A Look at Some Unusual Sources of PhD Funding

If you’ve been following our work at FindAPhD for a while, you’ll probably have a good idea of the most popular ways to fund a PhD in the UK. Elsewhere on our blog and website, we’ve covered funding sources like Research Council studentships, PhD loans and graduate teaching assistantships.

But these aren’t the only show in town. There are plenty of other potential funding options – often in the form of charities or trusts – that can be used to help plug a financial gap. And, although they might not be enough to fund a PhD by themselves, combining them with a PhD loan or a university scholarship could be a way forward.

Actually finding these sources of funding is half the battle. Even though a small charity might have plenty of support to offer you, it can be a struggle to work out what you’re eligible for and how you can apply for it.

Luckily there are resources out there designed to help prospective PhD students find financial support.

One such resource is the Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding, a searchable database of over 1,000 charities and trusts that provide funding to PhD and Masters students. It was created by a doctoral student who managed to raise over £40,000 using many different charity awards. He has actually written a page for our website with useful advice on funding a PhD without a scholarship. Unfortunately, this resource isn’t free to use – but many universities have a subscription to it, so it’s definitely worth checking if you can access it through your alma mater.

Turn2us, meanwhile, is a national charity that lists sources of financial support for people in need. You’ll just need to enter your location and a few details about your situation, and the website will return a selection of relevant charities.

Finally, the Grants Register, an annually-published directory, is a comprehensive guide to postgraduate and professional funding awards, with international coverage. You should be able to find a copy in your local library (or university library).

To give you some inspiration, here’s a selection of charities and trusts that you might be able to get funding from for your PhD.

The Leverhulme Trust offers generous funding in the form of Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships, amounting to a total of £100,000 for four years of full-time PhD study. This trust was established with the share of Lord Leverhulme’s estate (he founded the predecessor of Unilever).

The Wellcome Trust is by far the largest organisation in our list, with an endowment of nearly £30 billion. Primarily focusing on health, medicine and biosciences, the Wellcome Trust offers many different funding opportunities for PhD students and researchers.

The Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust, founded just over 100 years ago by another philanthropic businessman, supports outstanding students who are in financial need. It offers grants of between £500 and £1,200 to students who are studying a postgraduate qualification in any subject.

The Vegetarian Society awards small grants to vegetarian and vegan students. Bear in mind that you’ll need to mention two reliable references who can vouch for your commitment to vegetarianism!

The Humanitarian Trust gives one-off grants of a maximum of £1,000 to students (30 or younger) who are struggling to finish their programme (including PhDs).

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