About External Funders

External funders are institutions that provide funding opportunities that are not a part of the University of Pittsburgh. There are external funders that act as national organizations, agencies of the United States government, private foundations, and more. Access the menus below for information about each funder, as well as helpful links to guide researchers across their respective funding opportunities. 

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The NIH is the United States' medical research agency. Made up of 27 different Institutes and Centers, billions of dollars in research funding opportunities are available annually that stretch across a vast array of medical research areas. 

National Science Foundation (NSF)

The National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency, was created in 1950 to, "promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense...." As an entity, it aims to support research in fields of fundamental science and engineering. 

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

The National Endowment for the Humanities serves as one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States. Like the NIH and NSF, the NEH is another independent federal agency that supports research through grants and other funding opportunities. 

Department of Education (DoEd)

The United States Department of Education supports research on education from pre-school age through higher and adult education. 

Department of Defense (DoD)

The Department of Defense is the largest of the United States government agencies. Through many subsects of the DoD there is funding available for research in areas such as: physics, materials, computer science, mathematics, etc. 

Department of Energy (DoE)

The United States Department of Energy supports research related to energy across a variety of subjects, including computing, biological and environmental research, energy sciences, physics, and more. 

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

A part of the Department of Defense, DARPA was formed to cultivate and develop innovative technology to be used by the U.S. military. 

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

The National Endowment for the Arts is a federal agency that serves as the largest funder of arts and arts education in the United States. One of the agency's primary activities is grantmaking. 

Other Federal Agencies
Private Funders & Foundations

Private Foundations 

Sabbatical Opportunities


Learn More

The Research Development team's Find Funding Workshops are another resource if interested in learning more about a particular external funder. To explore opportunities from a variety of external funders organized by broad discipline, the Funding by Broad Field page is available.