❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about finding and applying for grants.

General Questions

What is this repository?

Awesome Grants is a curated and automatically updated database of funding opportunities for researchers, open-source maintainers, and builders. It includes:

  • 136+ grants from government agencies, foundations, and organizations
  • 70+ live-scraped opportunities updated automatically from Grants.gov and NSF
  • 66 curated grants with detailed information about major programs

How current is the data?

  • Live-scraped grants: Updated automatically when you run the scraper (see How to Use)
  • Curated grants: Manually maintained and verified periodically
  • Check the Live Dashboard to see when data was last collected

Is this list complete?

No funding database is ever complete. This is a community-maintained resource focused on major, well-established funding opportunities. We prioritize:

  • ✅ Regular, recurring grant programs
  • ✅ Large funding amounts or high-prestige awards
  • ✅ Programs accessible to international or diverse applicants
  • ❌ One-time or discontinued programs
  • ❌ Highly specialized niche grants (unless particularly significant)

Finding the Right Grant

I’m a PhD student. Where do I start?

Quick path:

  1. Go to By Audience → Students & PhD
  2. Filter by your region (US, EU, UK, etc.)
  3. Look for fellowships and dissertation grants

Top recommendations:

  • US: NSF GRFP, NIH F31, Hertz Foundation
  • EU: Marie Curie Fellowships, national PhD programs
  • UK: UKRI Doctoral Training Partnerships

I’m a postdoc. What grants should I apply for?

Quick path:

  1. Go to By Audience → Postdocs & ECRs
  2. Check transition-to-independence programs

Top recommendations:

  • US: NIH K99/R00, NSF Postdoctoral Fellowships
  • EU: ERC Starting Grants, Marie Curie Fellowships
  • UK: Wellcome Trust Career Development Awards
  • Global: Human Frontier Science Program

I’m starting as faculty. What should I apply for?

Quick path:

  1. Go to By Audience → Faculty & PI
  2. Focus on early-career faculty awards

Top recommendations:

  • US: NSF CAREER, NIH R01/R21, Sloan Fellowships
  • EU: ERC Starting/Consolidator Grants
  • UK: UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships

I maintain an open-source project. Are there grants for me?

Yes! Go to By Type → OSS Grants or By Audience → OSS Maintainers

Top recommendations:

  • Sovereign Tech Fund (Germany) - €50,000-€300,000
  • NLnet Foundation - €5,000-€50,000
  • Mozilla Grants - $10,000-$50,000
  • GitHub Sponsors - Community-funded
  • Prototype Fund - Up to €47,500

How do I search for grants in a specific field?

Use By Domain to filter by research area:

  • CS & AI
  • Data Science & Mathematics
  • Engineering & Robotics
  • Life Sciences & Medicine
  • Environment & Climate
  • Social Sciences
  • Humanities

Eligibility Questions

I’m not a US citizen. Can I apply for NSF/NIH grants?

NSF: Most fellowships (like GRFP) require US citizenship or permanent residency. However, NSF research grants to institutions can support international researchers.

NIH: Similar restrictions for individual fellowships (F-series, K-series). R-series grants can support international researchers at US institutions.

Workaround: Join a US institution as a researcher - your PI can include you on grants.

I’m not in Europe. Can I apply for ERC grants?

ERC grants are not restricted by nationality but by where you conduct research. You must:

  • Conduct research at an institution in an EU member state or associated country
  • Have your host institution endorse your application

International researchers can absolutely win ERC grants if based in Europe.

Can I hold multiple grants simultaneously?

It depends:

  • ✅ Usually YES: Combining grants from different agencies (e.g., NSF + NIH)
  • ⚠️ Check rules: Some fellowships prohibit dual support
  • ⚠️ Report overlaps: Always disclose other funding in “Current & Pending Support”
  • ❌ Budget overlap: Cannot charge the same work to two grants

Best practice: Read each grant’s terms carefully and consult your institution’s sponsored research office.

What if I’m between career stages?

Many grants have flexible eligibility windows:

  • Years since PhD: Count career breaks (parental leave, illness, etc.) when determining eligibility
  • Transitioning roles: Some grants (like K99/R00) are designed for transitions
  • Career changes: Industry → Academia or Academia → Industry often have special programs

Application Process

How far in advance should I start?

Minimum timeline:

  • Fellowships: 3-6 months before deadline
  • Research grants: 6-12 months before deadline
  • Large collaborative grants: 12-18 months before deadline

Why start early?

