TL;DR: Research grants fund the actual costs of a project, lab supplies, equipment, travel, or a stipend, ranging from $100 at the state academy level to $100,000 for a single completed work. Applying forces you to scope a real question and build a line-item budget before you start, the same process a graduate student follows for their first funding. If funding isn’t your real obstacle and you need guidance through the whole research process, Horizon is a different option worth knowing about: a mentorship program, not a grant, that pairs you one-on-one with a PhD scholar across 600+ specializations.
What can a research grant actually fund?
Research is a solid way to explore a field before college, but most projects need funding: lab supplies, equipment, software, travel for fieldwork, or a stipend for your time. A research grant covers that, and applying for one forces you through the same sequence a graduate student follows for their first funding: scope a specific question, identify exact materials or reagents, and build a line-item budget before the project even begins.
Once funded, you’re largely free to pursue the work itself, running lab experiments, building a prototype, or collecting field data, while learning to manage a timeline, interpret results that don’t match your hypothesis, and revise your approach based on what the data actually shows. Several grants also require a poster session, panel defense, or public showcase, which means learning to communicate technical work to a non-specialist audience.
How do you choose the right grant for your project?
- Does the grant fund your specific field, or just STEM broadly? Some, like Davidson Fellows or the Non-Trivial Fellowship, span nearly any discipline. Others, like ACS Project SEED or the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, are field-specific.
- Do you need funding before starting, or after you have preliminary results? MIT THINK explicitly funds proposals for incomplete projects. Others, like Davidson Fellows, judge a finished or nearly finished body of work.
- Is the award paid to you directly, or to a teacher or school? A few grants, including Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science and Society for Science’s STEM Research Grants, disburse funds through a teacher rather than the student.
- Does your state or region have its own academy of science grant? Several state-level academies (Illinois, Pennsylvania, Arizona-Nevada, New Jersey) offer smaller, less competitive grants that are easy to overlook.
- Do you need a completed proposal with a budget already worked out? Several of these grants require exactly that, so treat the application itself as the first real step of your research process, not paperwork to rush through.
14 Grants for High School Students Research
1. Davidson Fellows Scholarship
Location: Virtual application + recognition events in Washington, D.C.
Grant amount: $25,000, $50,000, or $100,000
Acceptance rate: Competitive; 20 Fellows and 11 Honorable Mentions in the previous cycle
Dates: Applicants notified by July 15; recognition events in September
Application Deadline: February 18
Eligibility: Students who are 18 or younger by the application deadline and are U.S. citizens or permanent residents residing in the U.S.
This grant offers high schoolers funding for research across eight categories: science, technology, engineering, mathematics, literature, music, philosophy, and a flexible “Outside the Box” track for projects that cross disciplinary boundaries. An independent panel of expert judges from the relevant field will evaluate your submission, so mathematicians will review mathematics research and practicing engineers will review engineering prototypes. Past cohorts have featured up to 20 Fellows and 11 Honorable Mentions whose projects spanned mathematics, science, engineering, technology, music, and literature, with awards at all three tiers. This broader selection even at the top end ensures that with some serious effort, you have a real shot at success.
2. Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Grant
Location: Home school + EurekaFest at MIT, Cambridge, MA
Grant amount: $7,500 per team
Acceptance rate: Highly competitive; 8 teams selected per year
Dates: Year-long program, with an Open House at MIT from May 28 – 30 and the EurekaFest presentation on May 19
Deadline: April 23
Eligibility: High school student teams of 10 – 15
This grant initiative lets you spend an entire academic year designing and building a working technological invention that addresses a real problem identified in your own community, with past projects targeting health and well-being, environmental contamination, and public safety. Midway through, you will present your prototype at a required technical review that brings community stakeholders and potential end-users together to evaluate progress and shape the next iteration. The experience will conclude at EurekaFest, where you will get to present finished prototypes. Over the program’s history, 22 inventions have been awarded U.S. patents, and more than 4,000 students nationwide have participated.
3. Non-Trivial Fellowship
Location: Virtual
Grant amount: $10,000 for the top Research Scholars award + all Research Scholars receive a minimum of $2,000
Acceptance rate: ~200 Fellows and 10 Research Scholars every cycle
Dates: Research Scholars program: July – August | Research Fellowship: June 15 – August 23
Deadline: January 4; next cycle opens in November.
Eligibility: High school students, ages 14 – 20, around the world
This fellowship opportunity offers two tiers of recognition: a broader Fellowship cohort of 200 per cycle and a Research Scholars track of 10, where Scholars receive larger awards and dedicated project funding for direct research costs. Eligible research spans STEM fields, social sciences, policy analysis, and the humanities, as long as the work addresses a meaningful question with original analysis. Past Research Scholars have pursued projects in the mathematics of voting reform, the physics of climate systems, computational approaches to global health, and pandemic policy modeling. You will develop your project over several months with access to mentorship and a peer community of fellows drawn from more than 30 countries.
4. Explorers Club Rising Explorer Grant
Location: Fieldwork sites worldwide
Grant amount: Average award of $2,000, though individual grants vary based on project
Acceptance rate: Competitive
Dates: Grant awards announcement: Mid-to-late January; projects commence following the award
Deadline: August 31
Eligibility: High school students and undergraduates worldwide; independent researchers at equivalent levels can also apply.
