External Fellowships

The following sites provide information and tools for researching scholarships and fellowships. Please note: the links will lead you to sites outside of MEI; we are not responsible for the contents of any of these sites.

Columbia Funding Opportunities

The Columbia University Scholarship for Displaced Students (CUSDS)
Supports displaced students from anywhere in the world. Applicants must be able to provide documentation of their displaced status, and students awarded funding will receive partial or full tuition, and potentially assistance with living expenses while pursuing a graduate degree at Columbia. Eligible students should apply at the same time that they submit their application for a Columbia graduate program.

Edward W. Said Fellows
Named in his honor, Edward W. Said Fellows receive a $5,000 research fellowship award that is intended to offset the financial costs of consulting the Edward W. Said Papers in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Columbia University. Researchers early in their careers whose scholarship speaks across disciplinary boundaries, promotes humanistic inquiry in the service of intercultural communication and understanding, and addresses pressing global issues in the public sphere are especially encouraged to apply. For Said, cultural criticism was an ethical imperative. He believed it was the responsibility of humanists in the academy not only to reveal the links between culture and power but also to develop alternative modes of analysis to resist injustice.

Harriman Institute for Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies
The Harriman Institute awards a number of student fellowships every year to students interested in conducting research on Russia, Eurasia and Eastern Europe.

The Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies
The IIJS is pleased to provide funding for graduate students in the form of named fellowships as well as grants. Funding is available to students throughout the academic year; for summer travel related to research; and for travel grants for students presenting research at academic or professional conferences. Priority for funding will be given to students who are active participants of IIJS programming (an expectation of grantees).

Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life
IRCPL Summer Research Fellowships are available to Columbia University students for research related to the completion of their dissertation or other research projects. The fellowship provides each student a maximum of $4,000 to cover expenses directly related to their research, including travel, lodging, and materials. Make sure to check IRCPL’s website for updates.

Interschool Fellowships at Columbia
To receive these need-based awards, which range in amount from $1,000 to $5,000, students must be enrolled in an Arts and Sciences graduate program, and must meet the requirements of the relevant fellowship. The online application will include a list of all available fellowships and their respective requirements.

Mellon Fellowship Program
In partnership with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Columbia Global Centers (Amman) has established the Mellon Fellowship Program to support emerging displaced scholars working in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. The goal of the program is to create opportunities for scholars to reintegrate into academia and resume their academic pursuits.

Public Humanities Graduate Fellows
The Society of Fellows and Heyman Center for the Humanities provides funded opportunities for graduate students to explore the public dimensions of their work. While each fellowship has distinct features and requirements, during the funding period, students work closely with at least one community organization, participate in methods workshops, and present their projects in the Building Publics series.

External Funding Opportunities

For a full list of resources including fellowship search databases, please visit the GSAS External Funding Website and the SIPA External Funding Website.

American Association of University Women Fellowships and Grants
Provides funding to women who hold a bachelor’s degree and are preparing to advance or change careers or reenter the workforce. Primary consideration is given to women of color and women pursuing their first advanced degree or credentials in nontraditional fields. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents whose last degree was received four years previously. Funds are available for tuition, fees, books, supplies, local transportation, and dependent care.

American Association of University Women International Fellowships
The fellowships are awarded for full-time study or research in the United States to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Both graduate and postgraduate studies at accredited U.S. institutions are supported. Applicants must have earned the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree and must have applied to their proposed institutions of study by the time of the application. Recipients are selected for academic achievement and demonstrated commitment to women and girls. Recipients return to their home countries to become leaders in business, government, academia, community activism, the arts, and sciences.

American Councils for International Education
ACIE believes in the fundamental role of education in fostering positive change for individuals, institutions, and societies. The organization has focused its expertise on academic exchange, professional training, distance learning, curriculum and test development, delivery of technical assistance, research, evaluation, and institution building. 

The American Academic Research Institute for Research in Iraq (AARIIT)
AARIIT hosts two fellowship programs, one for citizens of Iraq, and one for U.S. citizens. Both competitions have strict eligibility requirements that must be met before applications may be submitted. Before inquiring about a fellowship program, please be sure that you meet the requirements for the program in which you are interested.