  • Develop research plan
  • Get collaborator commitments
  • Obtain letters of recommendation
  • Institutional review/approval
  • Budget preparation

Do I need preliminary data?

Depends on the grant:

  • ✅ Usually required: NIH R01, large foundation grants
  • ❌ Not required: NSF (though helpful), early-career fellowships, some EU grants
  • 🤷 Varies: Read the solicitation carefully

For early-career grants: Preliminary data is less critical - focus on strong research plan and training environment.

How important are letters of recommendation?

Very important for fellowships, less so for research grants.

Tips:

  • Give recommenders 4-6 weeks notice
  • Provide your CV, research statement, and grant summary
  • Choose recommenders who know your work well
  • Diversity matters: not all from same institution

Can I resubmit if rejected?

Usually yes, and resubmissions have higher success rates!

Best practices:

  • Read reviews carefully
  • Address every criticism
  • Many agencies allow revision summaries
  • Some grants have specific resubmission tracks

Success rates:

  • NIH: ~20% for new R01s, ~30% for resubmissions
  • NSF: Similar patterns across programs

Strategic Questions

What are realistic success rates?

Highly selective (1-5%):

  • Hertz Fellowship
  • Wellcome Trust Senior Fellowships
  • ERC Advanced Grants

Very competitive (10-20%):

  • NSF GRFP (~15%)
  • NIH F31 (~10-15%)
  • NSF CAREER (~20-25%)
  • ERC Starting Grants (~13%)

Competitive (20-40%):

  • NIH R01 (~20%)
  • Many foundation grants (20-30%)

Strategy: Apply to multiple grants, not just one. Successful researchers often have 5-10 active applications.

Should I apply even if I’m not sure I’m eligible?

If genuinely unsure: Contact the program officer! They’re there to help.

Red flags to avoid:

  • Clear citizenship requirements
  • Required institutional types
  • Mandatory career stage windows

Gray areas worth trying:

  • Interdisciplinary fit
  • Borderline career stage
  • Novel research approaches

How do I improve my chances?

Before writing:

  • ✅ Read funded abstracts (many agencies publish these)
  • ✅ Attend grant-writing workshops
  • ✅ Find mentors who’ve won the grant
  • ✅ Start with smaller grants to build track record

While writing:

  • ✅ Follow instructions exactly
  • ✅ Get multiple reviewers (peers, mentors, non-experts)
  • ✅ Emphasize broader impacts/significance
  • ✅ Make it easy to read: clear structure, figures, summaries

Strategic:

  • ✅ Build collaborations
  • ✅ Publish and present your work
  • ✅ Engage with program officers
  • ✅ Apply multiple times

Technical Questions

How do I update the live grants data?

Run the scraper to get fresh data:

cd src/
python master_scraper.py

This will collect the latest opportunities from Grants.gov and NSF. See How to Use for details.

Can I contribute new grants to the curated list?

Yes! We welcome contributions. To add a grant:

  1. Check it’s not already listed
  2. Gather complete information (amount, deadline, eligibility, URL)
  3. Either update the relevant Markdown page in docs/ or extend one of the scrapers in src/ (see README for details)
  4. Run python3 src/master_scraper.py / python3 src/enhanced_wiki_generator.py if you touched the scrapers
  5. Submit a pull request with the updated files

See the main README for full contribution guidelines.

Why are some grants missing deadlines?

Live-scraped grants: Sometimes APIs don’t include deadline info, or grants have rolling deadlines

Curated grants: We indicate “Rolling” or “See website” when deadlines vary

Always verify deadlines on the official grant website - they can change!

How do I search within the documentation?

On GitHub:

  • Use GitHub’s search: repo:yueyuel/awesome-grants [search term]
  • Or press / and search within the repository

Locally:

  • Use grep or your code editor’s search
  • Search within individual files in docs/

By category:

Still Have Questions?

Where can I learn more?

How can I get help?

  • Program-specific questions: Contact the program officer for that grant
  • Repository issues: Open an issue on GitHub
  • General grant advice: Consult your institution’s sponsored research office

Can I share this resource?

Yes! This resource is MIT-licensed. Please:

  • ⭐ Star the repository if you find it useful
  • 🔗 Share the link with colleagues
  • 📢 Cite it if you use it in publications or presentations
Resource Description
Home Start here for navigation
Live Dashboard Latest auto-scraped opportunities
By Organization Browse by funding agency
By Audience Find grants for your career stage
By Region Filter by geographic location
How to Use Complete guide to using this resource

Last updated: November 16, 2025