GWIS National Fellowships Program Grant

GWIS National Fellowships Program Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Graduate Women In Science (GWIS)
Amount: Up to US $10,000
Last Updated: November 28, 2025

Summary

The GWIS National Fellowships Program supports women in science by providing funding for research projects in STEM and social sciences. Established by Graduate Women in Science, the program has awarded nearly $750,000 since 2008, promoting diversity and inclusion in scientific research. Eligible candidates must demonstrate financial need and conduct hypothesis-driven research. Awards up to $10,000 can be requested for projects lasting up to 12 months, empowering women to excel in their academic and professional careers.

Overview

NOTE: We strongly encourage you to start your application early and submit before the deadline to avoid having connection issues. Graduate Women in Science (GWIS) Building a global community to inspire, support, recognize, and empower women in science. Graduate Women in Science (GWIS) has been empowering women as individuals and as a community since 1921. For almost 100 years we have worked to advance the participation and recognition of women in scientific fields through grants, awards and fellowships. Our Mission Our mission is simple: to build a global community that inspires, supports, recognizes, and empowers women in science. We accomplish that mission by staying true to our three guiding principles: ConnectStrive to build a powerful international network of women scientists.Lead Mentor the leaders of today so that they can inspire the leaders of tomorrow. Empower Empower women scientists to excel in their careers. National Fellowship Program The Graduate Women In Science (GWIS) National Fellowship Program promotes knowledge in the natural and social sciences and encourages women’s academic and professional careers in the sciences. Endowment funds, mostly generated from bequests, provide the annual income that supports scientific research conducted by GWIS fellowship winners. During the last funding cycle, we distributed $75,000 in research awards to nine outstanding women scientists and recognized twenty graduate students and seven early-career honorable mentions. Since 2008, we have awarded nearly $750,000 in research awards. The fellowships are known as the Sigma Delta Epsilon (SDE), Eloise Gerry, Ethel K. Allen, Vessa Notchev, Jean Langenheim, Monique Braude, Nell I. Mondy, Elizabeth Weisburger, and Hartley Corporation Fellowships. The highest scoring SDE Fellowship designee shall be recognized as the Adele Lewis Grant/SDE Fellowship Winner and the second-highest scoring designee shall be known as the Hartley Corporation/SDE Fellowship Winner. The funds available in any one year shall be the income from and contributions to the endowment accounts. The amount thus varies from year to year. The Fellowships Committee reserves the right to make no awards if no satisfactory applicants present themselves. The program is not bound by any estimates indicated in this description. Funding and Duration Applicants may propose research projects for up to 12 months. The fellowship may not be renewed. The period of the award is one academic year (July 1st through June 30th). A maximum of $10,000 may be requested .

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. All women scientists who are conducting research in STEM, Life Science, and related Social Science fields regardless of nationality are eligible for any of the GWIS Fellowships.To be eligible, your research must use the scientific method as described below:Scientific Method:Make Observations – Identify a Problem(s)/question(s)Formulate a HypothesisDesign an Experimental ProtocolCollect DataEvaluate Data – Draw ConclusionsOnly hypothesis-driven research is eligible for GWIS Fellowships.Awards will be made to women who hold a degree from a recognized institution of higher. learning, who demonstrate outstanding ability and promise in research and are performing hypothesis-driven research at any institution in the U.S. or abroad. Any person who identifies as a woman in science, irrespective of race, religion, nationality, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, or age is welcome to apply. The career level (e.g. graduate student through assistant professor) of the candidate will be taken into consideration when reviewing the proposals.Financial need for research funding is a requirement for the application.Applicants must indicate all pending sources on the application form, as reviewers will consider these factors when assessing the project’s financial need. If at any point, the applicant accepts another award prior to being notified of the GWIS Fellowship Program’s decision, the applicant should immediately notify the program.All of the work in the proposal must be conducted by the PI of the grant. Fellowship funds can be used for the following:expendable suppliessmall equipment to be used by recipient (not for general use)publication of research findingstravel and subsistence while performing field studiestravel to another laboratory for collaborative researchundergraduate collaborators (up to 1/3 of the total requested amount)study subjects' compensationOnly one application may be submitted per applicant. You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member. GWIS membership is required by the application deadline. Please note that membership approval can take up to 48 hours to process, so if you want to become a GWIS member, please do so in advance.

Ineligibility

Projects that have already been fully funded by another agency or organization will be ineligible.Recipients are not eligible for awards in subsequent years for the same project, though they may submit applications that include a significantly different proposal than the one for which they received a GWIS Fellowship award previously.Funds cannot be used for the following:salaries tuition child care travel to professional meetings or to begin a new appointment travel to another institution for coursework training or workshopadministrative overhead or indirect coststablets, laptops, and personal computersliving allowances equipment for general use