PhD fellowships for social sciences?

[kafcat]

The ones I know are the NSFGRFP, the Ford, APSA minority fellowship (for political science), Gates-Cambridge (for studying at Cambridge) and those are the major ones (aside from the internal ones from unis). Any other fellowships/grants that anyone is aware of?

Edited October 29, 2015 by japaniia

[rising_star]

What stage of the PhD are you talking about?

[kafcat]

Oh yeah, sorry---barely entering a PhD program in Fall 2016, so I suppose pre-doctoral? 

[farflung]

I think that you're asking mainly about national & international fellowships. However, at most research universities, there are MANY pre-doctoral fellowships offered by interdisciplinary centers on campus, which you apply for either as you're applying to the grad school OR once you're a current student.

I noticed you're in the process of applying to grad school now. So, you should research if prospective universities have interdisciplinary centers focused on things like Development Studies, Women/Gender Studies, Latin American Studies, International Relations, etc. that offer pre-doctoral fellowships you might apply/qualify for (usually these fellowships relieve you of teaching, perhaps offer more money, etc.). Some graduate schools and departments offer pre-doctoral fellowships (again, usually relieving you of teaching) to certain students, based on merit or other factors. There are tons of ways to be "on a fellowship" while in grad school, even if you're not successful in one of the big international/national fellowship competitions like GRFP and Ford.

[Shamon]

Like @japaniia, I will be joining a social science PhD program in fall 2016. My funding package is moderate and may not cover all my expenses, especially when you consider the cost of books. Would you have recommendations for any websites to search for pre-disseration fellowships? At this point, I'm seeking external funding to cover years 1 and 2 at least.

[rising_star]

I would recommend that you not buy all the books, only the ones you'll definitely need for your comps or dissertation. But, that's not what you asked. The major pre-diss fellowships in the social sciences are NSF GRFP and the Ford Foundation Pre-doctoral fellowship. If you were interested in health, I'd add NIH.