It is common for postdocs to be supported by their PI in the first year or two, but often postdocs will be asked to find their own funding at some point. Fellowships and successful grant proposals also look impressive on your CV. For those seeking funding opportunities, the following websites are a great place to start. These are especially valuable for international postdocs who are excluded from many government and private fellowships.
The WCM Funding Database as well as the Office of Sponsored Research Administration website are great resources for identifying additional funding opportunities. WCM postdocs also have access to SPIN, a database of funding opportunities. You can sign in by choosing 'Weill Cornell' institutional credentials. When our Office receives funding announcements directly from funding agencies, we inform postdocs via the Posdoc Listserv.
Funding and Scholarship Updates
Government Sites
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Extramural Research: The largest funder of biomedical research in the world, NIH funds research in just about every area that's remotely related to human health and disease. This page includes extensive information about NIH grants, as well as a place to search NIH funding programs. The NIH website is free and does not require a subscription. Of particular note are the following programs:
- The NIH NRSA F32 Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship has three submission deadlines each year, April 8, August 8 and December 8.
- The NIH K99/R00 Career Development Award is a career transition award that allows for postdocs to complete the last one to two years of mentored training and begin a faculty position with research funding. Please note that the eligibility period for the K99/R01 award has been changed from five years to four years of postdoctoral training.
- The NIH also has other career development awards besides the K99, some of which are geared towards postdocs.
- The National Science Foundation (NSF): An independent federal agency, the U.S. National Science Foundation funds approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted at America's colleges and universities. This is the place to search for NSF funding programs. The NSF Web site is free and does not require a subscription.
- Department of Defense (DOD): The DOD has a number of funding areas, some of which may be open to postdoctoral submissions. Please look through their various funding opportunities if you are interested.
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): The EPA provides support for research fellowships and professional development opportunities to encourage students to obtain advanced degrees in the environmental sciences and pursue STEM-related careers.
- Grants.gov - Grants.gov lists all current discretionary funding opportunities from 26 agencies of the United States government, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and many others -- in other words, all the most important public funders of research in the United States. Grants.gov is free and does not require a subscription.
Free Search Sites
- Newton's List: Newton's List seeks to facilitate international science cooperation by providing a forum for grantseekers and funders. The site is a free resource open to individuals searching for international funding and organizations looking to market their grants to an international audience. Established in 2013 and co-sponsored by CRDF Global and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Newton's List is a user-driven aggregate of current international funding opportunities for students and researchers working in natural and social science fields.
- SPIN-InfoED: A searchable funding database that contains national, international, government and private funding sources. You can search for all types of awards (grants, fellowships, private foundations, publication support, etc.) SPIN can be accessed for free through the WCM Office of Research website.
Subscription Sites
- Pivot- Community of Science: Community of Science claims the "largest, most comprehensive database of available funding," with 700 member institutions. Individuals can register free, but this won't get you access to the funding database.
- ResearchResearch: Based in London, ResearchResearch provides an international option for people seeking research-funding programs. A paid subscription is required for access.
- Egrants.net: When you register with this website you will receive periodic notification of grants with the eligibility requirements you specify.
Private and Foundation Support
General Fellowship Opportunities for Postdocs (U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents)
- AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships
- American Association of Anatomists
- American Cancer Society
- American Society for Engineering Education
- Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network Young Investigator Award
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
- Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowship
- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Career Development Program
- The Life Sciences Research Foundation
- L'Oreal USA for Women in Science Program
- Pasteur Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program
General Fellowship Opportunities for Postdocs (Non-U.S. Citizens)
- American Italian Cancer Foundation
- Austrian Programme for Advanced Research and Technology (APART)
- AXA Research Fund
- Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship (Canada)
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- DFG, German Research Foundation
- European Commission
- European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
- European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID)
- Flanders Research Foundation
- Graduate Women International
- Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP)
- International Agency for Research on Cancer
- Japanese Science and Technology Program
- Jose Carreras Leukaemia Foundation
- Martin Escudero Fellowship
- National Research Foundation (South Africa)
- Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research - Rubicon Program
- Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences
- Ramon Areces Foundation
- Sweden-America Foundation
- Swedish Research Council
- Swedish Society for Medical Research
- Wellcome Trust
- Zuckerman Israeli Postdoctoral Scholars Program
General Fellowship Opportunities for Postdocs (Unrestricted)
- Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
- American Association for Cancer Research
- American Association of University Women (AAUW)
- American Brain Tumor Association Fellowship
- American Federation for Aging Research
- American Institute for Cancer Research
- American Diabetes Association
- American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR)
- American Gastroenterological Association
- American Heart Association
- American Liver Foundation
- American Lung Association
- American Mathematical Society
- American Philosophical Society
- American Physiological Society
- American Society for Microbiology
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association
- Angelman Syndrome Foundation Joseph E. Wagstaff Fellowship
- Arthritis Foundation
- Autism Speaks Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds Travel Grant
- Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (formerly NARSAD)
- BrightFocus Foundation
- Brookdale Foundation
- Cancer Research Institute
- Charles H. Revson Foundation
- Children's Cancer Research Fund
- Claude Leon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research
- Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
- Dermatology Foundation
- Dystonia Medical Research Foundation
- Epilepsy Foundation
- FRAXA Research Foundation
- Health Resources in Action
- Heart Rhythm Society Fellowships in Electrophysiology
- Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Research Fellowship
- Hereditary Disease Foundation
- Human Frontier Science Program
- Infectious Diseases Society of America
- International Rett Syndrome Foundation
- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
- Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
- Lalor Foundation
- LAM Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Larry L. Hillblom Foundation Fellowships
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
- Leukemia Research Foundation
- Life Sciences Research Foundation
- Lymphoma Research Foundation
- McDonnell Foundation Fellowship in Complex Systems
- Morton Cure Paralysis Fund Grants
- Muscular Dystrophy Association
- Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation Junior Investigator Grants
- Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America
- National Ataxia Foundation
- National Hemophilia Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
- National Kidney Foundation
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society
- National Niemann-Pick Disease Foundation Peter G. Pentchev Research Fellowship
- Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation
- Paralyzed Veterans of America Research Foundation
- Parkinson's Disease Foundation
- PhRMA Foundation
- Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation
- Prevent Cancer Foundation
- Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award
- Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
- Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists
- Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain Fellowship
- Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
- Thrasher Research Fund
- Tourette Syndrome Association
- Helen Hay Whitney Foundation
- Worldwide Cancer Research