12  Funding and Fellowships

Research costs money, and understanding where that money comes from is part of being a responsible scientist.1

12.1 How the Lab is Funded

Our lab’s research is supported by grants from federal agencies (primarily NIH and NSF), foundations, and Stanford seed funding. Different grants support different projects and have different rules about how funds can be spent. When you’re working on a project, I’ll tell you which grant supports it — this matters for reporting, for the acknowledgments section of your papers, and for understanding what resources are available.

I’ll be transparent about the lab’s financial situation. If funding changes in ways that affect your position or your project, I will tell you as early as I can so we can plan together. I never want you to be blindsided by funding decisions.

12.2 Responsible Use of Lab Resources

Grant funds come with rules. Using them responsibly is both an ethical and legal obligation. See the Ethics chapter for more on responsible conduct of research.

  • Only use funds for their intended purpose. If a grant funds a specific project, don’t charge unrelated expenses to it.
  • Get approval for large purchases. Anything beyond routine office supplies should be discussed with me first.
  • Travel: See the Logistics chapter for details on travel funding and reimbursement procedures.
  • If you’re unsure, ask. It’s always better to check than to guess about whether an expense is allowable.

I want you to have the resources you need to do excellent work. But we manage those resources carefully because they come from taxpayers, foundations, and donors who trust us to use them wisely. If you need something, just ask — we’ll figure it out.

12.3 Grant Acknowledgments

All papers from the lab must acknowledge the funding sources that supported the work. Funding agencies have specific language they require, and using the wrong wording can cause headaches. I will provide the correct acknowledgment text for each paper — just ask.

A typical acknowledgment includes:

  • The agency name and grant number (e.g., “This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [grant number R01-XXXXX].”)
  • Any fellowship numbers for individual lab members
  • A disclaimer if required (e.g., “The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.”)

12.4 Why You Should Apply for Fellowships

Applying for external fellowships is one of the best things you can do for your career, even if you already have lab funding.2 Here’s why:

  • It’s a skill you’ll need. If you pursue an academic career, your ability to write successful grants will determine whether you can fund your research. Fellowship applications are training for that.
  • It strengthens your CV. Winning a competitive fellowship signals to hiring committees and tenure reviewers that outside experts evaluated your work and thought it was good.
  • It gives you independence. Your own funding means more autonomy in choosing your research direction.
  • The process itself is valuable. Writing a fellowship application forces you to articulate your research vision clearly — what you want to do, why it matters, and how you’ll do it. That clarity benefits your work whether or not you get the award.

I’ll help you with fellowship applications — reviewing multiple drafts, writing strong letters of support, and helping you navigate submission logistics. See the Mentorship chapter for more on letters of recommendation.

12.5 Key External Fellowships

I want you to apply for these. However, we should be strategic. Let’s sit down and plan before you start applying so that we can make sure you are submitting the strongest application possible and you’re sending it to an institution that values your research.

12.5.1 For Graduate Students

  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP): Three years of funding for graduate students in STEM fields. Highly prestigious. You can only apply in your first year of graduate school (or in your senior year of undergrad).3 The application emphasizes both intellectual merit and broader impacts.
  • NIH F31 (Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship): Supports doctoral students doing health-related research. Includes tuition, a stipend, and an institutional allowance. Best applied for once you have a clear dissertation project.
  • NIH F99/K00 (Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award): A bridge award that funds your final 1-2 years of doctoral work (F99 phase) and transitions into up to 4 years of postdoctoral support (K00 phase). Institute-specific — check whether your area falls under NCI, NIA, NIDCR, or other participating institutes. A strong option if you’re planning a research-intensive postdoc.

