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Foundation

Private foundations are an important source of external funding for W&M faculty across all disciplines. Foundation proposals are supported through a partnership between the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) and the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP).

Faculty should contact CFR early in the process – before approaching a prospective foundation – to coordinate outreach and proposal development. OSP reviews and approves all foundation proposals prior to submission, negotiates award agreements, and provides post-award administration.

Browse each faculty funding section, or use Command (⌘) + F on Mac devices or Ctrl + F on PC devices to search for specific keywords on each page.

Interested applicants should contact their OSP Administrator as early as possible.

Funding Opportunities

  • (New)
    • Simons Foundation 
    • Description: Provides three-year postdoctoral fellowships to early-career researchers pursuing fundamental research in plant biology. Supports interdisciplinary approaches combining plant science with fields such as engineering, computational modeling, chemistry, synthetic biology, and physics to advance understanding of plant function and biology. Awards provide up to $360,000, including an annual stipend and research allowance.
    • Deadline: 12/03/2026
    • Keywords: Plant biology, postdoctoral fellowship, interdisciplinary research, basic science, synthetic biology, computational modeling, plant physiology
    • **This opportunity requires Corporate and Foundation Relations clearance – please contact cfr@wm.edu and cc your OSP Administrator prior to any contact with this Foundation.
  • (New)
    • Leakey Foundation 
    • Description: Supports research on human origins, evolution, and behavior, including exploratory studies and doctoral dissertation research in paleoanthropology, archaeology, primatology, genetics, and related disciplines. The program prioritizes innovative, multidisciplinary research that advances understanding of human evolution.
    • Deadline: 01/10/2027
    • Keywords: 
  • (New)
    • Water Research Foundation 
    • Description:  The Water Research Foundation (WRF) offers competitive research grants to address critical challenges in drinking water, wastewater, water reuse, and stormwater management. Funding supports innovative, science-based projects that improve water quality, strengthen utility operations, advance sustainability, and develop practical solutions for the water sector. Individual award amounts and deadlines vary by project.
    • Deadline: 11/03/2026
    • Keywords: Water quality, environmental research, water sustainability, wastewater management, water treatment, climate resilience, infrastructure innovation

    • Simons Foundation 
    • Description: The Simons HBCU Faculty Fellowship supports junior tenure-track faculty at HBCUs in mathematics, neuroscience, physics, and ecology & evolutionary biology by providing at least a 50% teaching buyout for dedicated research time. Awards can provide up to $1.6 million over five years per institution, supporting research, student engagement, mentoring, and development of competitive externally funded research programs. 
    • Deadline: 11/12/2026
    • Keywords: HBCU Faculty, Basic Science Research, STEM Faculty Development

    • Simons Foundation 
    • Description: The Simons Centers of Excellence program supports up to two research and training centers at HBCUs in mathematics, neuroscience, physics, or ecology and evolutionary biology. Awards provide up to $1.5 million annually for five years to advance cutting-edge computational, data-driven, and theoretical research while creating pathways for students to pursue graduate STEM education.
    • Deadline: 11/12/2026
    • Keywords: HBCU Research, STEM Education, Basic Science

    • Astralis Foundation 
    • Description: The Middle Powers and Transformative AI RFP supports research, policy, institution-building, and practical projects that help middle-power countries influence and safely navigate the transition to advanced AI. Grants are generally $100,000–$2 million, with approximately $10 million expected to be awarded.
    • Deadline: 10/23/2026
    • Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, AI Governance, International Policy

    • Getty Foundation 
    • Description: The Getty Graduate Internship program provides 12-month, full-time training and professional experience for graduate students pursuing careers in the visual arts. Internships span areas such as curatorial work, conservation, research, education, publications, digital projects, and grantmaking. 
    • Deadline: 11/03/2026
    • Keywords: Visual Arts, Graduate Internship, Museum Studies

    • Atlassian Foundation 
    • Description: The Atlassian Foundation’s 2026 open call supports registered nonprofits leading collective-action initiatives that help disadvantaged learners thrive in the AI era. Partnerships can receive up to US$1 million over two years, along with peer-learning and non-financial support. Applications are due October 30, 2026.
    • Deadline: 10/30/2026
    • Keywords: Education, Artificial Intelligence, Disadvantaged Learners

    • Delmas Foundation, Gladys Krieble 
    • Description: Venetian Research Program — Provides travel and research grants of up to $20,000 to individual scholars conducting research on Venice, the former Venetian Empire, or contemporary Venetian society and culture. U.S. applicants must be citizens or permanent residents and have advanced graduate-level research experience.
    • Deadline: 12/15/2026
    • Keywords: Venetian studies, humanities, social sciences, research travel, Italy, cultural history

