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Funding Sources for the Social Sciences: Overview

Resources to search for funding sources for research in the social sciences.

Foundation Directory Online

The Foundation Directory Online provides access to the largest list available of funding sources for non-profits -- timely, comprehensive information on grant providers. Includes U.S. foundations, corporate giving programs, and public charities, plus a growing number of non-U.S. sources.

Pivot (formerly COS) is a for-fee database of funding opportunities and profiles of researchers. Berkeley subscribes through the Sponsored Projects Office the database has been pre-populated for faculty and some graduate students. If you set up an account, you will be able to log in from any location, and you will have access to the tools for managing searches and opportunities including the ability to set up automatic alerts.

Resources -- Campus and Beyond

UC Berkeley OURS National Scholarships Office facilitates the institutional endorsement process for nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships. They provide advising and support to UC Berkeley students pursuing these opportunities and other select programs.

The Berkeley Research Impact Initiative (BRII) provides funding to Berkeley authors (current faculty members, post-docs, graduate students, researchers) and publishers (Centers, Organized Research Units, and Departments) to make their publications free to all readers immediately upon publication.

UC Berkeley's Sponsored Projects Office provides an array of services, including a list of funding resources and subscriptions to Pivot

Charlene Liebau Library Prize for Undergraduate Research: $750 lower division, $1,000 upper division -- up to six awards. Applications due Dec-April.

UC Berkeley's Graduate Fellowships and Awards Office handles over 600 fellowship funds, each with unique criteria and terms for awarding.

Kids First --David L. Kirp Prize rewards students engaged in new or ongoing work that demonstrates a commitment, whether in education or other domains, to creating a better future for children and youth. The award of $2,500 is given to one UC Berkeley undergraduate student each year.

The Latinx Center of Excellence, UCB Includes funding to support Latinx students' education and training in social work practice with Latinx communities.

Federal Student Aid - Resources from the U.S. Department of Education.

Funding by Discipline

Some professional organizations have their own search engines for finding funding. Some that might be relevant:

Grants.gov News Feed

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Grantwriting Resources