Funding Opportunities

Students are encouraged to seek supplementary support for their research and professional development. Because each subfield and topic of study differs greatly, students should be proactive in seeking funding sources that are particularly well-suited to their work.
 
A broad range of possible funding opportunities can be found in the Yale Fellowships and Grants Database .  
 
OUTSIDE FELLOWSHIPS OR GRANTS:
All graduate students who are considering applying for outside fellowships or grants must be in touch with FRMS (Faculty Research Management Services) at the beginning of the process. Our FRMS pre-award contact is matthew.mueck@yale.edu. This is particularly important to ensure timely coordination with the FAS Dean’s Office (FASDO) for required approvals and signatures. The Department of History has a formal contract with FRMS, and they are here to support you through each stage of your grant or fellowship application — from planning to submission.
 
CONFERENCE FUNDING: 
Conference funding for history graduate students is available primarily through the Graduate Student Assembly (domestic U.S. topics) and the MacMillan Center (international topics). For further information and links, see the GSAS Conference Travel Funding webpage or search the Yale Fellowships and Grants Database for conference travel.
 
Additional conference funding is available through regional and topical programs, such as the Center for Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration or the MacMillan Center’s different regional councils. For further information and links, search the Yale Fellowships and Grants Database for conference travel.
 
FUNDING FOR RESEARCH AND WRITING: 
An extensive compilation of funding opportunities for research travel, dissertation write-up, and conference travel, is available in a Google Doc form compiled by the Andrews Society: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FUslZr7XegEJX2p4Eo4f2vsnJfuAVDoLiN5dCOtO3As/edit
 

In spring 2025, the Department of History is using internal funding to offer a sizable but limited number of History Research Travel Grants (HRTGs). These will be available both to pre-candidacy students (maximum award $2,000) and post-candidacy students (maximum award $3,000). Applications are due by March 31 and awards will be announced in April. The grants will be distributed on a competitive basis. Priority will be given to students who do not have access to other sources of funding for dissertation or pre-dissertation research. Funds will be dispursed as reimbursements for travel expenses.  Apply for History Research Travel Grants

The Oral History Travel Grant is available for actively registered undergraduate and graduate students in History and provides financial support to conduct oral interviews for seminar papers or dissertation topics. The awards will be up to $300 and may be used for travel and lodging: Apply for Oral History Travel Grant.

 
EVENT FUNDING:
Funding for campus activities, including workshops, small conferences, and reading groups, is available through a variety of sources at Yale.  The GSAS Dean’s Fund for Research Workshops, Seminars and Colloquia offers up to $1000 in funding ($500/term) for student-organized initiatives. The Dean’s Fund for Student-Organized Symposia offers up to $1,000 in funding for student-organized research symposia.
 
Larger conferences with an international scope and undertaken with the active leadership of a faculty member can find funding through the MacMillan Center’s Kempf Memorial Fund.
 
Individual departments and academic programs often can provide modest co-sponsorship funds for student-initiated campus programs.