Graduate Student Grants

Grants do not have to be repaid and are often provided to students based on their financial need. In some cases, the organization providing the grant may also consider other factors, such as academic performance, when awarding these funds.

UMKC Women’s Council Graduate Assistance Fund (GAF)

The GAF awards are meant to enable currently enrolled female graduate students to complete the requirements for graduate degrees, to facilitate their studies and to enrich their educational experiences. 

This grant covers these expenses and others like them required to complete your degree.

• Expenses in conjunction with completion of theses and dissertations
• Unusual photocopying needs
• Special laboratory or art supplies
• Extensive use of computing services
• Special equipment needs
• Unusual costs for surveys or other research tools
• Travel to enhance the applicant’s graduate research
• Unusual living or education costs 

Award amount

Funding requests can total up to $2,000, and additional monetary awards are occasionally granted to applicants with projects of exceptional merit.

Deadline

• Late Fall each academic year
• Throughout the year the UMKC Women’s Council also considers requests for immediate assistance grants, which are of an immediate nature and cannot be delayed until the next award period.
• Awardees are recognized at the annual UMKC Women’s Council reception each spring

How to apply

The Women's Council website is updated each fall with the application deadline and tips for completing the application competitively.

Update: Applications are open September 15th, with a submission deadline of 5pm on November 1st. Visit www.umkcwc.org for more information and the application itself.

Visit UMKC Women's Council

Martha Jane Starr Library Research Award 

Offered by UMKC University Libraries, the Martha Jane Starr Library Research Awards are open to all students, but preference is given to a graduate student with a women and gender studies (WGS) focus and who is mentored or supervised by a member of the WGS faculty.

Award amount

Up to $1,000

Deadline

Fall Semester

How to apply

• Applicants can resubmit an unsuccessful proposal one time only.
• Award winners must wait two years from the end of their project before applying again.
• Visit UMKC Library News and Events in the Fall for details about the award deadline, criteria and application process.

Travel Grants

We offer travel grants to help defray travel costs for the purpose of presenting original research papers at reputable professional meetings or equivalent activities in the creative arts. Such presentations may be volunteered or invited and may be podium or poster presentations.

Amount of award

• In order to assist the maximum number of graduate students, the maximum SGS travel grant is $400.
• Matching funds from the student’s academic unit or program are encouraged but not required. 

How to apply

• Only one request per student will be considered per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). 
• Requests for travel grant funding that occurs in a future fiscal year may be dependent on final budgetary approval.

Apply for 2023-24

Research Grants

Award amount

The maximum award amount is $7,500.

How to apply

The SGS Research Grant application is now open, with a deadline of February 9th, 2024.

• Applications for the 2024-25 academic year are due by February 9th.
• Fellowship awards may be received only once by any individual candidate.
• Research grant awards may be awarded more than once, but preference will be given to first-time applicants.

Application requirements

• The applicant’s letter of support from the chairperson, advisor or mentor must acknowledge 
  • The submission is original scholarly work, and
  • The budget has been reviewed.
• Proposals may randomly be screened for evidence of plagiarism. Incidences of plagiarism will have consequences for students, as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct (CRR 200.010) and the faculty member, as outlined in the Standards of Faculty Conduct (CRR 330.110).
• All awardees must remain students in good standing during the funding period. Fellowships will be pro-rated if the awardee fails to remain in good standing, withdraws from the program or takes a leave of absence during the funding period. Research grant funds will cease to be available effective the date the student is not longer in good standing or enrolled.
• Follow the format instructions for the proposal. 

Post-award activities

• Once awarded, changes in the budget distribution, within the stipend category, for the research grants will only occur if supported by the chairperson, advisor or mentor and approved by the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. A written explanation for the modification should accompany a revised budget when submitted to SGS for approval from the dean.
• All monies will be dispersed over the academic year of funding (July 1–May 15). All charges must be processed by June 1, thus it is recommended that all requests are submitted by May 15, to allow time for processing. Any monies not spent will be returned to the SGS grants program. Because grant funds cannot be carried over in the next fiscal year, no cost extensions cannot be granted.
• Once the project is over, all awardees must submit a final report to SGS. Please follow the final report template for this requirement.