    • Waterloo Foundation 
    • Description: Supports strategic and local projects that address declining fish stocks, destructive/illegal fishing, and sustainable small-scale fisheries. Priority is given to fisheries policy, Global South communities, sustainable fisheries in Wales, and protection of mangroves and seagrasses. Research-only projects are not eligible.
    • Deadline: 03/01/2027
    • Keywords: Marine conservation, sustainable fisheries, ocean policy, fish stocks, coastal communities

    • Japan Foundation 
    • Description:  Supports international projects that promote Japanese arts and culture through performances, exhibitions, research, cultural exchange, and translation. Current programs include artist exchanges, Japanese art research, overseas exhibitions, and translation/publication support. 
    • Deadline: 12/01/2026
    • Keywords: Japanese culture, arts exchange, international collaboration, cultural research, translation

    • Blakemore Foundation 
    • Description: Supports one academic year of full-time, advanced language study in East or Southeast Asia. Fellowships cover tuition plus a stipend for living, travel, and study expenses. Eligible languages include Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Khmer, Thai, and Vietnamese.
    • Deadline: 12/30/2026
    • Keywords: Asian languages, language study, East Asia, Southeast Asia, international education

    • Temper of the Times Foundation 
    • Description: Supports research and conservation projects focused on freshwater ecosystems and aquatic biodiversity, particularly work that advances understanding and protection of freshwater species and habitats.
    • Deadline: 12/15/2026
    • Keywords: Freshwater ecology, aquatic biodiversity, conservation, field research, environmental science

    • Teagle Foundation 
    • Description: Supports U.S. colleges, universities, higher education consortia, and nonprofits pursuing initiatives that strengthen the liberal arts and improve undergraduate education.
    • Deadline: 12/01/2026
    • Keyword: Liberal Arts, Higher Education, Undergraduate Education, Educational Innovation, Student Success.
  •  
    • Environmental Research and Education Foundation 
    • Description: Supports research addressing challenges in sustainable solid waste management, with typical projects lasting about two years.
    • Deadline: 12/01/2026
    • Keyword: Solid Waste Management, Sustainability, Waste Research, Environmental Science, Materials Management
  •  
    • Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research 
    • Description: Supports conferences and workshops that advance innovative anthropological research and build inclusive scholarly communities, with grants of up to $20,000.
    • Deadline: 12/01/2026
    • Keyword: Anthropology, Conferences, Workshops, Collaborative Research, Scholarly Communities.

    • Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research 
    • Description: Supports PhD-holding anthropologists developing writing projects centered on Black experiences and related scholarship, with a 9-month fellowship and $80,000 stipend.
    • Deadline: 12/15/2026
    • Keyword: Anthropology, Black Experiences, Black studies, Critical Race Studies, Public Anthropology

    • Dreyfus (Camille and Henry) Foundation 
    • Description: Recognizes exceptional, original research that has significantly advanced chemistry. The 2027 prize focuses on chemical probes of biological systems and includes a $250,000 award.
    • Deadline: 12/03/2026
    • Keywords: Chemical biology, biological systems, chemical probes, chemistry research, molecular biology.
    • **This opportunity requires Corporate and Foundation Relations clearance – please contact cfr@wm.edu and cc your OSP Administrator prior to any contact with this Foundation.

    • Fondation Fyssen 
    • Description: An annual €100,000 international award presented to a distinguished scientist for outstanding research in disciplines supported by the Foundation (ethology, psychology, neurobiology, anthropology, ethnology, human paleontology, and archaeology). The candidate must be nominated by a renowned scientific personality. The 2026 annual thematic focus is "Technology and the Social Organisation of Prehistoric Human Groups."
    • Deadline: 11/05/2026
    • Keywords: Fondation Fyssen, International Prize, prehistoric archaeology, anthropology, technology and social organization, human evolution, cognitive archaeology, ethology, neurobiology

    • Kress Foundation, Samuel H. 
    • Description: Two-year pre-doctoral research fellowships hosted by six major European art history research centers (in Florence, Leiden, London, Munich, Paris, and Rome) for emerging art historians conducting dissertation research focused on European art from antiquity to the early 19th century. Beginning Fall 2026, the award provides $45,000 per annum.
    • Deadline: 11/30/2026
    • Keywords: Kress Foundation, history of art, European art history, pre-doctoral fellowship, dissertation research, institutional fellowship, art architecture archaeology.
    • *Institutionally Limited

    • Americana Foundation 
    • Description: Grants supporting projects and organizations that create systemic or structural change and positively impact people's lives. The Foundation's program areas include agriculture and food systems, American heritage, and natural resources.
    • Deadline: 10/29/2026
    • Keywords: Systemic change, structural change, agriculture, food systems, American heritage, natural resources, community development, nonprofit organizations, social impact, environmental sustainability, grants, community initiatives, organizational funding, public benefit.

