Funding Opportunities

What opportunities are open to me?

There are many opportunities for Penn undergraduates to conduct research in any discipline—regardless of their previous experience. Research positions can be:

  • Volunteer
  • Arranged through work-study
  • Paid -- funded directly through a faculty member’s grant or via a program that provides a stipend
  • Conducted for academic credit, or
  • Supported via a grant for which you apply.

Keep in mind that funding options are often specific to particular kinds of research, fields of study, grad year, etc.  In addition, most (but not all) CURF funding is reserved for research conducted under the mentorship of a Penn faculty member.

Use the list below to identify research programs, grants and opportunities at Penn, elsewhere in the US and abroad.  While CURF strives to maintain a thorough and up-to-date website, these listings are not comprehensive and students are encouraged to conduct their own funding searches.

What grants should I apply for?

The Penn Undergraduate Research Mentorship (PURM) program is ideal for first and second-year students who have little to no prior research experience.  For more advanced researchers, the College Alumni Society Research Grant, the Vagelos Undergraduate Research Grant, and the Class of 1971 Robert J. Holtz Endowed Fund for Undergraduate Research are good places to start.

Other options are often specific to particular populations or kinds of research (e.g. grants for international research, social-impact endeavors, or for juniors who have not done research before). 

Search Funding Opportunities

Display funding opportunities that match ALL of my selections: (Select more options to return a narrower set of results).

Entry Point

Deadline: 02/19/2025 (Tentative)

Entry Point! invites partnerships with industry, university research programs, and government agencies in a mutual effort to place students with disabilities in 10-week, paid internships in opportunities geared toward their skills and interests.

First-Year Second-Year Junior

Summer Humanities Internship Program (SHIP)

Deadline: 02/23/2025

Ten-week summer program for students in the College to have an opportunity to work in a cultural, historical, or archival setting. Students receive $5,000 award.

First-Year Second-Year Junior

NASA Internships and Fellowships

Deadline: 02/28/2025

NASA’s internship programs provide training, mentoring, and career development opportunities while working with the best science, engineering, financial, information technology and business minds in the world.

First-Year Second-Year Junior

Summer Internship Program at the National Gallery

Deadline: 02/28/2025 (Tentative)

The Summer Internship Program at the National Gallery is crafted to provide a deep dive into the world of art through hands-on experience.

First-Year Second-Year Junior Senior - First Semester

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Native American Scholars Initiative Undergraduate Internship

Deadline: 02/28/2025 (Tentative)

The Native American Scholars Initiative Undergraduate Summer Internship provides students interested in Native American and Indigenous Studies with hands-on opportunities to conduct research and explore career possibilities in archives and special collections.

First-Year Second-Year Junior

South Asia Center Research Internships

Deadline: 03/01/2025 (Tentative)

The South Asia Center (SAC) at Penn offers summer research internship placements in South Asia for a variety of different projects.

First-Year Second-Year Junior

Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law Summer Internship Program

Deadline: 03/01/2025 (Tentative)

Summer internship opportunity for law, graduate, and undergraduate students interested in national security, ethics, and rule of law to participate in research, writing, and conference planning at the Center for Ethics and Rule of Law at Penn.

First-Year Second-Year Junior

Wharton Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR)

Deadline: 03/14/2025 (Tentative)

SPUR provides Wharton undergraduates with a funded opportunity to develop, design, and complete an independent research project with a faculty advisor.

First-Year Second-Year Junior

South Asia Undergraduate Research Grants

Deadline: 03/15/2025 (Tentative)

The South Asia Studies Department will award up to two research/travel grants (maximum of $3000 each) for Spring-Summer to support undergraduate research projects involving travel to South Asia.

First-Year Second-Year Junior

Frances Velay Fellowship

Deadline: 03/15/2025 (Tentative)

Funding for undergraduate women in science to conduct a summer research project with a Penn faculty.

First-Year Second-Year Junior