Funding – Current Students

Becoming a professional historian means, among other things, building a knowledge of the landscape of research funding, itself a valuable research skill.

This page offers a portal to available sources of support or to tools for finding funding appropriate for your research interests.  The first section has links to a variety of sources of History Department funding.  The second section points to UW sources of funding, and the third offers information on external funding.  Regardless of your funding status, we strongly encourage all students to explore external sources of support, which help in building your professional profile.

Our listings are extensive but necessarily incomplete, so a thorough search will require you to seek out additional sources that are specific to your area of research, e.g., through professional association websites, email lists, and consultation with your advisor.

Departmental Funding

• Dissertator Fellowships
• External Opportunities Fund (EOF)
• Graduate Assistantships
• Research and Conference Travel Grants
• Writing Prizes
• Emergency Fund

UW–Madison Sources of Funding

• The International Division’s IRIS Awards Office – a resource center for information on funding opportunities for travel abroad.
• Areas or topical studies programs such as the Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies Program, the Center for European Studies, the Medieval Studies Program, the Center for Jewish Studies, and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies. The Institute for Regional and International Studies offers a list of all area studies centers.
• Dana-Allen Dissertation Fellowship | Institute for Research in the Humanities
• William Coleman Dissertation Fellowship (HSMT only) | Institute for Research in the Humanities
• UW Graduate School research and conference travel awards
• Worldwide Dissertator Program: Reduces tuition and offers eligibility for insurance while abroad.
  • Worldwide UW Graduate Fellowships Research: For recipients of awards through the International Fellowships Office (NSEP Boren, Fulbright, Fulbright Hays DDRA, Bonn Fellow) or the Graduate School (NSF GROW, NSF GROW with USAID).
  • Worldwide UW Graduate Research: For students researching abroad who have not received one of the fellowships listed above.
• UW–Madison Job Center – advertises assistantships in other departments and other employment opportunities on and off campus
• Graduate School Funding & Financial Aid

External Funding

Our students have been very successful in national and international competitions for fellowships and grants. Copies of past applications for the most commonly sought awards are available to review in the office of

Copies of past applications for the most commonly sought awards are available to review by contacting the Graduate Program Project Assistant.

To launch your funding search, browse the list of resources at at the right. The Graduate School also has available a searchable database of external funding opportunities. Graduate students can filter their searches by disciplinary division and/or demographics. We strongly recommend that you also visit the UW’s Grants Information Collection for a comprehensive database of available resources.