Find Funding
Advancing your research and programs with grant funding
Where to Next? Bring Your Ideas to Life.
Our research and scholarly activities begin with an idea. But then what? How do you take your idea to the next level and secure funding to support your pursuit? Exploring funding databases can help you pair an idea with an opportunity.
This page offers several options for searching for funding opportunities, including SPIN, which is WCU’s database for funding opportunities worldwide.
If you would like additional support exploring funding opportunities or have found an opportunity to pursue connect with The Office of Research Administration’s Pre-Award Team:
Samantha Ellithorpe
Pre-Award Manager
Manages, supports, and provides service for all research administration initiatives.
Email: sellithorpe@wcu.edu
Phone: 828.227.3180
Matt Salerno
Research Services Coordinator
Provides support and service for all research administration initiatives.
Email: msalerno@wcu.edu
Phone: 828.227.2577
Contact Us
Featured Funding Databases
SPIN is a robust funding opportunity database, containing over 40,000 opportunities from more than 10,000 sponsors that is available to all WCU faculty, staff, and students. With SPIN, users can save searches and opportunities, share opportunities with colleagues, and choose to receive email alerts when records are added or changed.
Here are some suggestions to get the most benefit from SPIN:
- Take an active role in designing your SPIN funding searches. A SPIN funding search based on keywords that are too broad can generate numerous funding options, some of which may not be suitable for your funding needs. Searches can be refined by using specific keywords, sorting by the sponsor/agency type, specifying the geographical location, and selecting a funding level that best matches your project and needs.
- Using search terms and keywords that are too specific can also yield disappointing results. The InfoEd Keyword Search contains a curated list of search terms that categorize funding opportunities based on the topic.
If you need additional help or would like to set up a training session for your department, please contact Samantha Ellithorpe at sellithorpe@wcu.edu or 828.227.3180.
Accessing SPIN
- Go to myWCU
- Select Research Administration (InfoEd) under My Apps
- In InfoEd, select SPIN located in the left-hand sidebar.
Connect and subscribe to Grants.gov to receive daily email notifications of new federal funding opportunities. Grants.gov allows you to subscribe to all new funding opportunities, saved searches, or to specific opportunities that you want to track.
This website provides listings of internships, experiential learning opportunities, academic fellowships and scholarships funded by government and private sector organizations. Visitors to the site may view available opportunities by selecting the Opportunity Catalog.
The RTI University Scholars Program is designed to drive growth, foster collaboration, build scientific stature, and develop opportunities for externally funded joint projects.
Submitting Expressions of Interest to the RTI University Scholars Program
The RTI University Scholars Program invites Expressions of Interest for the 2025-2026 academic year from tenured or research-track faculty members at the Associate Professor level or higher with a commitment to collaboration and a research project related to RTI practice areas. Expressions of Interests are due by January 23, 2025.
In 2024 – 2025 the RTI University Scholars Program prioritized projects related to climate change, environmental justice, energy, data modernization and data science, global health security, pandemic preparedness, agriculture, food security and nutrition.
The Foundation Center (Candid) is a funding resource service for U.S-based nonprofit and grantmaking organizations. Users can sign up to receive an RFP Bulletin, a weekly newsletter of recently announced Requests for Proposals from private, corporate, and government funding sources.
Internal Funding Opportunities
Each year Western Carolina University presents internal awards to recognize the outstanding work being done by our faculty. The university community is invited to attend the annual Faculty Scholarship Celebration.
Please visit the site below for full application instructions, and contact the Office of Research Administration for assistance with the application process.
Receive Tailored Funding Opportunities
Please help us identify areas of interest as it relates to your Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities (RSCA). We will utilize your responses to tailor funding searches, programming, and networking support through our campus
Funding Opportunities for Students
At WCU, we believe in empowering students to pursue bold, innovative research, and we know that external funding can be a vital part of that journey. Whether your students are working on your dissertation, conducting fieldwork, developing a creative project, or searching for research fellowship opportunities, securing outside support can open doors to new possibilities.
