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 grantsPenn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership
Deadline: 06/02/26 (Tentative)The Penn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership Program, open to Penn undergraduates, engages a small cohort of selected students with high-level local, regional, and national leaders drawn from government, business, and civil society to discuss decision-making in urban places.
U.S. Strategic Command Student Internships
Rolling DeadlineThe Student Educational Employment Program is a government-wide program that allows students to participate in paid internships related to your area of interest at the U.S. Strategic Command.
NIST Internship Program
Rolling DeadlineThe NIST Internship Program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of education institutions, from high school to graduate level, with opportunities to work in agencies to explore Federal careers while still in school and while getting paid for the work performed.
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.
Department of Commerce Internship Program
Rolling DeadlineThe Department of Commerce Internship Program will expose students to opportunities in the Federal Government and the potential to find passion in a career in public service through working with a political appointee in one of several DOC offices.
Los Alamos National Laboratory Undergraduate Student Internship Program
Rolling DeadlineThe Los Alamos National Laboratory offers an Undergraduate Student Internship Program (UGS) that provides domestic and international students with relevant research experience while they are pursuing an undergraduate degree,
CIA Student Programs
Rolling DeadlineThe CIA offers several student programs that offer highly unique and rewarding student experiences working alongside experts in your field of study as you gain real-world experience within the Intelligence Community.
U.S. Census Bureau's Pathway Internship Program
Rolling DeadlineThe U.S. Census Bureau's Pathways Internship Program provides paid work experience to students who are in high school or pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in an accredited college or university (including Community College).
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.