Funding Opportunities
Local Funding
Many universities have smaller internal grants or awards for which you could be eligible and should apply. Look into these opportunities, and, if you have to be nominated for them, don't be afraid to ask someone to nominate you. Over 100 colleges and universities also have NSF ADVANCE grants through which they can offer funding to women in STEM at their university.
Especially if you are a junior researcher (graduate student or postdoc), there is often travel money available to you through your department. Ask your advisor (thesis or postdoc) what funds are available, and what the parameters are (e.g., do you have to give a talk?).
Travel Grants
There is a variety of funding available to support travel to conferences and for collaboration or mentoring opportunities. These sources include the usual professional organizations, as well as some private corporations.
Government & Private Research Grants
There are several standard government agencies that offer annual competitions for funding. You should apply for these! Ask other colleagues in your field or at your institution if they are willing to share their successful proposals with you. Get several example proposals, and then put together the proposal that you think gives the most coherent story of you as a researcher and your research program.
- National Science Foundation
- Most people on this website would be applying to the Probability Program. Tomek Bartoszynski is the current program officer for Probability; he is an excellent resource, and you should definitely contact him if you have any specific questions about your proposal.
- Most faculty in a tenure-track position can apply for the CAREER Award. This proposal requires a substantial training component in addition to the usual research component. You are allowed to apply at most three times for this award.
- If you are a US citizen or national or a permanent resident alien and you are applying for postdocs, you are likely eligible for the Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. This proposal requires a sponsoring scientist and 3-4 letters of recommendation.
- National Security Agency
The Mathematical Science Program offers funding for research in a limited number of areas of mathematics, including probability.
- Department of Energy
The DOE offers some funding opportunities which are largely targeted at non-mathematics research. However, researchers in certain kinds of applied mathematics or computing or modelling may be eligible.
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund
BWF supports research and education efforts targeted at advancing biomedical sciences. A list of their current funding opportunties may be found here.
- American Institute of Mathematics
The AIM SQuaREs program funds groups of 4-6 researchers, preferably a mix of senior and junior, for a weeklong stay at the institute.
- Bold.org
Bold.org is a large independent scholarship provider in the US with millions of active students.
They have a recently updated list of "Top Scholarships for Women in STEM", with a mission to incentivize female students to pursue STEM degrees and to break down the generational barriers that have been holding women back. By showing women in science that there are resources and support available, female students can be encouraged to pursue STEM careers.
- A list of other funding opportunities by the AMS
Mathematics Research Institutes
There are six institutes in the US which are supported by the NSF. The NSF also gives some additional funds to four institutions outside the US, but there are many more. Most of these institutions have independent application processes for you to request funding to participate in one of their workshops or programs. See their individual websites about their application process.
Foreign Resources
There are several foreign professional organizations that will support travel for scientists with existing collaborations, or developing collaborations, with scientists in their own country.