American Institute for Iranian Studies
AIRS supports a number of fellowships for scholars of Iranian studies and the Persian language.

American Institute for Maghrib Studies
Offers a number of fellowships for Maghrebi scholars, as well as grants for scholars and graduate students conducting research in North Africa.

The American Institute for Yemeni Studies (AIYS)
AIYS Fellowship for Study and Research in Yemen offers two separate competitions for fellowship programs of in-country residence and research in Yemen, one for U.S. citizens and one for citizens of the Republic of Yemen

American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT)
The American Research Institute in Turkey will offer ARIT fellowships for research in Turkey at its branch centers. Scholars and advanced graduate students engaged in research on ancient, medieval, or modern times in Turkey, in any field of the humanities and social sciences, are eligible. ARIT also offers fellowships for intensive advanced Turkish language study in Istanbul: full travel and fellowships for ten advanced students and scholars for participation in a summer program in Turkish language at Bogazi’i University in Istanbul.

The Anna Sobol Levy Foundation
Provides fellowships for U.S. citizens who are college graduates to pursue a Master’s Degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The Beinecke Scholarship Program
The program seeks to encourage and enable highly motivated students to pursue opportunities available to them and to be courageous in the selection of a graduate course of study in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Each scholar receives $4,000 immediately prior to entering graduate school and an additional $30,000 while attending graduate school. There are no geographic restrictions on the use of the scholarship, and recipients are allowed to supplement the award with other scholarships, assistantships and research grants. Scholars are encouraged to begin graduated study as soon as possible following graduation from college, and must utilize all of the funding within five years of completion of undergraduate studies.

Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) fellowships offer unique opportunities for U.S. citizens with a demonstrated commitment to a career in foreign policy to gain experience in a new environment. Selected fellows broaden their perspective of foreign affairs either by pursuing work in a policymaking setting or research in an academic environment. CFR is committed to fostering a foreign policy community in the United States that is more representative of American society as a whole. Eligibility criteria for individual fellowships vary, and some are by nomination or invitation only. Please click each fellowship for more information.

David L. Boren Awards for International Travel
Provides funding for U.S. graduate students to study in world regions critical to U.S. interests, including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. In exchange for funding, recipients commit to working in the federal government for a minimum of one year. The applications are now available. These fellowships are open to graduate students of all U.S. universities. 

The Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund
The fund aids people active in movements for social and economic justice. These need-based scholarships are awarded to students who are able to do academic work at the college or university level or are enrolled in a trade or technical program and who are active in the progressive movement. Recent grantees have been active in the struggle against racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of oppression; building the movement for economic justice; and creating peace through international anti-imperialist solidarity. Applicants must have participated in activities in the US, and there is a strong preference for applicants who plan on working in this country. The maximum grant available from the Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund is $15,000 per year (from July 1 through June 30).

Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program
The program is intended for students in graduate school who are also interested in a career in the foreign service of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Payne Fellows work on the front lines of some of the most pressing global challenges including poverty, hunger, injustice, disease, environmental degradation, climate change, conflict and violent extremism and join USAID once they complete the program.

Echoing Green Public Service Fellowships
The fellowship provides funding to conduct public service projects anywhere in the world. The support is available for up to two years.  

Fulbright Foreign Student Program
The Fulbright Foreign Student Program enables graduate students, young professionals and artists from abroad to study and conduct research in the United States. The Fulbright Foreign Student Program operates in more than 160 countries worldwide. Approximately 4,000 foreign students receive Fulbright scholarships each year.
*Only the Columbia portion of the Columbia/AKU-ISMC Dual MA Program is Fulbright eligible.

Humboldt Research Fellowship Program
The fellowship promotes academic cooperation between scientists and scholars from Germany and abroad. The research fellowships and awards allow researchers to come to Germany to work on a project, they have chosen themselves, in cooperation with a German host and collaborative partner. 

Indspire
Indspire offers scholarships and awards to Canadian First Nations, Inuit and Métis students for Post-Secondary Education. There is one application for all of Indspire’s bursaries, scholarships, and awards.

