Monetizing Your Writing: Applying for Fellowships and Grants

Having the ability to get money is an essential skill to have in academia whether you are a student or a faculty member. First, getting a graduate education is not cheap. The struggle of many who are still making payments for student loans – even years after graduation – is a testament to this. Second, an important aspect of success as a faculty member (or prospective faculty member) will be their ability to build a research program that organizations and/or foundations deem important to fund. I will briefly talk about fellowships and grants separately. Then I will offer general recommendations that will make your fellowship and/or grant applications stronger. 

Seeking and Applying to Fellowships 

Oftentimes, there is a lack of awareness of opportunities that are available. Further, many of these opportunities come with constraints related to one’s progress in the program (i.e., credit hours), and by the time graduate students learn about these opportunities it is too late for them to apply. There is also a lot of work to be done prior to applying to any fellowship that involves becoming a well-rounded, competitive applicant. Therefore, applying to fellowships may require thinking ahead. One thing that distinguishes fellowships from grants, is that fellowships fund YOU as a person and not necessarily your work. Below, I will describe one fellowship that everyone should have on their radar. Receiving this fellowship would be a tremendous help in being able to afford a graduate education. 

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) – This fellowship lasts a total of five years. As a fellow, you would receive a yearly stipend ($37,000) and tuition support ($16,000) for three out of the five years. During the two reserve years (i.e., years when you do not receive financial support), there are other benefits that you can take advantage of such as applying to internships. This fellowship is transferable meaning that if you decide to change institutions, the fellowship and its benefits will follow you.  

Other specific fellowships that you may be interested in looking at include the Ford Foundation and Fulbright. Additionally, keep in mind that there are multiple dissertation fellowships meant to fund you during your last year of a doctoral program. For these fellowships, you need to apply the year before your last year in the program. As I mentioned earlier, these types of opportunities often require thinking ahead. 

Seeking and Applying to Grants 

Applying for a grant can be an intimidating idea because it is a massive task to take on. Nonetheless, grants come in all sizes and it's often a good idea to start applying to “small” grants ($1,000 to $5,000). It is important to note that all grants are valuable regardless of the amount being offered. Getting one “small” grant can catapult your research and can get the ball rolling for getting more, bigger grants to fund your work. Grants fund YOUR WORK rather than you as an individual. It is harder to make specific recommendations for grants you can apply to because it is dependent on the topic of your work. However, here are two recommendations that I can make that will apply to almost every graduate student. First, search for internal grants that your institution may offer. You can often find this information on your graduate school website. Second, search for external grants at the different professional organizations that you belong to. 

General Recommendations 

There are differences between applying for a fellowship and applying for a grant, but most of what makes a fellowship and/or grant application strong is similar. Below are my top nine recommendations. 

Recommendation #1: Make A Plan 

Most fellowships, grants, or job applications need to be submitted at least a year prior to when you would expect to receive an acceptance/offer. In my opinion, there are two ideal times to sit down with your mentor and plan your next steps. The first is in your first semester of graduate school. In this first meeting, you should identify the opportunities (e.g., NSF GRFP) that you want to aim for and focus on building up at least one program of research. The second is in your third or fourth year in graduate school. In this meeting, you should identify other opportunities (e.g., dissertation fellowships) that you want to aim for and focus on preparing manuscripts for publication. 

Recommendation #2: Be Engaged 

There are multiple reasons why you should be engaged at your institution, in your professional field, and in your community. First, you will often be required to submit letters of recommendation. These letters of recommendation must come from people who can speak about your skills and character. Second, reviewers will also evaluate who you are as a person. They are not only going to focus on your skills and knowledge as a researcher but also on how you are using those skills and knowledge to make a positive impact. 

Recommendation #3: Keep In Mind What Is Important For The Organization/Foundation 

It is important that your application is tailored for that organization/foundation. First, each organization and/or foundation will have a mission. When preparing an application, you need to make sure that you are addressing this mission. For instance, you will not apply to an organization/foundation whose focus is on reducing health disparities if your work is not related to this topic. Second, there are things that an organization/foundation will value. For instance, some organizations/foundations value open science practices. If this is the case, it is probably a good idea that you complete a pre-registration and mention this in your application. Third, each organization/foundation has important words that they often use. For instance, important keywords for the National Science Foundation(NSF) are intellectual merit and broader impacts. If you are submitting a fellowship or grant application to the NSF, it will be important that you include this verbiage in your application.  

Recommendation #4: Be Familiar With And Follow Formatting Instructions 

Some organizations/foundations are extremely strict with their formatting instructions. Read the application instructions carefully and follow them. These are competitive opportunities and even the smallest mistakes may disqualify you. I know an applicant whose application was not considered because a heading was missing. If you have doubts about some of the instructions provided, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. These organizations/foundations will have a point of contact whose job is to answer any questions you may have. 

Recommendation #5: Avoid Dependency Between Studies 

If your application involves multiple studies, it is important that you demonstrate that each study can stand alone. Often, we create studies that build on each other. This presents a problem when the first study in a series of studies does not provide the findings that were expected. Thus, making the other studies non-relevant. Your application will be stronger if there is no dependency between your research studies. Make sure that every study you propose provides important information regardless of whether other studies in the same proposal turned out as expected or not. Similarly, think about some potential problems you may encounter as you run your study and how you may resolve them. 

Recommendation #6: Mention The Implications Of Your Work 

Not all research questions are good research questions. In your application, it will be important that you tell reviewers why your work is significant. Specifically, you will need to demonstrate that your research is timely and impactful. When writing this section, keep in mind the mission of the organization/foundation. 

Recommendation #7: Mention Future Directions 

One research study is not always enough to put forward a strong, innovative idea. It often requires replication and extensions of that idea. In your application, you should give reviewers a glimpse of what will follow when you complete the proposed studies. Reviewers want to know that you have more to offer and that this initial investment (i.e., funding your research proposal), will result in short-term and long-term benefits. 

Recommendation #8: Demonstrate That You and Your Institution Are The Best To Do This 

Reviewers want to know that you are the ideal person to implement the proposed research studies. Therefore, if possible, mention that you have the necessary training and skills to see it through. Similarly, provide information about your institution that demonstrates that you will have the infrastructure and support needed to manage the grant and to conduct the proposed studies. 

Recommendation #9: Keep In Mind Who Your Reviewers Will Be 

You should not assume that your reviewers will be experts in the field/topic that your research proposal focuses on. It is more likely that most of your reviewers will not be experts in that field/topic. Therefore, you should write about your research questions and methods in a way that a non-expert is able to understand. 

There is so much more to say about applying for fellowships and/or grants, but this should give you some direction on where to start. I wish you the best in your future attempts to monetize your writing! 

About the Author

Jacqueline Lechuga is a doctoral candidate in the Social-Cultural Psychology program at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). She also has a Master’s in Experimental Psychology and a graduate certificate in Quantitative Methods in Psychology from UTEP. Jacqueline was a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program as an undergraduate student and since then has received other fellowships and grants. Her primary research interests are on various aspects of intimate partner violence, including attraction to harmful romantic partners, the tolerance of abusive behavior within romantic relationships, and the development of effective prevention and/or intervention strategies. Her secondary research interests are in education and the psychology of sustainability.