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.

Travel Grant

The School of Graduate Studies offers travel grants to help defray travel costs for the purpose of presenting original research papers or equivalent work in the creative arts at professional meetings, workshops, festivals or exhibits. Such presentations may be volunteered or invited and may be podium or poster presentations.

Amount of award

• In order to assist as many graduate students as possible, the maximum SGS travel grant is $400.
• Grants are for in-person conferences only.
• 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).
• Applications have closed for events happening in September, October, November, and December. Students who received late notification of acceptance for presentations in these months may submit an application for review with the next cycle of applications, for a potential retroactive approval.
• Proof of acceptance of your presentation is required.

Applications are now open for travel to events happening in January, February, and March. All materials must be received at umkcsgs@umkc.edu by 5pm on Friday, January 23^rd.

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. 

For more information, please visit the UMKC Women's Council website.

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.

Research Grants

Eligibility

• Degree-seeking graduate students who are conducting thesis or dissertation research are eligible to apply.
• Students who will graduate prior to Spring 2027 are NOT eligible for a Research Grant in 2026-27.
• Research grant awards may be awarded more than once, but preference will be given to first-time applicants.

Award amount

The maximum award amount is $5,000. Students who need lower amounts, such as $500 or $1,000 for costs associated with their research, are encouraged to apply. Your budget does NOT need to reach the $5,000 maximum to be considered.

How to apply

The SGS Research Grant application is now open for 2026-27, and is due to umkcsgs@umkc.edu by 5pm on Friday, February 27.

Application requirements

• The application form must be completed.
• A proposal that does not exceed 4 single-spaced pages in 12-point font with 1-inch margins (including references) must be submitted. Please address the following within the proposal:
  • Problem statement (hypothesis or research question)
  • Significance to the field
  • Background and relationship to current literature
  • Methodological approach
  • Anticipated outcomes
  • Budget, which may include the items listed below, and justification of each budget item
    • Supplies and equipment 
    • Travel to collections
    • Contracted work
• Transcripts of previous graduate work at UMKC must be included.
• A letter of recommendation from the major advisor/mentor is required. This letter must address the significance of the research and comment on the appropriateness of the budget.
• 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 no longer in good standing or enrolled.
• Proposals will be evaluated on the soundness of the goals and objectives, the significance of the research, the feasibility of the methods or approach proposed, the student's academic background, and the advisor's letter of recommendation.

Post-award information

• Once awarded, changes in the budget distribution 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 into 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.