Although some students are able to conduct research for course credit, there are many students who will not be able to participate in research without financial support. Many students from low-income families, first generation college students, student parents, or returning (non-traditional) students need to earn money to be able to continue their studies. Providing a paid research position is an excellent mechanism to support these students’ development as scientists and engineers.

Internal Sources of Funding
Refer to Campus Supports for Undergraduate Research to explore campus programs that provide financial support to undergraduates in your research group.
External Sources of Funding
The ACES Office of Research can help ACES faculty pursuing external funding, including providing support for identifying opportunities, crafting narratives and building projects, and submitting proposals. Use the Request for Proposal Development Support button on the Inside ACES Research tab to initiate the process.

National Science Foundation
NSF REU Site: NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites provide support for a summer undergraduate research program with wrap-around supports for a small cohort of students.
NSF REU Supplement: Many NSF grants allow PIs to submit a proposal for an REU supplement. This funding provides financial support for a few undergraduate researchers as part of the larger research grant.
NSF IUSE: NSF’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program supports a wide variety of projects. Course-based or summer undergraduate research experiences could be components of a proposal.
NSF IGEP: NSF’s Innovations in Graduate Education Program (IGEP) supports innovative approaches to graduate education. Mentorship development through undergraduate research could be a component of a proposal.
NSF S-STEM: NSF’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program provides scholarships and wrap-around support for undergraduate and graduate students from low-income backgrounds with unmet financial need. Undergraduate research experiences or mentorship development can be a component of a proposal.

National Institutes of Health
NIH T34: Provides funding to support broadening participation in biomedical research through a wrap-around training program for undergraduates, including research.
NIH T90/R90: Provides funding for interdisciplinary research training programs, including funding for undergraduates.
NIH R25: Provides funding for research education programs including development of advanced courses such as research methods/skills courses and summer research experiences.

US Department of Agriculture
USDA NIFA EWD REEU: Similar to an NSF REU Site, a USDA Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates (REEU) program provides support for a summer undergraduate research program with wrap-around supports for a small cohort of students.
USDA NIFA Higher Education MSP: USDA’s Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP) provides a scholarship and wrap-around supports for undergraduates. Course-based or summer undergraduate research experiences could be components of a proposal.
USDA NIFA Higher Education Challenge Grant: This program supports efforts to strengthen the STEM workforce, including innovations in curriculum and student retention. Course-based or summer undergraduate research experiences could be components of a proposal.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute
HHMI: SEA: Science Education Alliance: Provides funding for faculty to engage in course-based undergraduate research.
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