1:00-2:00pm (515 Goodell)
A critical component of any funding application is communicating the contributions of your work. In this session, we will outline how to recognize what your funder values and discuss strategies to communicate the significance of your work to diverse funding audiences in any type of funding proposal.
Graduate School Grants Writing Group: Proposal Introductions & Research Objectives
Thursday, October 15th - 11:30am-1:00pm (online)
Planning to apply for the competitive Graduate School Predissertation, Fieldwork Grant, Armstrong, or MFA Thesis Research Grant for the November 15, 2026 deadline? This session will help you write an effective introduction to your proposal and clear research objectives. We will also discuss how to provide useful background information for your proposed research. This session will include time to work on your application materials.
Grant Series Part I: Funding Search Strategies
Friday, October 16th - 11:00am-12:00pm (online)
Need external funding to support your research? Get started by learning about basic tools available to UMass graduate students and postdocs to help find grants and fellowships. We’ll also discuss tips to manage your funding search.
Graduate School Grants Writing Group: Methods & Research Approvals
Thursday, October 22nd - 11:30am-1:00pm (online)
Planning to apply for the competitive Graduate School Predissertation, Fieldwork Grant, Armstrong, or MFA Thesis Research Grant for the November 15, 2026 deadline? This session will help you write a methods section that reviewers outside your discipline can understand. We will also discuss how to get started with applications for IRB approval (for human subjects research), IACUC approval (for research involving animals), or travel approval. This session will include time to work on your application materials.
Graduate School Grants Writing Group: Research Contributions & Project Budgets
Thursday, October 29th - 11:30am-1:00pm (online)
Planning to apply for the competitive Graduate School Predissertation, Fieldwork Grant, Armstrong, or MFA Thesis Research Grant for the November 15, 2026 deadline? This session will help you clearly articulate the potential contributions of your research that will make sense to reviewers outside your discipline. We will also discuss how to structure your project budget and budget justification. This session will include time to work on your application materials.
Graduate School Grants Writing Group: Peer Review Session
Thursday, November 5th - 11:00am-1:00pm (515 Goodell)
Looking to get a fresh set of eyes on your Graduate School Grant application before the November 15th deadline? Come exchange drafts with other grant seekers at this interactive peer review working session. You’ll receive feedback from other graduate students, plus build your own editing skills by reviewing their applications in turn. Pizza will be provided.