Grants & Fellowships

NSIDP students are strongly encouraged to apply for their own funding. There are many intramural and extramural funding opportunities available to NSIDP students. Applications should be tailored to the individual applicant and the mentor’s research strengths. Mentors and mentees should consult about which funding opportunities are most appropriate. 

The UCLA Graduate Division website has a comprehensive summary of many funding opportunities as well as other financial information.

In addition, the NSIDP and the Brain Research Institute grant internal travel awards for graduate students traveling to present their research at professional conferences. Many professional societies and private organizations also provide travel grants and research funding in diverse areas of Neuroscience. We will list such opportunities here and on the News page as this information becomes available.

Current and past NSIDP students have successfully applied for many grants. See the Awards tab under Current Students for a partial listing.

Details on common grant and fellowship mechanisms can be found in the menu below. 

The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) awards 3-year predoctoral fellowships that provide funding for stipend and a portion of tuition and fees. Visit the GRFP website more information. Successful applications must be written and submitted early (no later than the end of your first year). The NSF is less likely to fund clinically oriented applications and favors basic science questions. Note the importance of the 'Broader Impact' section!

Full proposal deadline : ~End of October.

The National Institutes of Health provide predoctoral support via the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) program. The duration of support varies and covers a portion of both stipend and tuition and fees. Visit the NRSA website for more information. Successful applications are usually written and submitted by the end of the second year. The NIH and the individual institutes therein favor clinically oriented research that is in line with their public mission statement. Note that these are TRAINING awards and must contain a training aspect distinct from what the NSIDP requires from you.

NSIDP students are able to apply for UCLA’s many NIH-funded training grants. A complete list of pre and postdoctoral training grants active at UCLA is available here. The training grants that NSIDP students most often apply for are listed below.

The Grass Foundation offers fellowships to conduct independent research at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. Application deadlines are Dec 5, annually. A number of current UCLA faculty have been Grass Fellows (e.g. Agasti, Fain, Narins, Schweizer).

Some private institutions and foundations also provide funding for predoctoral candidates. In the past, NSIDP students have been funded by grants from organizations like the ARCS Foundation and the American Heart Association. The GRAPES webpage is a great place to find specific opportunities that may apply to you!