Penn offers many resources for students conducting research. Please note that funding options are often specific to particular kinds of research, fields of study, grad year, etc. Also, CURF funding is reserved for research conducted under the mentorship of a Penn faculty member.
Use the Funding Opportunities database (below the highlighted opportunities) 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.
Highlighted CURF Opportunities
Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program
PURM provides students completing their first or second undergraduate year the opportunity to spend a summer conducting cutting-edge research under the guidance of a standing Penn faculty member. No prior experience is required.
Learn more about PURM
Summer Humanities Internship Program
Each year the College of Arts and Sciences and CURF fund approximately twenty-five summer research internships for students in the humanities and social sciences. Internships provide undergraduates with the opportunity to work in a cultural, historical, or archival setting.
Learn more about SHIP
Independent Research Grants
Undergraduates pursuing an independent or semi-independent research project with a Penn faculty member can apply for funding to offset research-related expenses. Multiple opportunities are available each fall and spring. Click below and then scroll down to see a filtered list of CURF-administered research grants.
browse CURF grantsSeltzer Family Digital Media Awards
Deadline: 03/31/26 (Tentative)Each award will provide to $1,000 for the purchase of hardware or technology (with nominal spending on software and supplies) for students to use for 1 year to pursue a digital media project.
Asian American Studies (ASAM) Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Deadline: 04/04/26 (Tentative)ASAM Undergraduate Research Fellowship is an interdisciplinary program that provides students with comprehensive academic training in archival research, methodology, and theory to enhance their critical thinking and writing skills.
Hoesley Digital Literacy Fellows Program
Deadline: 04/11/26 (Tentative)The Hoesley Digital Literacy Fellows Program encourages creative exploration of technologies commonly used in our rapidly evolving 21st century workplace and beyond through hands-on training and support as they design and develop a digital project and curate their professional digital presence.
LGBTQ & Gender Studies Undergraduate Student Research Expense Grants
Deadline: 04/15/26 (Tentative)Grants designed to support research-related expenses for undergraduate students working on projects related to LGBTQ and/or gender studies.
The Urban Studies Program Gordon Fellowship
Deadline: 04/25/26 (Tentative)Winners of the Gordon Fellowship will receive a $5,000 stipend to explore careers that would lead to improving the quality of life in cities, whether in the public, non-profit, or private sectors and will benefit from career mentoring through alumni activities during the school year.
Penn Museum Fellows
Deadline: 04/30/26 (Tentative)The Penn Museum Fellows is a year-long program that supports and promotes advanced research at the Museum for three undergraduate students from Penn.
Research in Industrial Projects for Students (RIPS) Program
Rolling DeadlineThe Institue for Pure and Applied Mathematics at UCLA offers several versions of its Research in Industrial Projects for Students (RIPS) program, a summer research experience for students of math and related disciplines.
Gutmann-Doyle Research Opportunities Fund
Rolling DeadlineThe Amy Gutmann and Michael Doyle Research Opportunities Fund supports undergraduates to present their research at an academic conference.
Koch Internship Program
Rolling DeadlineThe Koch Internship Program combines individualized education with hands-on work experience to empower social entrepreneurs to drive their own careers and make a positive contribution right away.