12.5.2 For Postdoctoral Fellows

  • NIH K99/R00 (Pathway to Independence Award): A transitional award that provides up to two years of mentored research (K99 phase) followed by up to three years of independent research support (R00 phase). This is (was?) the gold standard for postdocs planning an academic career in health research. Apply early — ideally in your first or second year.4
  • NIH K01 (Mentored Research Scientist Development Award): Up to 5 years of mentored support for early-career researchers who need intensive, supervised research experience. Unlike the K99/R00, the K01 doesn’t have an independent R00 phase — it’s purely mentored. A good fit if you want protected time to build a specific skillset (e.g., new methods, a new content area) before competing for R01-level funding. Some institutes also use K01s to support research in areas where they want to grow the pipeline.
  • AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship: NIH-level stipend plus health insurance for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular research. If your work touches heart disease, stroke, or cardiometabolic health — even from a social epidemiology angle — this is worth considering.
  • AHA Career Development Award: $77K/year for 3 years, aimed at early-career faculty. Relevant if your research connects to cardiovascular or cerebrovascular outcomes.

12.6 Stanford Fellowships and Funding

Stanford is rich. There is no shortage of internal fellowships and funding opportunities. These are competitive, but they’re also less crowded than national competitions — and having your department’s support often matters. Below is a non-exhaustive list of programs relevant to the lab. You should also look for internal opportunities on your own and keep the lab updated with opportunities (or better yet, update this page and submit a pull request).

12.6.1 For Post-Baccalaureate Students

  • REACH (Racial Equity to Advance a Community of Health): A 1-2 year research program for recent college graduates from underserved communities. Provides hands-on research experience in health equity before applying to graduate school. This is usually for those who recently graduated from an institution other than Stanford.

12.6.2 For Undergraduates

Stanford undergrads have several options for funding research projects. Start at the Undergraduate Research hub for a full list.

12.6.3 For Graduate Students

The VPGE Fellowships and Funding hub is the best starting point. Some highlights:

12.6.4 For Postdoctoral Fellows

The Stanford Postdoc Fellowships hub lists current opportunities. Some relevant ones:

12.7 Stanford Internal Grants

Beyond fellowships, Stanford has a range of seed grant programs for faculty and trainees. The Stanford Seed Funding hub is the central directory. Some examples relevant to our work:

  • Bio-X seed grants
  • MCHRI pilot grants
  • Global Health seed grants
  • CARE seed grants

The Stanford Medicine internal funding page also lists School of Medicine-specific opportunities. I’ll flag relevant calls as they come up, but it’s worth browsing these hubs yourself — new programs appear regularly.

12.8 General Resources for Finding Funding

12.9 Application Timeline

Fellowship applications have strict deadlines, and preparing a competitive application takes months, not weeks. Here’s a rough timeline:

  • 6+ months before deadline: Identify the fellowship, read the requirements carefully, and discuss your plans with me.
  • 4-5 months before: Draft your specific aims. Share with me for feedback. Once we’ve got some strong aims, you should start drafting your research strategy.
  • 3 months before: Complete a full draft of all application components. Get feedback from me and at least one other reader (a labmate, a writing center consultant, or a faculty mentor).
  • 2 months before: Revise based on feedback. Confirm your letter writers have what they need.
  • 1 month before: Final polish. Complete all administrative components (budget, biosketches, institutional forms). Don’t leave these for the last week.
  • 1 week before: Submit to RMG. Don’t wait until the funding institution’s deadline.5

For more on grant writing strategy, see the Further Reading chapter.

  1. One thing you can be sure of is that I’ll never take money from assholes.↩︎

  2. Yes, writing a grant proposal when you don’t technically need the money sounds perverse. Do it anyway.↩︎

  3. This changed recently. GRFP used to allow applications in your first or second year of graduate school. Now it’s first year only, so plan accordingly.↩︎

  4. I wrote a blog post about my K99/R00 experience that covers strategy, timeline, and lessons learned. Read it before you start your application.↩︎

  5. I have a theory that submission systems always crash right before my deadline. Do not put yourself in a position to test this theory. Submit well before the Stanford internal deadline (which should be well before the NIH deadline).↩︎