The department chairperson and other faculty often determine which students receive funds. Some professors personally choose their teaching assistants, research assistants and fellows. Develop good relationships with your advisor and faculty members working on projects and subjects related to your academic interests. Apply for fellowships offered by national foundations. These prestigious and often lucrative awards are highly competitive and usually require that you are well along in your graduate program.
Some national fellowships are available to first-year graduate students.
Seek dissertation grants and project-related money. Many foundation grants are designated specifically for doctoral students who have completed everything except their dissertation. Other grants, particularly those relating to the sciences or the visual and performing arts, are project-oriented. For such grants, you must have a clear outline of your project or dissertation, a detailed budget, and a purposeful means of measuring the results of your work. You might be able to collaborate with a professor in your application for grants.