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

The School of Graduate Studies offers 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.

Because of the number of applications received to date, Travel Grant applications are no longer being accepted for FY 2024-25, effective January 31, 2025.

Research Grants

Award amount

The maximum award amount is $7,500.

How to apply

The SGS Research Grant application is now available for 2025-26, with a submission deadline of February 24, 2025. Application

• Research grant awards may be awarded more than once, but preference will be given to first-time applicants.
• Eligible students are degree-seeking graduate students who are consucting thesis or dissertation research.
• Students who will graduate prior to Spring 2026 are NOT eligible for a Research Grant in 2025-26.

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
    • Hourly wages
    • 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 not 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, 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.