One of the world’s largest sources of funding exclusively for graduate women, AAUW Funds support aspiring scholars around the globe, teachers and activists in local communities, women at critical stages of their careers, and those pursuing professions where women are underrepresented. For application details, deadlines, and eligibility requirements, please visit AAUW’s Fellowships, Grants & Awards web pages.
Many AAUW Texas Branches offer educational scholarships to women and girls. Please visit and contact the Branch closest to you for information on available scholarships. At this time, AAUW Texas is not offering scholarships at the state level.
AAUW Texas has completed the American Fellowship fund honoring former Governor Ann Richards.
American Fellowships
American Fellowships support women doctoral candidates completing dissertations and scholars seeking funds for postdoctoral research leave or for preparing completed research for publication. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. One-year postdoctoral research leave fellowships, dissertation fellowships, and summer/short-term research publication grants are offered.
Career Development Grants
Career Development Grants support women who hold a bachelor’s degree and who are preparing to advance their careers, change careers, or re-enter the work force. Applicants must be U.S citizens or permanent residents.
Community Action Grants
Community Action Grants provide seed money to individual women, AAUW branches and AAUW state organizations, as well as local community-based nonprofit organizations for innovative programs or non-degree research projects that promote education and equity for women and girls. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
International Fellowships
International Fellowships are awarded for full-time graduate or postgraduate study or research to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Supplemental grants support community-based projects in the fellow’s home country.
Selected Professions Fellowships
Selected Professions Fellowships are awarded to women who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who intend to pursue a full-time course of study (during the fellowship year) in designated degree programs where women’s participation traditionally has been low, generally STEM fields..
Legal Advocacy Fund
The AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund (LAF) works to combat sex discrimination in higher education and the workplace.
LAF works to combat sex discrimination through community and campus outreach programs, a resource library and online advocacy tools, and various research reports. In collaboration with the Public Policy and Government Relations department, LAF seeks amicus curiae opportunities in workplace sex discrimination cases. LAF also provides support to workplace sex discrimination cases that have the potential to make a difference for all women. . There are no current cases in Texas, but past ones include:
Lavalli v. Texas State University-San Marcos, et al.
McDaniel v. Southwest Texas State University
Miller, et al. v. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Swakon v. Texas A&I University
Travis v. Board of Regents University of Texas System
Women of Distinction Awards
Women of Distinction Awards, awarded by AAUW and NASPA as a part of the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders, the Women of Distinction program pays tribute to women leaders who have made extraordinary accomplishments in their professions or their communities.
Eleanor Roosevelt Fund Award
Eleanor Roosevelt Fund Award, from the AAUW Educational Foundation, biennially honors an individual, project, organization, or institution for outstanding contributions to equity and education. In the past, a number of Texas AAUW branch members and educators received Eleanor Roosevelt grants.
AAUW Recognition Award for Emerging Scholars
AAUW Recognition Award for Emerging Scholars, was formerly awarded annually be the AAUW Educational Foundation, recognized the early professional achievements of an nontenured woman scholar who had a record of exceptional early accomplishments and showed promise of future distinction.
The most recent recipient is Misty Sailors, of San Antonio: “In only four years as faculty at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Dr. Misty Sailors has demonstrated exemplary teaching, outstanding research and a commitment to women students. She is having far reaching impact as an educator and has secured more than $4 million in grant funding –rare for such a young scholar. Dr. Sailors has demonstrated extreme competency in the field of literacy at the local, national, and international levels. She received a grant for an international project to impact instruction in South African classrooms and also produce more than 600,000 culturally relevant textbooks. An exceptionally strong scholar, Dr. Sailors publishes research in top journals and presents at prestigious conferences on the topic of literacy teacher education. At the same time, she remains focused on the practitioner level, preparing the next generation of dedicated teachers to work with inner-city, multicultural populations. Dr. Sailors received her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Austin, after nine years as a public elementary school teacher. ”
Speaking Out for Justice Award
Speaking Out for Justice Award, formerly awarded biennially by the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund, recognizes a nationally prominent individual who has advocated for change on behalf of women and girls. Texan, Sarah Weddington, was the 2001 recipient.