Funding Opportunities by Field of Study
Arts and Humanities
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| Terra Foundation | Collections Grant | LOI Due August 3, 2026 | $25,000 – $100,000 |
| Early Music America | Early Music Month Mini Grants | January, Annually | $500 |
| Mellon Foundation | Humanities in Place | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| Mellon Foundation | Arts and Culture Grants | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| College Art Association of America | Millard Meiss Publication Fund | March 15 and September 15, Annually | No Stated Limit |
| College Art Association of America | American Art Publication Grant | March 15 and September 15, Annually | No Stated Limit |
Archaeology and Anthropology
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| Mellon Foundation | Humanities in Place | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| Wenner Gren | Conference and Workshop Grant | June 1 and December 1 | $20,000 |
| National Science Foundation | NSF Dynamic Language Infrastructure – NEH Documenting Endangered Languages | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $450,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Archaeology Program Senior Research Awards | July 1, Annually | No Stated Limit |
| Archaeological Institute of America | Publication Subvention Program | March 1, Annually | Up to $5,000 |
Artificial Intelligence
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| National Science Foundation | Empowering and Educating Children to Thrive in a Digital Era | November 18, 2026 | Up to $300,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence | Rolling until October 9, 2026 | $500,000 to $1,500,000 |
| Gates Foundation | AI Transformation Learning Grants | Concept Paper due September 11, 2026 | $150,000 – $200,000 |
Business and Economic Development
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| Nasdaq Foundation | Quarterly Grant Program | January, May, August, and October Each Year | Up to $75,000 |
| U.S. Bank Foundation | Community Possible Grant Program | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| FINRA Investor Education Foundation | General Grant Program | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $50,000 to $100,000 |
Biological and Life Sciences
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| North Carolina Biotechnology Center | Biotechnology Event Sponsorships | Proposals Accepted Anytime | Up to $3,000 |
| North Carolina Biotechnology Center | Biotechnology Meeting Grants | Proposals Accepted Anytime | Up to $10,000 |
| Project Apis m. | Project Apis m. | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $5,000 to $200,000 |
| National Science Foundation | International Research Experiences for Students | Fourth Monday in October, Annually | $150,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Biosensing | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| American Floral Endowment | Fred C. Gloeckner Foundation Research Fund | April 1, Annually | $10,000 to $25,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Core Research in Biological Sciences | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
Chemistry and Physics
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| American Chemical Society | New Directions Grants | October, 9, 2026 | $125,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Innovations in Graduate Education Program | March 25, Annually | $300,000 to $1,000,000 |
| National Science Foundation | International Research Experiences for Students | Fourth Monday in October, Annually | $150,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Mechanics of Materials and Structures (MOMS) | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Science and Technology Studies | August 3, Annually | $75,000 to $1,000,000 |
| Herman Frasch Foundation | Chemical Research Grant | November 5, 2026 | $50,000 per year for 5 years |
| American Chemical Society | Petroleum Research Fund | September 5, 2026 | $70,000 per year for 3 years |
| Department of Health and Human Services | Chemistry Research for the Division of Translational Toxicology | September 14, 2026 | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Chemistry Research Programs | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Astronomical Sciences Research | Third Monday in November, Annually | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Materials Research Programs | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Physics Research Programs | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
Communication Sciences and Disorders
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| Hearing Health Foundation | Emerging Research Grants | LOI due December, 2026 | $100,000 – $200,000 |
Communications, Media, and Marketing
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| National Institute for Health Care Management | Journalism Grants | October 2, 2026 | $15,000 – $30,000 |
| Amateur Radio Digital Communications | ARDC Grants | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| Solutions Journalism Network | Student Media Challenge | May 2027 | Up to $7,500 |
| Sundance Institute | Documentary Fund | Proposals Accepted Anytime | Up To $50,000 |
Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Disaster Science
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| Federal Bureau of Investigation | FBI Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) Research Opportunity | Proposals Accepted Anytime | To Be Determined by CIRG Officials |
| Arnold Ventures | Research on Safety and the Criminal Justice System | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $500,000 |
| Russell Sage Foundation | Research on the Criminal Justice System | LOI due October 28, 2026 | Up to $100,000 |
| Bureau of Justice Assistance | Reducing Injury and Death of Missing Individuals with Dementia and Developmental Disabilities | October 5, 2026 | Up to $150,000 |
| Bureau of Justice Assistance | Second Chance Act Family-Based Substance Use Disorder Treatment Program | October 1, 2026 | Up to $1,000,000 |
| Bureau of Justice Assistance | Second Chance Act Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes | October 1, 2026 | Up to $1,000,000 |
