External Fellowships

Applying for external fellowships is an important part of graduate education. Funds from a successful application can be used to supplement funds provided by GSAS, and the application process can aid both in clarifying the aims of a research project and in the cultivation of grant-writing skills.

Doctoral students are required to apply for an external fellowship within their first four years of study; the External Fellowship Policy page outlines how funds from a successful application may be disbursed.

Resources for Applying for External Fellowships

All GSAS students have access to the following fellowship databases through subscriptions from the university:

Columbia University is introducing GrantForward, a new funding opportunity discovery platform for its faculty, researchers, administrators, and students. GrantForward is a web-based database that aggregates and vets opportunities across more than 30,000 federal, foundation, and private sponsors and integrates AI-powered tools designed to streamline funding discovery and personalize recommendations.

More information can be found here: https://research.columbia.edu/grantforward-your-new-funding-opportunity-tool

 

PIVOT: A new tool to identify funding opportunities
Access to Columbia’s previous funding database, Pivot, will continue through June 30, 2026, but Columbians are encouraged to activate GrantFoward accounts via Single Sign-on now to ensure continuity in identifying and tracking external funding opportunities

  • Editorially curated up-to-date funding opportunities span all disciplines and project types, from health and medicine to humanities, law and education, worth an estimated $49 billion.
  • A proprietary algorithm that compiles researcher profiles and matches them to current funding opportunities.

    Please see the guidance here:
    https://research.columbia.edu/news/pivot-new-tool-identify-funding-opportunities

     

  • Candid — database of foundation and public charity programs that fund students, artists, researchers, and other individual grantseekers; requires login from a Columbia IP address or an active UNI and password

    In addition to using Candid's online database, GSAS students may also find it helpful to visit the library at the New York branch:

    Candid – New York
    32 Old Slip
    New York, NY 10005
    (212) 620-4230 
    Website
     

The following databases are maintained by other institutions but are publicly searchable:

The sites listed below are provided as possible resources; the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is not responsible for content on external sites and does not endorse products or services.