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 grantsNNCI 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.
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.
CURF Summer Research Funding
Deadline: 03/17/26 (Tentative)Funding for independent research projects over the summer conducted by undergraduates who receive financial aid from Penn and have a family total income between $75,001 and $140,000 (as determined by SRFS).
Sarah Katz Award
Deadline: 03/17/26 (Tentative)The Sarah Katz Award funds projects to further opportunities for heart literacy with an emphasis on heart health.
Dr. Rosane Rocher Prize for Best Undergraduate Essay in Asian American Studies
Deadline: 03/17/26 (Tentative)The Dr. Rosane Rocher Prize for Best Undergraduate Essay in Asian American Studies is offered every year for papers submitted from an ASAM course taken during the prior calendar year.
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.
Paul and Kathleen Barthmaier Award
Deadline: 03/17/26 (Tentative)Financial support to assist with travel expenses related to intellectually enriching undergraduate research or fellowship experiences.
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.
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.
Gelfman International Summer Fund
Deadline: 03/17/26 (Tentative)The Gelfman International Summer Fund has been established by Robert W. Gelfman (Wharton ’53) to create opportunities for personally enriching international research and/or service for students in the summer between their junior and senior year. The Fund is expected to cover two or three students each summer. Penn juniors from any of Penn’s undergraduate schools and in any discipline are eligible.