International Research and Exchange Board 
The International Research and Exchange Board is an international nonprofit organization providing leadership and innovative programs to improve the quality of education, strengthen independent media and foster pluralistic civil society. 

Islamic Scholarship Fund
The mission of the Islamic Scholarship Fund is to increase "American Muslim representation in media and politics in order to improve public opinion and policy." ISF awards merit scholarships to U.S. citizens and permanent residents attending graduate school in policy, media, law or film, who are Muslim or are an active member of the Muslim community. Applications generally open in November or December and are due between late March and early April.

Mellon Foundation Regranting and Fellowship Programs
In addition to its regular Higher Learning grantmaking, Mellon provides funding for competitive fellowships and awards. It also hosts the Sawyer Seminars and the New Directions Fellowship.

Open Society Foundations
The Open Society Foundations award grants and fellowships throughout the year to organizations and individuals who share Open Society values. We look for grantees who have a vision and whose efforts will lead to lasting social change. The vast majority of our grants are awarded to organizations that we approach directly, but we do list some open opportunities below. Other funding opportunities are available through Open Society’s network of national and regional foundations.

Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
Visiting Fellowships are awarded annually to enable scholars or writers with academic interests in the Islamic world to spend an extended period of independent study and research at Oxford.

Palestinian American Resource Center
The Palestinian American Research Center (PARC) awards a number of fellowships every year. They offer two research fellowships for scholars of Palestine and a travel seminar competition for scholars who are not Palestine experts but who are eager to learn more about Palestine. Applications are usually due in January.

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans
The program honors the contributions of immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States. Each year, we invest in the graduate education of 30 New Americans—immigrants and children of immigrants—who are poised to make significant contributions to US society, culture or their academic field. Each Fellow receives up to $90,000 in financial support over two years, and they join a lifelong community of New American Fellows.

P.E.O. International
P.E.O. International promotes educational opportunities for women. The Sisterhood proudly sponsors no less than five international philanthropies, or projects, designed to assist women with their educational goals.  

The Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship Program
This is a U.S. Department of State funded and Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars administered fellowship. The fellowship provides graduate students with financial support, mentoring and professional development to prepare them academically and professionally for a career with the U.S. Department of State. Women, members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, and students with financial need are encouraged to apply.

Rotary International
Rotary aims to enable members to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. The division, in conjunction with Rotarians, Rotary clubs, and Rotary districts, provides its assistance through scholarship, fellowship, and grant processes. 

US Dept of State Critical Language Scholarships For Intensive Summer Institutes
This scholarship will provide funding for U.S. citizens, including undergraduates, Master’s and Ph.D. students, and recent graduates to participate in beginning, intermediate and/or advanced level summer language programs at American Overseas Research Centers and affiliated partners.

US Dept of State and the Council of American Overseas Research Centers
The Multi-Country Research Fellowship enables US scholars to carry out trans-regional and comparative research in countries across the network of Overseas Research Centers as well as other countries. The fellowship supports advanced research in the humanities, social sciences, and allied natural sciences for US doctoral candidates, who are ‘all but dissertation’ and scholars who have earned their PhD or a terminal degree. Applicants are eligible to apply as individuals or as teams. Scholars must carry out research in two or more countries outside the US, at least one of which must host a participating Overseas Research Center. Twelve awards of $12,600 each will be granted. Funding is provided by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.​ Other ORC opportunities here.

Woodrow Wilson Center Fellowships in Humanities and Social Sciences
This awards approximately 20-25 residential fellowships annually to individuals with outstanding project proposals in a broad range of the social sciences and humanities on national and/or international issues. Topics and scholarship should relate to key public policy challenges or provide the historical and/or cultural framework to illuminate policy issues of contemporary importance. 

Women in Defense Horizons Scholarship
The scholarship is intended for women interested in pursuing a career related to U.S. national security and defense. Open to college juniors and above, including those in graduate school, awards are based on academic achievement, participation in defense and national security activities, field of study, work experience, statements of objectives, recommendations and financial need.