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 grantsMongolia Field School Program
Deadline: 03/14/26 (Tentative)The Mongolia Field School Program offers an educational travel experience blending academic insights and discussions with travel experiences that allow participants to interact with local people and locations off the usual tourist track.
South Asia Undergraduate Research Grants
Deadline: 03/15/26 (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.
NNCI Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program in Nanotechnology
Deadline: 03/15/26 (Tentative)The National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) does not offer a network-wide REU program, but many of the NNCI sites conduct their own separate programs to provide an intensive 10-week summer research experience.
Sigma Xi Grant
Deadline: 03/15/26 (Tentative)The Sigma Xi Grants in Aid of Research (GIAR) program provides undergraduate and graduate students from a wide variety of disciplines with financial support for scientific research.
Class of 1971 Robert J. Holtz Fund
Deadline: 03/17/26 (Tentative)The Holtz Fund provides funds for students pursuing an independent scholarly project during the academic year or summer, where funds can be used for costs of materials and supplies, toward travel costs, or for costs of the project.
Center for the Advanced Study of India
Deadline: 03/17/26 (Tentative)The Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) offers several opportunities for Penn students, including the Summer Internship Program in India and summer research funds.
College Alumni Society Undergraduate Research Grant
Deadline: 03/17/26 (Tentative)Undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences can apply for a number of grants supported by Penn’s College Alumni Society to fund a research or scholarly project.
Jumpstart for Juniors
Deadline: 03/17/26 (Tentative)The Jumpstart for Juniors program provides students with the opportunity to gain invaluable investigative skills in the summer after their junior year. These funds may be used to continue an established, ongoing independent research project under the supervision of a faculty mentor or to gather necessary data prior to embarking on a senior thesis or other significant independent research project.
Frances Velay Fellowship
Deadline: 03/17/26 (Tentative)Funding for undergraduate women in science to conduct a summer research project with a Penn faculty.
Penn Museum Field Research Grants
Deadline: 03/17/26 (Tentative)The Penn Museum provides support for current Penn undergraduate and graduate students to pursue field research related to Archaeology and Anthropology.