Student Project Funding

Yale College has many fellowship and grant opportunities available. Visit the CIPE’s Fellowship and Funding website to access Yale College’s database of fellowships for more information.

There are also several awards and fellowships that Branford College will offer to its students throughout the year:

Branford College Mellon Senior Research Grant
(Rolling deadline, must submit before 12/15/2022 12:00AM)

The Mellon research grants are intended for seniors to support their senior essays/projects or analogous forms of research and independent study. Each qualifying student may apply for up to $500 in research support.

Research must take place during the academic year and awardees must present the results of their research either to the Senior Forum or to another educational forum in the college. It is also important that each application for the research award includes the approval of a faculty advisor who will supervise the research project.

If your research requires travel, please read through these guidelines and restrictions on the Yale University Travel Resources webpage before making your application.

Provide a brief one page description of your project and how you will use the funding.  Provide a faculty advisor reference stipulating your project/essay.

Richter Fund Awards
(Apply during the Spring semester)

A Richter Summer Fellowship is awarded for independent study and research, not for mere travel, work or enrollment in a school. An internship is a valid use only if the primary component is study or research, being part of a research team is a valid use. The maximum Richter award is $1,500. Awards are reported to the IRS as taxable income. Awardees must disclose the amount of any other funding supporting the proposed project. Richter Fellowships are ordinarily awarded to juniors, but first years, sophomores and graduate affiliates are eligible. Seniors are not eligible. Recipients must promptly consult with the Head of College if significant changes occur in their project.

CPA Awards
Administered by the Council of Heads of College, the Creative and Performing Arts (CPA) Awards support on-campus dramatic, musical, dance, video or film productions, literary publications, and exhibitions in each residential college. The maximum award is dependent on the type of project (see: CPA guidelines). These projects are supported by the Sudler Fund, the Welch Art Fund, and the Bates Fund. Projects must take place on campus. (Projects may be staged at CoOp High School or at the Educational Center for the Arts by special arrangement with Undergraduate Production.)

Colleges will notify students of funding decisions no later than Friday, February 11th.

Class of 1971 Fellowship
The purpose of this gift is to establish the “Class of 1971 Summer Science Research Fellowship”. This fellowship is to be awarded in its entirety to a returning Branford College resident/residents(i.e. current seniors are excluded) as a personal stipend. A total of $5,000 may be awarded to more than 1 student.

This student/students will be selected by a committee selected by the Head of College.  The Fellow should be a science or engineering major who has a written commitment from a Yale faculty member to conduct research in his/her laboratory during the summer. If there is no suitably qualified science or engineering student, then the Fellow may be a social science or mathematics student.

The Fellow should conduct full-time research for at least 9 weeks in New Haven, and should furnish the Dean and Head of College a written summary of his/her project and principal results at the end of this period. Under exceptional circumstances, research can be conducted outside of Yale.

Provide a personal statement approximately one page in length. Provide a research proposal of not more than three pages. Must provide written commitment from a faculty member whose laboratory you will be conducting research. A brief report (approximately 300 words) summarizing the recipient’s research by the Fellowship must be submitted to the Head of College office. All applications along with all supporting material must be submitted on-line.

Infortmation about previous Class of 1971 Fellowship recipients can be found below:
Class of 1971 Fellowship

Class of 1960/1980 Summer Travelling Fellowship
A general statement is required from each candidate (not more than 2 pages – please abide by this request) and should outline the nature of the project, the relevance of the travel or study to its completion, the planned itinerary, budget, and the arrangements made or research undertaken in advance to prepare for the study or travel experience. The amount awarded may range from $2,000-$4,000. Projects will be judged for their coherence,originality, uniqueness, potential impacts, personal expected learning and for their connection with the candidate’s previous educational experience and future goals. Proposals will also be assessed according to whether the objectives of the candidate appear to be achievable within the time limits of the proposed study or travel and whether the budget is realistic.

All information and forms should be uploaded into your on-line applications.  No paperwork or hard copies will be accepted.

Open only to Sophomores and Juniors in Branford College.

No previous recipients will be considered.

International students must have all paperwork complete at the tax office.

Information about previous Fellowship recipients can be found below:
Class of 1960/1980 Fellowship