If you've got a conference coming up that you want to attend, you'll know that there are lots of costs associated with a trip. You'll need to pay for travel and accommodation as well as the cost of conference attendance, which can all add up to a large amount of cash. Often, your department will pay for conference trips, but what if you run out of travel budget, or you don't have this option? In that case, you might want to consider applying for a conference scholarship. These are awards of money given to fund travel and attendance at a conference, usually for students or early career researchers. Often these scholarships will require that you're actually presenting at a conference, but not always - some have different criteria, such as where you are a resident and whether or not you're a student. In any case, there are large databases available to find scholarships for conference; here is a short list to get you started.

 

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1. Royal Economic Society Conference Grant Scheme

Also aimed at economists is the RES conference grant, which is open to members who are presenting an economics paper or giving a talk at a conference. This funding available is up to £500 and applications for awards are accepted three times a year, in January, May, and September. Applicants will have to submit a summary of the impact the funding had on their trip and receipts detailing their expenditure.

2. International Atlantic Economic Society Scholarships

Conference grants are available for economists living in Turkey, Eastern Europe, and Africa through the IAES to attend their yearly conference which is held in Europe. Awards of $250 to $350 are available, and recipients are invited to present a paper at the conference.

3. World History Association World Scholar Travel Fund

Another organisation which offers a scholarship to cover the cost of attendance at its conference is the WHA, which gives funding primarily to academics from outside of North America to cover travel and other costs. In addition to this, they offer conference registration fee waivers for those who are in economic need. There's also a teacher scholarship which can fund a K-12 or community college teacher who is presenting a paper.

4. International Association for Energy Economics Student Scholarships

Students in the field of energy economics who are from developing countries can apply for a scholarship from the IAEE to attend their conference. The scholarship covers travel and accommodation costs of up to $1750 as well as the cost of the conference registration fee.

5. American Political Science Association Travel Grants

Those in political science who are US graduate students, international students in the US, international scholars, or unemployed members can apply for a APSA travel grant to attend the organisation's two yearly conferences. They also offer scholarships for Latino/a students and other minority groups. You have to live more than thirty miles from the conference location and of course be a member of APSA for at least through the date of the conference you'll be receiving funds for.

6. DAAD Scholarships in Germany

German science researchers or international researchers who are working in Germany may apply for a scholarship from the DAAD to cover the costs of attending an international conference at which they are presenting a poster or giving a talk. The scholarships are available on a rolling basis, but the application form is in German so knowledge of the language is required.

7. Government Finance Officers Association Scholarships

Professionals from the United States or Canada who work in government finance can apply for a number of scholarships including a minorities in government finance scholarship from the GFOA which cover travel to their annual conference along with accommodation and registration costs. You'll have to have plans to pursue a career in state, provincial, or local government finance, as well as not have received a scholarship before. Each scholarship also has its own requirements.