Search Tips
- Research funding sources both inside and outside your discipline/field. In many cases, your research question will be intriguing to multiple kinds of stakeholders.
- Find projects similar to yours and find out how they were funded.
- Ask other students who have done projects and traveled how they were funded.
- Determine your category: dissertation, archival, experimental, fieldwork, or manuscript? Funders will usually list these categories in the CFP (call for proposal).
- Do some “market research” into your potential funding source. What projects have they funded in the past few cycles? Look at news articles to see what work the funders are currently engaged in.
- Most importantly, apply early and often.
Databases and Lists
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CARAT Database for Grants and FellowshipsCARAT allows students to search and sort opportunities by purpose, academic area, academic stage, location, and citizenship requirement. Students may also apply for certain opportunities through CARAT.
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SPIN Database of Sponsored Funding OpportunitiesAvailable through Harvard, SPIN is the world's largest database of sponsored funding opportunities.
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Graham FoundationThe Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts provides project-based grants to individuals and organizations.
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Harvard Worldwide Grants, Fellowships, and PrizesA list of grants, fellowships, and prizes for both continuing and graduating students at Harvard. Many opportunities are specific to the design fields.
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GSD Resources: Additional Fellowship and Funding SourcesThis page links to internal and external funding sources for GSD students, including a student conference attendance fund.
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NEH GrantsAs the largest federal funder of the humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) offers 47 grant programs.
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NSF Funding SearchThe U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) provides funding opportunities and awards.
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Architecture: Fellowships, Prizes, & Travel ProgramsThe GSD offers various fellowships, prizes, and travel programs for those in the Architecture department.
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Landscape Architecture: Fellowships, Prizes, and Travel ProgramsThe GSD offers various fellowships, prizes, and travel programs for those in the Landscape Architecture department.
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Urban Planning and Design: Fellowships, Prizes, and Travel ProgramsThe GSD offers various fellowships, prizes, and travel programs for those in the Urban Planning and Design department.
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Scholarships of International StudentsThe GSD provides various scholarship opportunities for international students.
Funding Opportunities for Current GSD Students
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Summer Community Service Fellowship Program (CSFP)Continuing GSD students engaged in both paid and unpaid summer nonprofit work may apply for this CSFP.
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Traveling FellowshipsThe GSD provides traveling fellowship opportunities available during the academic year.
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Penny White Project FundFor student-submitted research proposals, open to all graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students at the GSD, including collaborations across programs and disciplines.
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Plimpton Poorvu Design PrizeFor a collaborative, cross-discplinary project, completed as part of their GSD curriculum, that uses innovative design strategies to solve a problem, address a need, or serve a demand in ways that demonstrate a plausible path to implementation.
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Digital Design PrizeFor projects that show creative, innovative, and rigorous use of computation to advance our understanding and demonstrate the use of digital media in design.