    • Andrew Carnegie Foundation 
    • Description: A prestigious fellowship supporting high-caliber research in the humanities and social sciences. The program currently focuses on political polarization and its relationship to democracy in the U.S. and internationally. Fellows receive funding to pursue significant research and writing, typically over a period of up to two years.
    • Deadline: 11/13/2026
    • Keywords: Humanities, social sciences, political science, democracy, political polarization, public policy, governance, international relations, research fellowship, scholarly research, social research, political theory, sociology, history, law, journalism, public engagement, research funding, sabbatical.
    • *Institutionally Limited
    • Howard Foundation, George A. and Eliza
    • Description: Supports early mid-career artists and scholars pursuing independent creative and scholarly projects in selected fields, providing unrestricted fellowship support for intellectual and artistic development.
    • Deadline: 11/01/2026
    • Keywords: Arts, Humanities, Creative Writing, Literature, Performing Arts, Theatre, Dance, Choreography, Scholarly Research, Independent Projects, Fellowship
    • Lawrence Foundation
    • Description: The foundation makes grants to US based qualified charitable organizations. To date we have funded organizations that address the following areas of interest: Environment,  Human Services & Disaster relief.
    • Deadline: 10/31/2026
    • Keywords: Environment, Human Services, Disaster Relief
    • Lumina Foundation
    • Description:
    • Deadline: Varying
    • Keywords:
    • **This opportunity requires Corporate and Foundation Relations clearance – please contact [[cfr]] and cc your OSP Administrator prior to any contact with this Foundation.
    • Russell Sage Foundation
    • Description:
    • Deadline: 10/21/2026
    • Keywords:
    • **This opportunity requires Corporate and Foundation Relations clearance – please contact [[cfr]] and cc your OSP Administrator prior to any contact with this Foundation.
    • Russell Sage Foundation
    • Description:
    • Deadline: 10/28/2026
    • Keywords:
    • **This opportunity requires Corporate and Foundation Relations clearance – please contact [[cfr]] and cc your OSP Administrator prior to any contact with this Foundation.
    • Russell Sage Foundation
    • Description:
    • Deadline: 10/28/2026
    • Keywords:
    • **This opportunity requires Corporate and Foundation Relations clearance – please contact [[cfr]] and cc your OSP Administrator prior to any contact with this Foundation.
    • Stellar Development Foundation
    • Description:
    • Deadline: March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 
    • Keywords:
    • There is a limit of a maximum of 2 submissions per calendar year
    • National Science Foundation
    • Description:
    • Deadline: 11/16/2026  
    • Keywords:
    • *Institutionally limited
    • Simons Foundation
    • Description:
    • Deadline: Rolling 
    • Keywords:
    • **This opportunity requires Corporate and Foundation Relations clearance – please contact [[cfr]] and cc your OSP Administrator prior to any contact with this Foundation.
    • Simons Foundation
    • Description:
    • Deadline: Rolling 
    • Keywords:
    •  **This opportunity requires Corporate and Foundation Relations clearance – please contact [[cfr]] and cc your OSP Administrator prior to any contact with this Foundation.
    • Pratt Family Foundation
    • Description:
    • Deadline: Rolling 
    • Keywords:
    • Henry Luce Foundation 
    • Description:
    • Deadline: You can apply for this opportunity at any time
    • Keywords:
    • **This opportunity requires Corporate and Foundation Relations clearance – please contact [[cfr]] and cc your OSP Administrator prior to any contact with this Foundation.
    • Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung
    • Description:
    • Deadline: Continuously accepted – applications reviewed in March, July and November  
    • Keywords:
    • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 
    • Description:
    • Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
    • Keywords:
    • **This opportunity requires Corporate and Foundation Relations clearance – please contact [[cfr]] and cc your OSP Administrator prior to any contact with this Foundation.
    • Pollock-Krasner Foundation
    • Description:
    • Deadline: Open deadline 
    • Keywords: