What we fund
Lab stipends and housing
Most of what we raise pays for one thing: a place to live while a student works in a lab that does not pay.
What this covers
- Rent near the lab for the length of the position
- A living stipend for food and transit
- Travel to the lab at the start and end of the position
Why housing comes first
A research position usually sits where the lab is, and the student's home often sits somewhere else. A student who cannot cover ten weeks of rent in a university town turns the position down, however strong the offer.
The National Science Foundation treats housing as a normal cost of student research. It expects its summer sites to pay students about $700 a week and to budget for housing, meals, and travel on top, up to about $1,550 per student per week in total.1 Most positions our students hold come with none of that.
Why we cover the whole position
Students who stay in science are the ones who did ten or more hours a week of mentored research across two or more terms. Short stints did not change the outcome.2 A student who still needs a second job cannot give a lab those hours, so we fund the whole position.
Who can apply
High school and college students who hold an offer for a research position that pays nothing, or pays less than the position costs. Apply for funding.
Sources
- U.S. National Science Foundation. Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), program solicitation NSF 23-601. Stipend and cost guidance for REU Sites. nsf.gov
- Hernandez PR, Woodcock A, Estrada M, Schultz PW. Undergraduate research experiences broaden diversity in the scientific workforce. BioScience. 2018;68(3):204-211. doi.org
Sources checked September 21, 2026. See every source we cite.
For companies and foundations
Fund a student researcher
Your gift pays for rent, a stipend, books, or a journal fee. It goes to a student who has the position and lacks the money to take it.