📋 Quick Reference Guide

Side-by-side comparison of popular grants for quick decision-making.

💡 How to use this guide:
Find your career stage, then compare grants across amount, eligibility, and success rates to prioritize your applications.

🎓 PhD Student Fellowships

United States

Grant	Organization	Amount	Duration	Deadline	Success Rate	Citizenship
NSF GRFP	NSF	$37K/yr + $12K COE	3 years	October	~15%	US only
NIH F31	NIH	Stipend + tuition	Up to 5 yrs	Apr/Aug/Dec	~10-15%	US only
Hertz Fellowship	Hertz Foundation	Up to $250K	5 years	October	~1-2%	US/Intl
DOE SCGSR	Dept of Energy	$3K/mo + travel	3-12 months	May/Nov	~20-30%	US only
Ford Foundation	National Academies	$28K/yr + fees	3 years	December	~5%	US only

Quick Tips:

✅ NSF GRFP: Apply early in grad career (1st or 2nd year optimal)
✅ NIH F31: Need preliminary data, apply years 2-4
✅ Hertz: Extremely competitive, focus on applied sciences
✅ DOE SCGSR: Great for thesis research at national labs

Europe

Grant	Organization	Amount	Duration	Deadline	Citizenship
Marie Curie ITN	EU	€60K+/yr	3-4 years	Rolling	Any (work in EU)
EMBO Fellowships	EMBO	Variable	2 years	Multiple	European/Intl

👨‍🔬 Postdoc Fellowships

Transition to Independence

Grant	Organization	Amount	Career Stage	Duration	Success Rate	Citizenship
NIH K99/R00	NIH	$249K each phase	Postdoc → Faculty	5 years total	~20-25%	US/PR
NSF Postdoc	NSF	$69K/yr + $10K/yr	Postdoc	2-3 years	~15-20%	US only
ERC Starting	EU	Up to €1.5M	2-7 yrs post-PhD	5 years	~13%	Any (work in EU)
EMBO Postdoc	EMBO	€86K/yr	Postdoc	2 years	~15%	European/Intl
HFSP Postdoc	HFSP	$60K+	Postdoc	3 years	~10%	International

Quick Tips:

✅ K99/R00: Apply in years 2-4 of postdoc, need clear faculty transition plan
✅ NSF Postdoc: Must move institutions (cannot postdoc where you got PhD)
✅ ERC Starting: Can be used to start lab as new faculty
✅ HFSP: Must cross national borders or disciplines

By Region

Region	Top Grants	Typical Amount	Notes
US	K99/R00, NSF Postdoc, NIH F32	$50K-$80K/yr	Mostly restricted to US citizens
EU	Marie Curie, EMBO, ERC Starting	€60K-€100K/yr	Open to internationals working in EU
UK	Wellcome Trust, UKRI Future Leaders	£50K-£90K/yr	Competitive, excellent prestige
Global	HFSP, Newton International	$60K/yr	Must cross borders

👩‍🏫 Early-Career Faculty

Career Development Awards

Grant	Organization	Amount	Eligibility	Duration	Success Rate	Deadline
NSF CAREER	NSF	$400K-$500K	Pre-tenure	5 years	~20-25%	July (varies)
NIH R01	NIH	$250K-$500K/yr	Any faculty	3-5 years	~20% new, ~30% renewal	Rolling
ERC Consolidator	EU	Up to €2M	7-12 yrs post-PhD	5 years	~13%	February
UKRI Future Leaders	UKRI	£900K-£1.5M	Early-career	4-7 years	~10%	Multiple rounds
Sloan Fellowship	Sloan Foundation	$75K	Within 6 yrs of PhD	2 years	~5%	September

Quick Tips:

✅ NSF CAREER: Emphasize integration of research and education
✅ NIH R01: Strong preliminary data essential, consider R21 first
✅ ERC: High risk/high reward ideas valued
✅ Sloan: Prestige award, requires nomination

Comparison by Amount

Grant Level	Amount Range	Typical Grants	Best For
Starter	$50K-$100K	NIH R21, pilot grants	New ideas, preliminary data
Standard	$200K-$500K	NSF CAREER, NIH R01	Established research programs
Large	$500K-$2M	ERC, NIH R35 MIRA	Major initiatives, labs
Prestige	$75K-$150K	Sloan, Packard	Recognition + discretionary funds

