Hi everyone,

My PhD is in the field of law. I have yet to see any ESRC etc. funding opportunities available in my particular subject area.

How does one go about seeking funding from, for instance, commercial/membership organisations/even charities which may have an interest in my field of study?

Do I just write and send my proposal and ask "Are you interested in funding me, or contributing to the cost of funding my studies"?

Should I be talking about what there might be in it for the sponsor?

Etc.

M

I think Law is under Arts and Humanities, so you should be under the AHRC if you are looking for RC funding. However, if you can find any non-RC funding sources, such as charities, interested organisations etc., they may be your best bet. RC funding in the form of DTPs/DTCs are highly competitive, and without top grades, are impossible to obtain (minimum requirements are a very high 2:1 + very high Merit, preferably with at least a First or Distinction to be plausable).

Thanks Chaotic. AHRC have contacted me and said I need to contact the institution I am planning to study at to see if there are fudning opportunities - seems there are none.

I have emailed around a dozen law-related charities and await their responses.

The reason I am trying to secure funding is that I have always planned to self-fund - but have read on here that self-funding is looked down upon by those that have funding - and even that I will be made offers even if my proposal is (putting it bluntly!) crap...

I have to say that because of the specialist area of my proposal and the considerable amount of time I have spent to date looking for funding for law projects, I don't hold much hope!

N

Hi bignige

You can search on here by university or by subject for projects (some of which are funded):

And on here for the same:
Sorry if you already have this info.

Another idea - those academics who have said they like your proposal may know of available funding. For example - sometimes there is departmental funding, or at least part funding.

Personally, I wouldn't care about the idea of others looking down on you if you are self funded. But acquiring funding is a good idea for obvious reasons (save your own pocket) and some less obvious ones (e.g., a good indication that your proposal is of the highest quality, good idea to start applying for funding now as it is similar to the grant applications you'll be doing later if you stay on in academia).

Good luck with it.

Ps. I think law may be a cross-over area - so both ESRC and AHRC may be viable... depending on your specific topic:

http://www.esrc.ac.uk/files/funding/guidance-for-applicants/interfaces-between-the-arts-and-humanities-and-the-social-sciences/

Ps. I remember applying for funding and it being like the complete unknown - and no step by step instructions anywhere! You sort of learn as you go. So yes - there are different options. In my experience, you apply for funding via the university most often. So usually you do it through following the instructions on the websites I posted above for example (once you find an opportunity of interest) or through following instructions on the university's own website. Or sometimes things are a little less official - for example if it is departmental funding it may not even be advertised.

There are of course charities etc, as you've mentioned. And it is definitely worth contacting them and trying to sell your idea to them too. It may be that one of them is willing to part fund you, and then you would want to apply for the other part of the funding from a research council in a "case collaboration" scheme, or from another charity or fund. This can be a really good option but has some drawbacks too (e.g., trying to please lots of people with slightly different interests). Here is info on case collaborations: http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/Publications/policy/framework/casestudies/Collaborativefunding/

I would suggest looking at the findaphd.com and jobs.ac.uk websites (posted above) for opportunities (as well as the uni websites themselves), and also asking the potential supervisors who have so far liked your proposal if they can suggest sources of funding (e.g., research council or otherwise).

Hope this helps!

Hello, have a look at our funding guides for some information which may help you!

Best wishes,
The FindAPhD Team

Thanks Tudor Queen and Sophie.

I have set the ball rolling and have a couple of potential funders.

Will keep you posted.

N