Explorers Club funds field researchers whose core project involves collecting original data in the natural or cultural environment to contribute to a recognized scientific discipline. Eligible fields include biology and ecology, wildlife conservation, environmental science, archaeology and anthropology, and marine or freshwater research, with the program listing over 30 funded projects in its previous cycle. Your work can involve population surveys of understudied species, environmental sampling in remote watersheds, or archaeological fieldwork at a cultural heritage site, depending on the discipline you propose. The research results may contribute to peer-reviewed publication or comparable scholarly dissemination.
5. MIT THINK Scholars Program
Location: Virtual; finalists visit MIT campus in Cambridge, MA
Grant amount: Up to $1,000
Acceptance rate: Competitive; 10 finalists selected annually
Dates: February – June
Deadline: January 1
Eligibility: High school students in the U.S. with a permanent address in the country
MIT THINK requires you to apply with a presently incomplete research proposal and provides an award to support the work. Proposals across all STEM fields are eligible, with no restriction on discipline. You will submit a research proposal for a project to secure funds to support the investigation from the ground up. If selected, you will receive weekly mentorship from MIT undergraduate students who will also provide ongoing technical guidance, insights to troubleshoot your methodology, and information regarding relevant resources throughout the semester. If you are one of the finalists, you will be invited to MIT’s campus for a four-day visit where you tour active research laboratories, present your developing project to MIT students and faculty, and work directly with the THINK team.
6. New York Tech Mini-Research Grant Award (MRGA)
Location: Remote or in-person presentation at New York Tech, New York, NY
Grant amount: $300/project
Acceptance rate: No fixed limit; ~20 – 40 awards/year (based on past cycles)
Dates: Announcement of winners: January 26 – 28 (project work follows award distribution)
Deadline: January 14
Eligibility: High school students conducting STEM research with a teacher-mentor endorsement
MRGA offers monetary awards to project proposals in biology, molecular biology, biotechnology, engineering, computer science, biomedical engineering, chemistry, and health-related fields. Past funded work has included an AI-powered low-cost pollen sensor for allergy monitoring, a computer vision system for dynamic environments, research on bacterial growth under nutrient deprivation, and an aptamer-based biosensor for detecting zinc contamination in water. You will conduct your research with a teacher-mentor and present your findings at a poster session. Funded students are also expected to compete in a related research competition such as the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair.
7. National Geographic Young Explorer Program
Location: Virtual + in-person retreat
Grant amount: Monetary award (amount not specified)
Acceptance rate: Selective; 15 explorers/year
Dates: Year-round opportunity
Deadline: Varies; keep an eye on the program website for details
Eligibility: Students, ages 18 – 25, including graduating high school seniors
Every year, the National Geographic Society selects 15 emerging leaders whose work aligns with its focus areas: ocean, land, wildlife, human histories and cultures, planetary health, and space. Beyond the initial monetary award, you can gain access to additional project funding through the Society’s broader grants ecosystem. Previous cohort projects have included engineering solutions to environmental degradation, wildlife ecology research on human-wildlife coexistence in Central Asian grasslands, and marine law research focused on ocean rights policy. This is one of the premier grants to consider if you’re serious about pursuing research in the ecological sciences, though the age limit makes it an option open to only seniors in high school.
8. Illinois State Academy of Science Student Research Grant
Location: Remote/Illinois-based grant
Grant amount: Up to $200
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Acceptance emails sent in December
Deadline: November 22
Eligibility: Illinois high school students who are members of the Illinois State Academy of Science (membership costs $22.50/year)
The Illinois State Academy of Science’s grants support student research across the sciences, with funds designated for consumable materials and specialized supplies that fall outside standard laboratory equipment. While the grant amount for high schoolers is limited to $200, it is still useful if you’re pursuing an advanced research project whose materials aren’t readily available at your school or local lab. The grant requires a membership to the Academy at a nominal fee. The opportunity can also bring with it access to the Academy’s networking pool.
9. Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences High School Grants
Location: Remote
Grant amount: $100
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Announcement of awards by June 1
Deadline: April 15
Eligibility: Pennsylvania high school students, with a faculty mentor who is an active PAS member
PAS grants support research within the natural, physical, or social sciences and include an objective, experimental design, anticipated results section, and an itemized budget. Grant funds cover expendable supplies, small equipment, and travel for field studies. You can submit proposals for projects that can be initiated and completed within a few months. The proposal format requires you to articulate both the broad significance of your research question and the specific methods you will use to address it, making the application itself an exercise in research planning.
10. Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science (ANAS) High School Grants
Location: Arizona and Nevada
Grant amount: $100
Acceptance rate: Selective; 4 students per year
Dates: One-time award; disbursement date not specified
Deadline: December 15
Eligibility: High school students in Arizona or Nevada; the grant is awarded directly to teachers, not students
ANAS offers grants to high school students via affiliated schools. You can use this grant to secure equipment, supplies, publication of research results, and travel to field sites for your research. Limited to four students each year, the grant funds research in any scientific discipline that the academy supports. You can also apply for travel reimbursement to present your work at the academy’s annual interdisciplinary meeting, which can be a valuable opportunity to network with senior researchers, showcase your work, and potentially secure future research positions.