💻 Open Source & Technology

OSS-Specific Grants

Grant	Organization	Amount	Focus	Application	Success Info
Sovereign Tech Fund	Germany	€50K-€300K	Critical infrastructure	Rolling	Selective
NLnet	Netherlands	€5K-€50K	Internet tech	Continuous	~20-30%
Mozilla MOSS	Mozilla	$10K-$250K	Open source	RFP-based	Varies by call
Prototype Fund	Germany	Up to €47.5K	Civic tech	Multiple rounds	~10-15%
GitHub Sponsors	GitHub	Variable	Community-funded	Continuous	N/A

Quick Tips:

✅ Sovereign Tech Fund: Focus on maintenance and security of critical projects
✅ NLnet: Multiple rounds, relatively quick turnaround
✅ Prototype Fund: 6-month projects, must be public interest
✅ GitHub Sponsors: Build community first

By Project Stage

Project Stage	Recommended Grants	Amount Range	Timeline
Idea/Prototype	Prototype Fund, NLnet	€5K-€50K	6-12 months
Active Development	Mozilla MOSS, GitHub Sponsors	$10K-$100K	Ongoing
Critical Infrastructure	Sovereign Tech Fund, OpenSSF	€50K-€300K	1-2 years
Established Project	Mozilla, CZI, Sloan	$50K-$500K	Multi-year

📊 Comparison by Career Stage

What to Apply for When

**Year 1-2 of PhD:** - ✅ NSF GRFP (apply ASAP!) - ✅ Hertz Fellowship (if eligible) - ✅ Ford Foundation (if eligible) - ❌ Too early: F31, dissertation grants **Year 3-5 of PhD:** - ✅ NIH F31 (with preliminary data) - ✅ Dissertation grants - ✅ Travel grants for conferences - ✅ Research abroad programs **Year 1-2 of Postdoc:** - ✅ NSF Postdoctoral Fellowships - ✅ HFSP, Marie Curie (if moving) - ⚠️ Too early: K99/R00 **Year 2-4 of Postdoc:** - ✅ NIH K99/R00 (prime time!) - ✅ Transition grants - ✅ Job market prep grants **Year 1-3 of Faculty:** - ✅ NSF CAREER - ✅ NIH R21 (exploratory) - ✅ Starter grants from foundations - ⚠️ Build track record for R01 **Year 3+ of Faculty:** - ✅ NIH R01 - ✅ Large research grants - ✅ ERC Consolidator (if in EU)

💰 Quick Comparison by Amount

Small Grants ($1K-$25K)

Best For	Typical Grants	Timeline
Travel to conferences	Professional society grants	1-2 months
Pilot data	University internal grants	2-4 months
OSS microgrants	NLnet, small Mozilla	3-6 months
Equipment	NSF MRI, foundation	6-12 months

Medium Grants ($25K-$100K)

Best For	Typical Grants	Timeline
PhD support	F31, GRFP	3-5 years
Postdoc salary	Individual fellowships	2-3 years
Small research project	R21, seed grants	1-2 years
OSS projects	Mozilla MOSS, Prototype Fund	6-18 months

Large Grants ($100K-$500K)

Best For	Typical Grants	Timeline
Full research program	R01, CAREER	3-5 years
Lab startup	Transition awards	2-5 years
Collaborative projects	EU Horizon, multi-PI	3-5 years

Very Large Grants ($500K+)

Best For	Typical Grants	Timeline
Major initiatives	ERC, NIH R35	5 years
Center grants	NSF Centers, NIH P01	5-10 years
Infrastructure	DOE, large collaborations	Multi-year

🎯 Strategic Planning

Multi-Grant Portfolio Strategy

**High Success Target (>30%):** - Internal/university grants - Travel grants - Small foundation grants **Moderate Success (15-25%):** - NSF GRFP (if eligible) - NIH F31 - NSF CAREER - Standard research grants **Reach Applications (<10%):** - Hertz Fellowship - Sloan Fellowship - ERC grants - Elite foundation awards **Recommended Mix:** - 2-3 High Success - 3-5 Moderate Success - 1-2 Reach

Timeline for Multiple Applications

Year 1:
├─ Q1: Internal seed grants
├─ Q2: Foundation grants (rolling)
├─ Q3: NSF CAREER, Sloan
└─ Q4: GRFP (if eligible), Foundation apps

Year 2:
├─ Q1: NIH F31/K99 (Feb deadline)
├─ Q2: Foundation grants (rolling)
├─ Q3: Resubmissions + new apps
└─ Q4: Plan next year's strategy

🔗 Quick Links

By Career Stage

By Use Case

Deadline Calendar - Plan your applications
FAQ - Common questions answered
Live Dashboard - Real-time opportunities

💡 Pro Tip: Don't just chase the biggest grants. A strategic mix of high-success and reach applications maximizes your funding chances while building your track record.

Last updated: November 16, 2025