Current Funding Opportunities

American Fellowships

Funding: $8,000–$50,000

The American Fellowship program began in 1888, a time when women were discouraged from pursuing an education. It is AAUW’s largest fellowship program and the oldest non-institutional source of graduate funding for women in the United States.

AAUW American Fellowships support women scholars who are pursuing full-time study to complete dissertations, conducting postdoctoral research full time, or preparing research for publication for eight consecutive weeks. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Candidates are evaluated on the basis of scholarly excellence; quality and originality of project design; and active commitment to helping women and girls through service in their communities, professions, or fields of research.

Career Development Grants

Funding: $2,000–$20,000

Career Development Grants provide funding to women who hold a bachelor’s degree and are preparing to advance or change careers or re-enter the workforce in education; health and medical sciences; science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); or social sciences. Primary consideration is given to women of color and women pursuing their first advanced degree or credentials in nontraditional fields.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents whose last degree was received before June 30, 2016. Funds are available for tuition, fees, books, supplies, local transportation and dependent care.

AAUW originally designed Career Development Grants in 1972 to offer “encouragement” funding to AAUW members seeking to renew or resume academic work for credit toward career or employment advancement.

Today, grants support course work beyond a bachelor’s degree, including a master’s degree, second bachelor’s degree, certification program, or specialized training in technical or professional fields. Course work must be taken at an accredited two- or four-year college or university in the United States or at a technical school that is fully licensed or accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. Funds are not available for doctorate-level work. 

Community Action Grants

Funding:
$3,000-$10,000

Community Action Grants provide funding to individuals, AAUW branches and AAUW state organizations as well as community-based nonprofits for programs that promote education and equity for women and girls. Since 1972, AAUW has provided support to hundreds of communities across the United States. 

International Fellowships

Funding: $20,000–$50,000

International Fellowships are awarded for full-time study or research in the United States to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Both graduate and postgraduate studies at accredited U.S. institutions are supported.

Applicants must have earned the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree by the application deadline, and must have applied to their proposed institutions of study by the time of the application. Up to five International Master’s/First Professional Degree Fellowships are renewable for a second year; fellows will receive application information for this competitive program.

Recipients are selected for academic achievement and demonstrated commitment to women and girls. Recipients return to their home countries to become leaders in business, government, academia, community activism, the arts or scientific fields.

International Project Grants

Funding: $3,000–$10,000

When AAUW International Fellows pursue education in the United States, their commitment to empowering women and girls in their home countries doesn’t end — and neither does their need for financial support.

To create lasting support around the globe, AAUW awards grants to International Fellowship alumnae who have returned home after successfully completing the course of study for which they received funding. These grants allow alumnae to build on their academic work and implement community-based projects that will improve the lives of women and girls.

Alumnae of our International Fellowships and International Project Grants have tackled women’s equity issues head-on. From securing property rights for widows to building safe hearths for cassava production, these women are helping the most vulnerable — and the most resilient — members of their communities.

Research Publication Grants in Engineering, Medicine and Science

Funding: $10,000–$35,000

Having a strong publication record is a key to receiving promotions and tenure in engineering, medicine and science. Yet persistent gender stereotypes and bias in these fields can make it difficult for women to find the time and institutional support needed to publish their research. These grants help women overcome these barriers by funding research projects that will culminate in scholarly publications.

They are open to women scholars conducting basic research in engineering, medicine or the physical or biological sciences and who have a doctorate degree in one of those fields. The grantee must publish their research in a scholarly publication and be listed as a primary author.

Selected Professions Fellowships

Funding: $20,000

Selected Professions Fellowships are awarded to women who intend to pursue a full-time course of study at accredited U.S. institutions during the fellowship year in one of the designated degree programs where women’s participation traditionally has been low. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

These fellowships were established in 1970 with a $25,000 grant from the Max C. Fleischmann Foundation. Initially, they focused on opening doors for women in the male-dominated fields of law and medicine. However, the focus expanded over time to include science and technology, since the demand for a technologically skilled workforce has grown without proportional representation by women.

Selected Professions Fellowships are awarded for the following master’s programs:

• Architecture.
• Computer/information sciences.
• Engineering.
• Mathematics/statistics.

Fellowships in the following degree programs are restricted to women of color, who have been underrepresented in these fields:

• Master’s in business administration.
• Law.
• Doctorate in medicine.