Finding and applying for grants and fellowships is a normal and recurring part of the graduate student’s academic life and scholarly career. Whether you are seeking a career in academia or planning to pursue your research in another professional setting, you will benefit from the acquisition of grantsmanship skills. Learning how to best communicate your work to diverse audiences is a valuable skill set that can have a transformative impact on both your graduate studies and future research career.
Crafting competitive funding applications requires you to learn how to:
- describe your research in ways that resonate with different audiences of reviewers, sometimes beyond the narrow specialized audience in your chosen field
- address the operational concerns and essential criteria of diverse funders
- make and communicate important connections between your research and its potential impact in the wider world
- present your research approach and plan with confidence and clarity
If you are interested in learning more about navigating the graduate funding landscape, the Graduate School has resources available to help you establish a regular practice of seeking out and applying for external grants and fellowships. Building grantsmanship skills can help you gain an understanding of yourself as a professional scholar early in your graduate career. Visit the Grant & Fellowship Assistance web page for details on accessing online resources and services provided by our Student Research & Grants Assistant.
Ready to get started? Individualized assistance is available by appointment at the Graduate School from September through June. Make an appointment today!
Here are the step-by-step instructions for scheduling appointments through RaptorConnect:
- Visit RaptorConnect.
- Click on the blue Make Appointments/Get Tutoring button on the right side of the page under the logo.
- Under Whose service would you like to schedule?, select Graduate Advising & Services.
- Under Service – Other, select Grant & Fellowship Assistance.
- Under Pick A Date, enter the date you would like to schedule.
- Click Find Available Time.
- Select the time slot from the selection on the right which is most convenient.
- Complete the registration form.
Deborah Lynam is the Student Research & Grants Assistant at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University-Camden. She previously worked in the non-profit sector in roles focused on partnerships and engagement which emphasized program development and grant acquisition. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Childhood Studies.