American Chemical Society
/OVERVIEW: The American Chemical Society (ACS) is one of the leading professional societies for chemists in the United States. It funds fellowships, scholarships, professional development opportunities, and research support across numerous career stages and sub-disciplines.
IP TAKE: ACS seeks grantseekers working in the field of chemistry from high school through the post-doctorate level. These are accessible grants, but competitive.
PROFILE: Founded in 1876, the American Chemical Society (ACS) holds a congressional charter and is the largest scientific society in the world. Its mission is to “advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people” and “to improve people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry.” As with any professional society, ACS prioritizes a number of funding areas—public education and advocacy, peer-reviewed journals and other publications, member career development and networking, job fairs, and other activities. ACS divides its funding into separate programs including Grants, Awards, Scholarships, and ACS Fellows. Each of these funding areas is, in turn, subdivided into a number of sub-areas.
Grants for Science Research
The American Chemical Society’s Grants program funds research, education, and community projects through research grants, fellowships, community recognition grants, and education grants. ACS provides millions of dollars annually in research funding across a range of chemistry-related disciplines.
There are four types of research grands funded by ACS:
Petroleum Research Fund prioritizes studies directly related to petroleum and fossil fuels. ACS intends for these grants to help investigators “initiate a new research direction.”
Herman Frasch Foundation Grants program funds nonprofits studying agricultural chemistry.
ACS-Hach Programs provide support current and future teachers of high school chemistry.
The ACS Public Policy Fellowship “places one fellow in the ACS Office of Public Affairs (OPA) for one to two years,” where they engage, educate, and advocate to public decision makers. Its Congressional Fellowship program is jointly administered with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and places fellows in the Congressional office of their choice. According to the ACS’ website, fellows work as legislative assistants, “advising on a range of science policy issues and interacting with constituents.”
The society’s Community Recognition program offers three grants:
ACS Community Recognition Grants are modest awards that fund community level projects and programs that “advance the public’s understanding of chemistry.”
Corporation Associates Local Section & International Chapter Grants fund ACS Local Sections and International chapters.
Corporation Associates Seed Grant is a modest award of around $5,000 dedicated to education in chemical sciences, advancing public knowledge of the chemical industry, and enhancing safety and professionalism within the industry.
Grants for STEM Education
The American Chemical Society awards scholarships and fellowships to undergraduate and graduate students, and offers several educational outreach programs for high school students. The ACS-Hach Land Grant Scholarship is available to anyone pursuing an undergraduate chemistry degree or teaching credential at one of ACS’s partner schools, while the ACS Scholars program is only available to students of African-American, Hispanic, or American Indian descent.
For graduates, the ACS-Hach Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Scholarship and ACS-Hach Second Career Teacher Scholarship provide funding for individuals pursuing a master’s degree in education or teacher certification. The former is aimed at students with little or no work experience, while the latter is for chemical industry professionals seeking to transition careers.The Irving S. Sigal Postdoctoral Fellowship, is a two year program that funds Ph.D. candidates who will “pursue research at the chemistry and biology interface.” Fellows received $55,000 per year from ACS.
ACS’s Education Grants target high school students and educators to enhance chemistry classroom learning, professional development, and support ChemClub community activities.
Finally, ACS offers a number of grants, such as travel grants, community outreach grants, and student activities grants to student chapters of ACS at any of its 72 partner schools.
Important Grant Details:
Grant values vary widely by program, but most grants and scholarships are awarded in set amounts per program. Grantseekers should review ACS’s Funding and Awards page for more information on funding opportunities.
Deadlines and requirements also vary by program. While some funding opportunities accept applications by the grantseeker, others may require nomination.
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