Other postgraduate funding

Funding postgraduate studies can seem difficult, but you can find funding from the most unexpected of places. Your first step should be to search our Postgraduate Funding Database, but you may be able to find funding from other sources. The list below includes UK-based individual award-making bodies, including charities, websites designed to help postgraduates find funding and directories of funding available in UK libraries. International students should investigate sources of funding in their own countries.

When approaching individual award-making bodies for funding the consider the following:

• Make sure you meet the eligibility criteria;
• Make sure you follow any instructions as to how to apply for funding;
• If making a speculative enquiry send a brief, well-written letter or email and a brief research proposal. You may wish to follow this up with a polite phone call;
• Be prepared for lots of hard work and lots of rejections... finding postgraduate funding is hard work but you might just find the needle in the haystack!
• You might find useful information (or a sympathetic ear or two) on social networking sites like Facebook and www.thestudentroom.co.uk.

The following organisations may also be useful:

• The Charities Aid Foundation
• Charity Choice
• Charity Commission
• Charities Direct
• Charity Portal
• Educational Grants Advisory Service
• Grantsnet
• Grants Online
• Guidestar
• HM Revenues and Customs Charity Search
• The Leverhulme Trust
• The Nuffield Foundation
• Philanthropy Capital
• Postgraduate Studentships
• Prospects Student Funding Guide
• ResearchResearch
• Research and Development Funding
• Scholarship Search
• Smartchange
• Student Cash Point
• Turn2us Guide on Grants and Funding
• The Wellcome Trust