11. Society for Science STEM Research Grants
Location: Remote/virtual (application and funding process) + research within your school
Grant amount: $1,000 in preselected research kits, or up to $5,000 paid directly for specialized STEM equipment
Acceptance rate: 41 educators received grants in the most recent cycle, totaling $110,000 in research kits and funds
Dates: Review and selection: Late Winter; Funding distribution: Early spring
Deadline: December 5; application window opens in October
Eligibility: The grant supports students in grades 6 – 12, but the award money is given to teachers working with eligible students in the U.S. and U.S. territories.
This grant supports teachers whose students participate in independent research projects, typically for science fairs and STEM competitions. Your teacher will apply for either a preselected kit of research materials or a larger cash award earmarked for specialized equipment your project requires. You can use the grant kits, which may include an Arduino starter kit, soil testing kit, water monitoring kit, or PocketLab voyagers, or other STEM equipment purchased via the grant money to conduct research within engineering, programming, environmental science, and astronomy. You can contact your school’s STEM educator to see if your classroom will receive funding to carry out research.
12. ACS Project SEED
Location: Academic and industry laboratory sites nationwide
Grant amount: $4,000 stipend
Acceptance rate: 350+ students supported annually
Dates: 8 to 10 weeks in the summer
Deadline: April 6
Eligibility: High school students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who have completed at least one year of high school chemistry
Project SEED is a grant-like opportunity to work with a scientist-mentor at an academic institution, government laboratory, or industry site and work on a chemistry research project within your mentor’s own active research lab. The range of available projects varies by participating site and can include organic, pharmaceutical, biological, analytical, environmental, computational, inorganic, physical, and polymer chemistry, as well as chemical and bioengineering. Past participants at host institutions have worked in areas such as peptide chemistry and computational modeling of chemical systems. Your mentor can also register you for the ACS National Meeting, one of the largest professional chemistry gatherings in the world, giving you the opportunity to present your research to thousands of working chemists.
13. Stockholm Junior Water Prize
Location: U.S. National: Chicago, IL; International: Stockholm, Sweden
Grant amount: $10,000 scholarship for the U.S. national winner
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: U.S. National finals: June 8 – 10; International competition: August (during World Water Week)
Deadline: April 15 for the state-level submission
Eligibility: Students, ages 15 and up, in grades 9 – 12
This competition accepts original research across water science topics, from contaminant filtration and glaciology to watershed hydrology and aquatic ecosystem monitoring. While not a typical grant, it offers scholarships to recognize scientific projects. Past U.S. winners have engineered cryobacteria to slow glacier melt by increasing solar reflectivity, developed modified materials to simultaneously remove carbon dioxide and oil from ocean water, and built AI-driven drought assessment tools for irrigation conservation. You will present and defend your research to panels of water science professionals, with the U.S. winner advancing to compete against representatives from roughly 30 countries.
14. New Jersey Academy of Science Grant-in-Aid
Location: Remote/New Jersey-based award
Grant amount: Up to $150
Acceptance rate: Not specified
Dates: TBA; keep an eye on the program website for details
Deadline: TBA; keep an eye on the program website for details
Eligibility: New Jersey students in grades 9 – 12 who are NJAS members
This award supports science or mathematics research projects during the academic year. You can choose a project in any scientific field and use the grant money to buy equipment and supplies for your research work. You can apply for the grant individually or as part of a team. While the grant amount can be small, it can be an opportunity to do independent work, access materials not easily available in school labs or at home, and become familiar with the grant application process.
One more option—Horizon Academic Research Program
If you are looking for a competitive mentored research program in an area of your choice, you can consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This selective virtual research program lets you engage in advanced research and write a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1,000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a completed project to apply for these grants?
It depends on the grant. MIT THINK is built specifically for incomplete proposals, funding you to build the project from scratch. Davidson Fellows, by contrast, judges a largely finished body of work. Check each grant’s stage requirement before assuming your project needs to be done first.
Can you apply for more than one grant for the same project?
Often, yes, but check each grant’s rules on concurrent funding or prior awards. Smaller state academy grants in particular are usually compatible with a larger national grant for the same project.
Do these grants count as income you need to report?
This varies by amount and by your family’s specific tax situation. Larger awards, like Davidson Fellows or InvenTeam grants, are worth discussing with a parent or tax professional rather than assuming they’re automatically tax-free.
What if your state doesn’t have its own academy of science grant?
Not every state runs one, so check directly with your state’s academy of science; if it doesn’t, national grants like Davidson Fellows, MIT THINK, or the Non-Trivial Fellowship remain open regardless of location.
What if you don’t get any of these grants?
A grant covers costs; it isn’t required to do research. Many strong projects run on minimal budgets using free datasets, school lab access, or a mentor’s existing resources, and a lack of funding shouldn’t be read as a lack of research value.
Resources
More from the Horizon blog
Image source: Horizon Academic Research Program