| Bureau of Justice Assistance | National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) Training and Technical Assistance | October 5, 2026 | Up to $1,500,000 |
Engineering
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| National Science Foundation | NSF STEM K-12 | Proposals Accepted Anytime | Up to $750,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Electronics, Photonics and Magnetic Devices (EPMD) | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $500,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-Systems (CCSS) | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $500,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Biosensing | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Energy, Power, Control, and Networks (EPCN) | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $500,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Mechanics of Materials and Structures (MOMS) | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | International Research Experiences for Students | Fourth Monday in October, Annually | $150,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Chemical, Bioengineering, Energy, and Transport Systems | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Materials Research Programs | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI): Wave-Based Computing | February 11, 2027 | Up to $2,000,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Electrical, Communications, and Computing Systems | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| Environmental Protection Agency | Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Grant | October 5, 2026 | Up to $7,800,000 |
English Studies and Literature
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| National Endowment for the Humanities | Scholarly Editions and Translations | September 16, 2026 | Up to $300,000 |
| National Endowment for the Humanities | National Digital Newspaper Program | January 13, 2027 | $325,000 |
| North Carolina Humanities | Humanities Project Grant | January 13, 2027 | TBA |
| Speculative Literature Foundation | The Gulliver’s Travel Grant | November 30, Annually | $1,000 |
Environment and Climate Change
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| Bureau of Land Management | Forest and Woodlands Resource Management | August 28, 2026 | Up to $1,000,000 |
| Bureau of Land Management | Fuels Management and Community Fire Assistance | August 28, 2026 | Up to $1,200,000 |
| Bureau of Land Management | Abandoned Mine Lands and Hazardous Materials | August 28, 2026 | Up to $1,500,000 |
| U.S Wildland Fire Service | Fire Leaders And Managers, Emerging Scientists (FLAMES) | September 17, 2026 | Up to $40,000 |
| U.S Wildland Fire Service | Drivers of changing wildfire regimes and consequences for wildfire risk factors | September 17, 2026 | $300,000 – $500,000 |
| U.S Wildland Fire Service | Smoke impacts from prescribed fire and wildfire | September 17, 2026 | $300,000 – $500,000 |
| U.S Wildland Fire Service | Regional Fire Science Exchange | September 17, 2026 | $192,000 – $262,000 per year for up to 5 years. |
| National Science Foundation | Life and Environments Through Time | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| Natural Hazards Center | Quick Response Proposal | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $10,000 to $50,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Water, Landscape, and Critical Zone Processes (WaLCZ) | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Humans, Disasters, and the Built Environment | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Environmental Sustainability | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Program | First Friday in August, Annually and Third Friday in January, Annually | $50,000 to $500,000 |
Forensic Science
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| Season of Justice | DNA Analysis Grants | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
Geosciences
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| U.S Wildland Fire Service | Fire Leaders And Managers, Emerging Scientists (FLAMES) | September 17, 2026 | Up to $40,000 |
| U.S Wildland Fire Service | Drivers of changing wildfire regimes and consequences for wildfire risk factors | September 17, 2026 | $300,000 – $500,000 |
| U.S Wildland Fire Service | Smoke impacts from prescribed fire and wildfire | September 17, 2026 | $300,000 – $500,000 |
| U.S Wildland Fire Service | Regional Fire Science Exchange | September 17, 2026 | $192,000 – $262,000 per year for up to 5 years. |
| National Science Foundation | Geosciences Open Science Ecosystem | Track 1: February Track 2: November |
$500,000 to $1,000,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Education and Broadening Participation in Earth Sciences | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Geosciences Research: Atmospheric, Geospace, Earth, and Ocean Sciences | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
Health and Wellness
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| National Institutes of Health | Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grant (Parent T35) | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| Natural Hazards Center | Special Call for Health Outcomes and Climate-Related Disaster Research Teaching and Leadership | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $50,000 |
| Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | Exploring Equitable Futures | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| World Diabetes Foundation | Diabetes-Related Project Funding | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| WITH Foundation | Healthcare for Adults with Developmental Disabilities Grant | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $150,000 – $250,000 |
| Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute | Addressing Health Outcomes for Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and/or Rare Diseases (RD) | LOI due September 9, 2026 | Up to $12,000,000 |
| Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute | Convening Support | LOI due October 1, 2026 | Up to $125,000 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | Scientific Evidence Evaluation and Knowledge Integration for Translational Toxicology | September 3, 2026 | No Stated Limit |
