• Start early! Even if you are a first or second year student, begin looking for funding now.
• Work with your research advisor to identify funding sources or programs that align with your research.
• See our list of common grants and fellowships sought by sociology students.
• Use IU-provided resources to further your search:
  • IU GradGrants Center
  • The Grantsmanship Center (many resources available for free) 
  • Indiana University Research

NOTE: All proposals for external funding (some fellowships are excluded) must be reviewed and approved by the IU Office of Research Administration (ORA) before submitting.

Indiana University has many resources to help you.

How to submit your proposal

1. Consult with your research advisor far in advance to lay out a proposal you are both satisfied with. Your proposal should also include:
   • Budget (and justification, if required)
   • The name of your advisor who will serve as PI
   • A link to the funding agency's specific program website
   • The agency's deadline
2. You will then be assigned a grant consultant from ORA who will help you with the rest of the submission process.

For questions, check HERE.

In addition to the steps above, students applying to NSF programs must register for FastLane, NSF's online application system. (If you already have a FastLane ID number and password created at IU, you do not need a new one.) To register, send a request to the Office Manager with the following information:

1. IU username
2. The name of your advisor
3. Last degree completed
4. Year last degree was completed

ORA will email you a temporary password, NSF username, and NSF ID number.

Required in FastLane no later than 4pm the day of the IU deadline

1. Upload all application materials except bibliography, project description, budget and justification. This includes the Project Summary, Data Management Plan, Current and Pending Support for the PI and all co-PIs, NSF Biosketches for the PI and all co-PIs, etc.
2. The Cover Page must be completed.
3. The Allow SRO Access button must be clicked.

There are many external funding opportunities for graduate students in Sociology. You will benefit from getting to know the organizations listed below—become familiar with their requirements and forms of support.

During recent academic years, we have had graduate students supported by the National Science Foundation, the American Sociological Association Minority Fellowship Program, the Social Science Research Council, the Fulbright Program, the Spencer Foundation, The American Educational Research Association, The American Association of University Women, and the Sloan Foundation.

Our advanced students are also provided financial assistance by faculty members’ research grants. In recent years, our students have been supported by grants from the NIMH, National Institutes of Aging, National Science Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and others. Our faculty’s reputation for outstanding sociological research makes it likely that these (or other) external sources of funding for graduate students will continue in the years ahead.