Applying for Funding

Did you know that there are some postdoctoral funding opportunities that you can pursue before you have completed your graduate studies? If you wish to secure your own funding for your postdoc position, it’s never too early to start considering funding opportunities before you get started.

Postdoctoral funding may come from the federal, state, or local government, through institutional seed or pilot funding, or through professional societies, foundations, or the corporate sector. Many postdoctoral funding opportunities, especially those offered through professional societies or foundations, may allow you to apply for postdoctoral funding before completing your doctoral degree. In addition, institutional training grants, predoc to postdoc transition awards, and administrative supplements may also be used to fund your postdoctoral position. See the section below for databases that you can use to search for postdoctoral funding opportunities in all fields.

Postdoctoral Positions on Institutional Training Grants

• Institutional Training Grants are grants that are awarded to institutions by federal, state, and/or private foundation entities to provide a coordinated training program and stipend/salary support to selected researchers. Prospective postdocs apply to be appointed to a Training Grant position and are selected by the institution to be part of the training program. Postdocs appointed to institutional training grants are mentored by a faculty mentor who is part of the training program.
• Training grants are most commonly awarded by federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other programs within the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The National Science Foundation (NSF) also has training grant programs.
• NIH “T32” training grant programs are the most common type of institutional training grants that postdocs are likely to encounter, but NIH also offers “T15”, “K12”, and “TL1” training grant positions for postdocs.
• When you are searching for postdoc positions, it’s important to keep in mind that:
  • Only US citizens and permanent residents (green card holders) are eligible for most federal training grant positions.
  • Most training grants pay postdocs a stipend (e.g., T32, T15)
  • Some training grants pay postdocs a salary (e.g., IRACDA K12)
  • The source and type of payment you receive as a postdoc (e.g., stipend or salary) will have implications on the type of postdoc appointment you receive. Also, it is important to note that postdocs on stipends may be required to keep track of and withhold funds for their expected tax contributions for annual tax return filings.

Predoc to Postdoc Transition Award

A number of institutes within NIH offer a predoc to postdoc transition award (F99/K00). The purpose of the F99/K00 funding mechanism is to encourage and retain outstanding graduate students who have demonstrated potential and interest in pursuing careers as independent researchers. The award will facilitate the transition of talented graduate students into successful research postdoctoral appointments.

NIH Administrative Supplements

• NIH Administrative Supplements provide additional funding to faculty members and other principal investigators (PIs) who hold active NIH grants (i.e. “parent grants”). Two types of administrative supplements, Diversity Supplements and Re-Entry and Re-Integration Supplements, provide funding for postdoctoral training.
• Administrative Supplements from the NIH can support prospective postdocs who have identified an NIH-funded faculty mentor prior to graduating with their doctoral degree and beginning postdoctoral training in that particular lab. Administrative supplements benefit both postdocs and faculty by providing salary support to outstanding candidates with a quick response turnaround and high funding rate while showing a commitment to a postdoc’s career by NIH.
• If you meet the eligibility criteria to receive administrative supplement funding, be sure to ask a potential faculty mentor about the possibility of preparing an administrative supplement application together.

Many postdoctoral funding opportunities have eligibility limitations such as years past degree or how many years of current postdoc experience you have, and preparation, review, and potential resubmission of fellowships can take longer than you think, so it is critical to plan ahead if you are thinking about applying for funding during your time as a postdoc.

Funding for postdocs may come in the form of postdoctoral fellowships, which typically support salary/stipend for your postdoctoral position. The fellowship may also have a small research allowance or institutional allowance and may include other benefits such as childcare allowance or travel funding. You may also find funding opportunities that provide funding for postdocs or early career researchers to use toward a specific research project or scholarly work. Postdoctoral fellowships and project funding typically come from federal, state, or local government, through institutional seed or pilot funding, or through professional societies, foundations, or the corporate sector. See the section below for databases that you can use to search for postdoctoral funding opportunities in all fields.

Postdoctoral Fellowships

• Postdocs often think of individual postdoctoral fellowships from the federal government as the most common way to fund their postdoc positions. For example, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) offers postdoctoral fellowships in a wide range of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields including biology, mathematical sciences, STEM education, physical sciences, social, behavioral and economic sciences, atmospheric and geospace sciences, polar research, ocean sciences, earth sciences, and astronomy and astrophysics. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) offers postdoctoral fellowships in science health-related fields. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers postdoctoral fellowships in food and agricultural sciences. The National Endowment for the Humanities offers fellowships for humanities scholars. There are a number of other federal sponsors that offer funding for postdocs, such as NASA, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Education, Department of Justice, the National Academies, among others.
• There are many funding opportunities for postdocs outside the federal government. While you typically (but not always!) have to be a US citizen or permanent resident to receive federal funding for your postdoctoral fellowship, foundations, professional societies, and other private organizations offer postdoctoral fellowships in which there is no citizenship requirement.
• It is important to keep in mind that accepting postdoctoral fellowship funding MAY affect your benefits or appointment type at your institution (e.g., employee vs. non-employee). Be sure to consider this when you are preparing fellowship applications, especially if you are an international postdoc.

As you advance in your postdoctoral position, you may be considering making the transition to an independent research career or faculty position. There are a number of career development or career transition awards that you can apply for that will fund your position as you complete your postdoctoral research.

Career Development or Transition Awards

• Career development or transition awards are typically mentored research awards that may include funding for both your postdoctoral position and as you transition to an independent research or faculty position.
• Many professional societies or foundations offer career development or transition awards under different names such as “early career award”, “new investigator award,” “rising star award,” or “bridge to independence award,” to name a few.
• These awards typically support salary and have a larger research allowance, especially for the faculty stage (but not always).
• Common federal career development awards include the Department of Defense (DoD) Early Investigator Awards and the NIH K series.
  • DoD Early Investigator Awards typically have no citizenship requirements. While most NIH K awards are only open to US citizens or permanent residents, the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence award has no citizenship requirement.
• Career transition awards from foundations that don’t have a citizenship requirement include the Burroughs Wellcome Fund’s Career Awards at the Scientific Interface (CASI) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program.

There are several useful tools you can use to find funding opportunities for your postdoc position:

Johns Hopkins University Postdoc Funding Opportunity Database
This continuously updated repository is open to all and includes federal and private funding opportunities that are intended for postdoctoral investigators.

The Fellowship Finder maintained by the University of Illinois Graduate College
This interactive database is open to all and allows you to filter for postgraduate/postdoctoral fellowship opportunities.

Pivot-RP
A continuously updated database of global funding opportunities in all fields and at all levels. Access to Pivot requires an institutional subscription, so be sure to check to see if your institution subscribes.