Funding Opportunities

Undergraduate Funding

Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI)
Undergraduate student grants for maintenance and fees

Postgraduate Funding

Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI)
SUSI has provided specific information for postgraduate applications on their website. 

External Funding
Postgraduate students are strongly encouraged to actively search for and apply for funding from any sources they can find; it is a normal part of the postgraduate student profile to become an expert on finding and obtaining funding. This is increasingly important for Irish postgraduate students in anthropology as local sources of funding are reduced. Below are a few examples of external funding sources, but students should conduct their own searches to find funding sources appropriate to their own particular research interests.

Research Professional International Funding Database

Registered students are allowed to search for funding using the Research Professional International Funding Database (available only while on Maynooth University campus). Follow the link for more information.

National University of Ireland Doctoral Travelling Studentships

In 2020, the maximum value of a full Travelling Doctoral Studentship for NUI students will be €24,000 per annum to include a stipend of €16,000 and a contribution towards fees of up to €8,000, where appropriate. Applicants entering the competition are also automatically eligible for consideration for the NUI Denis Phelan Scholarship (€16,000).

Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research Grants for Doctoral Students

Wenner-Gren Foundation grants are open to PhD students of any nationality or country of residence. Follow the link above for more information. There are several programmes, including the Wadsworth Fellowships, which are targeted to applicants from countries where anthropology is underrepresented and where there are limited resources to send students overseas for training.

Emslie Horniman Anthropological Scholarship Fund

This scholarship funds anthropological research abroad, and is open to PhD students in the Republic of Ireland.

Open Society Foundations Civil Society Scholar Awards

The Civil Society Scholar Awards support international academic mobility to enable social science doctoral students and university faculty who are citizens of eligible countries to access resources that enrich socially engaged research and critical scholarship. $15,000.

Irish Research Council

The Irish Research Council offers funding for students registered in Structured PhD programmes.

George Moore Scholars Programme

The George Moore Scholars programme is an all-Ireland scholarship programme which supports academically talented students who wish to undertake a Master's degree in the USA.

Wellcome Trust Doctoral Studentships

This scheme enables researchers to undertake humanities or social science doctoral degrees in any area of health.

Internal Funding
Susan Hunter Postgraduate Scholarship

This Postgraduate Scholarship from the Department of Anthropology will support an incoming MA student commencing study in the Department of Anthropology from the beginning of the 2024/25 academic year. The scholarship is worth €2000.

John and Pat Hume Research Scholarship

The John and Pat Hume Research Scholarships are offered each year as funding support for new PhD students across all departments at Maynooth University. Follow the link above for more information. 

Taught Master's Scholarships

The Taught Master's scholarships are open to all Taught Master's applicants to Maynooth University. Offering €2,000 cash in recognition of academic excellence, a minimum requirement for a final overall undergraduate honours BA/BSc result of 2.1 or equivalent was required.

Please contact Eilis.murray@mu.ie for information regarding scholarships.

Postgraduate Travel Fund and Collins Kitchin Fund

The Postgraduate Travel Fund and Collins Kitchin Fund are designed to support research students in presenting at conferences as part of their research programme. Follow the link above for further information. There is no closing date - applications are taken on a rolling basis.

International Students
International students may also wish to also check the Fees and Funding page of the International office website.  

Further information
The Graduate Studies Office also has a "Fees, Funding and Scholarships" page on their website where you might find additional information.
 

Postdoctoral Funding

Irish Research Council 

The IRC manage a suite of interlinked programmes funding researchers across all career stages and disciplines, including the Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowships and the IRC Enterprise Partnership Scheme.

RAI/Leach Fellowship in Public Anthropology

This is a new Fellowship, supported by the Esperanza Trust, intended to improve the profile of anthropology in public debate.

RAI/Anthropologists’ Fund for Urgent Anthropological Research (AFUAR)

This unique scheme, privately funded by anthropologists has been running since 1995. It is designed to support ethnographic research on currently threatened indigenous peoples, cultures and languages. Its primary aim is to contribute to anthropological knowledge through detailed ethnography.

Wellcome Trust Fellowships and Awards

A wide range of Fellowships and Investigator Awards are available for social science researchers in the area of health at all levels of their careers.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowships

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions support researchers at all stages of their careers, regardless of age and nationality. Researchers working across all disciplines are eligible for funding. The MSCA also support cooperation between industry and academia and innovative training to enhance employability and career development.

Royal Irish Academy Charlemont Grants

The Royal Irish Academy’s Charlemont Grants Scheme is a high-impact travel grants scheme aimed at early-career postdoctoral researchers. The scheme facilitates short international visits from Ireland for the conduct of primary research in any subject area.
 

Proposal Writing

Interested in tips for writing successful grant applications? Check out here.