History
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| Mellon Foundation | Humanities in Place | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| Science History Institute Museum & Library | Othmer Library Travel Grant | Proposals Accepted Anytime | Up to $2,000 |
International Studies & World Languages
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| Smith Richardson Foundation | Foreign Policy Grant Program | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
Library and Information Sciences
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| American Library Association | The Carnegie-Whitney Grant | November 6, 2026 | $5,000 |
Mathematics and Computer Science
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| National Science Foundation | NSF STEM K-12 | Proposals Accepted Anytime | Up to $750,000 |
| National Science Foundation | International Research Experiences for Students | Fourth Monday in October, Annually | $150,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Computing in Undergraduate Education | March 25, annually | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Science and Technology Studies | August 3, Annually | $75,000 to $1,000,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence | Rolling until October 9, 2026 | $500,000 to $1,500,000 |
| National Science Foundation | Mathematical Sciences Research Programs | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Expeditions in Computing |
First Wednesday in December, Annually and, Fourth Tuesday in July, Annually |
No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI): Wave-Based Computing |
February 11, 2027 |
Up to $2,000,000 |
Military and Veterans
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| National Science Foundation | Veterans Research Supplement (VRS) Program | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
Philosophy and Religion
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| Southern Baptist Historical Library & Archives | Study Grants | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $750 |
| Action Institute | Calihan Academic Grants | Proposals Accepted Anytime | Up to $1,000 |
| Interfaith America | Faith & Health Pipeline Grants | Proposals Accepted Anytime | Up to $10,000 |
| American Academy of Religion | Public Scholarship Grants | September 21, 2026 | $5,000 |
| American Academy of Religion | International Collaborative Research Grants | September 21, 2026 | Up to $5,000 |
Political Science
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| Smith Richardson Foundation | Domestic Public Policy Grants | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| Stand Together Trust | Foreign Policy Grants | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Security and Preparedness | August 15, Annually | No Stated Limit |
| National Science Foundation | Accountable Institutions and Behavior | August 15, Annually | No Stated Limit |
Public Safety
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| American Foundation for Suicide Prevention | Implementation of Suicide Prevention in Clinical or Community Settings | LOI due August 1, 2026 | $1,500,000 |
| Bureau of Justice Assistance | Reducing Injury and Death of Missing Individuals with Dementia and Developmental Disabilities | October 6, 2026 | Up to $150,000 |
Psychology
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| American Psychological Foundation | Trauma Psychology Grant | October 9, 2026 | $3,750 |
| American Psychological Foundation | Direct Action Visionary Grants | October 30, 2026 | Up to $60,000 |
| American Psychological Foundation | Dr. Christine Blasey Ford Grant | October 9, 2026 | $3,750 |
| American Psychological Foundation | Cultivating Healing, Advocacy, Nonviolence, Growth, and Equity (CHANGE) Grant | October 9, 2026 | $2,150 |
| Society for Personality and Social Psychology | Community Catalyst Grant | February 2027 | Up to $2,000 |
| Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology | Grant for Inclusion, Belonging & Fairness in the Workplace | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $4,000 |
| Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology | International Research and Collaboration (IRC) Small Grant | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $5,000 |
| Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute | Addressing Health Outcomes for Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and/or Rare Diseases (RD) | LOI due September 9, 2026 | Up to $12,000,000 |
| Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute | Convening Support | LOI due October 1, 2026 | Up to $125,000 |
Teaching and Education
| Sponsor | Program | Deadline | Amount |
| Brady Education Foundation | Research Project or Program Evaluation | Proposals Accepted Anytime | Up to $125,000 |
| National Science Foundation | NSF STEM K-12 | Proposals Accepted Anytime | Up to $750,000 |
| Belk Foundation | Teaching and Leadership | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $200,000 |
| Herst Foundation | Transformational Partnerships Fund | Proposals Accepted Anytime | $100,000 |
| ECMC Foundation | ECMC Foundation Grants | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| Charles Stewart Mott Foundation | Project Support Grants | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| SECU Foundation | Education Grants | Proposals Accepted Anytime | No Stated Limit |
| Institute of Education Sciences | Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences | October 1 2026 | Up to $500,000 |
| Institute of Education Sciences | Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking | October 1 2026 | Up to $1,200,000 |
| Institute of Education Sciences | Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking in Special Education | October 1 2026 | Up to $1,200,000 |
| Institute of Education Sciences | Research Training Programs in Special Education | October 1 2026 | Up to $500,000 |
| Institute of Education Sciences | Statistical and Research Methodology in Education | October 1 2026 | Up to $900,000 |
Grant Approval Forms – Required Prior to Proposal Routing and Submissions
Before we can route and submit your proposal, the appropriate grant approval form must be completed for your college: