To help support women who are actively working in the STEM fields, we are providing this page as a resource for women seeking grant and award opportunities. They are listed in alphabetical order. For more information, including application deadlines and award amounts, please visit the organizations’ individual websites. Please email info@wingsworldquest.org if you would like to suggest other opportunities to be added to this list.
American Association of University Women
Fellowship and grant recipients perform research in a wide range of disciplines and work to improve their schools and communities. Their intellect, dedication, imagination, and effort promise to forge new paths in scholarship, improve the quality of life for all, and tackle the educational and social barriers facing women worldwide.
Award: Varies
More information: American Association of University Women Educational Funding and Awards
Biological Anthropology Program – Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants
The Biological Anthropology Program supports multifaceted research to advance scientific knowledge of human biology and ecology, including understanding of our evolutionary history and mechanisms that have shaped human and nonhuman primate biological diversity. Supported research focuses on living and fossil forms of both human and nonhuman primates, addressing time scales ranging from the short-term to evolutionary, encompassing multiple levels of analysis (e.g., molecular, organismal, population, ecosystem), conducted in field, laboratory, captive, and computational research environments, and often incorporating interactions between human biology and culture.
Award: Varies
More information: Biological Anthropology Program
Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Education and Human Resources
The fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) hold much promise as sectors of the economy where we can expect to see continuous vigorous growth in the coming decades. STEM job creation is expected to outpace non-STEM job creation significantly, according to the Commerce Department, reflecting the importance of STEM knowledge to the US economy. The National Science Foundation (NSF) plays a leadership role in development and implementation of efforts to enhance and improve STEM education in the United States. Through the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) initiative, the agency continues to make a substantial commitment to the highest caliber undergraduate STEM education through a Foundation-wide framework of investments. The IUSE: EHR program is a core NSF undergraduate STEM education program that seeks to improve the effectiveness of undergraduate STEM education for both majors and non-majors. The program is open to application from all institutions of higher education and associated organizations. NSF places high value on educating students to be leaders and innovators in emerging and rapidly changing STEM fields as well as educating a scientifically literate populace. In pursuit of this goal, IUSE: EHR supports projects that have the potential to improve student learning in STEM through development of new curricular materials and methods of instruction, and development of new assessment tools to measure student learning.
Award: Varies
More information: Improving Undergraduate STEM Education
Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science
Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) is a comprehensive national initiative designed to enhance U.S. leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) discoveries and innovations focused on NSF’s commitment to diversity, inclusion,and broadening participation in these fields.The initiative is developing a National Network composed of NSF INCLUDES Design and Development Launch Pilots, NSF INCLUDES Alliances, NSF-funded broadening participation projects, other relevant NSF-funded projects, scholars engaged in broadening participation research, and other organizations that support the development of talent from all sectors of society to build the STEM workforce. To facilitate the Network’s operation, the program is soliciting proposals for a NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub that will drive and support the work of the NSF INCLUDES National Network over the lifecycle of the initiative by: (a) promoting the NSF INCLUDES guiding vision and strategy; (b) developing a collaborative infrastructure to support the activities of the various entities partnering in the NSF INCLUDES National Network; (c) fostering progress among Network partners toward shared models, measurement practices, and evaluation criteria; (d) communicating the discoveries of and generating enthusiasm for the NSF INCLUDES National Network; and (e) advancing the expansion and scale of the NSF INCLUDES National Network by connecting expertise from multiple sectors and other private and public funders.
Award: Varies
More information: NSF INCLUDES
L’Oréal USA For Women in Science
The L’Oréal USA For Women in Science fellowship program awards five women postdoctoral scientists annually with grants of $60,000 each for their contributions in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields and commitment to serving as role models for younger generations. The program is the U.S. component of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Fellowships. Celebrating its thirteenth year in the U.S., the For Women in Science program has awarded 65 postdoctoral women scientists over $3 million in grants.
Award: $60,000
More information: L’Oréal USA For Women in Science
Mindlin Science Communication Prize
The Mindlin Foundation wishes to encourage and support efforts on the part of researchers, particularly those building their careers, to communicate with the lay public via the Internet. This supports the public’s interest in being on the cutting edge of scientific research. Ideally, this inspires public interest and shares scientific advances with those who will, in turn, support universities and their efforts to push the frontiers of knowledge ever farther.
Award: $10,000
More information: Mindlin Science Communication Prize
National Institutes of Health Re-Entry into Biomedical Research Careers
The ORWH/NIH Re-Entry into Biomedical Research Careers program supplements existing NIH research grants to support full- or part-time research by women or men returning to the scientific workforce. The program is designed to bring a scientist’s existing research skills and knowledge up-to-date so that by the end of the supplement period, the scientist will be prepared to apply for career development or research funding.
Award: Varies
More information: National Institutes of Health
The Society of Woman Geographers (SWG) Evelyn L. Pruitt National Minority Fellowship is made possible by a generous bequest from Ms. Evelyn L. Pruitt. Ms. Pruitt was a research geographer with the United States Navy. Her work greatly advanced the study of coastal environments, the use of remote sensing in geography, and field research in international settings from the 1940s into the 1970s. The SWG invites applications for the Pruitt National Minority Fellowship. Minority women who have been admitted to and plan to enroll or are enrolled in a Masters program in geography or a related field are eligible to apply. Two or three awards up to $4,000 will be made.
Award: Up to $4,000
More information: Society of Woman Geographers
Society of Woman Geographers: Pruitt Minority Fellowships
Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Fields Grant Program
The Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Fields Grant Program is a competitive grants program supporting research and extension projects that will increase — to the maximum extent practicable — participation by rural women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Award: Varies
More information: Women and Minorities in STEM Grant Program
Header image courtesy Felicity Aston.
