Grants and Fellowships Advising

Grants and Fellowships Advising at Bennington focuses on connecting students with opportunities to extend their work—either outside the classroom or after graduation.

Jennifer Burg, Assistant Director for Academic Services and Student Grants Counselor, offers advising on internal awards and nationally-competitive fellowships, awards, and grants. Working with both Bennington students and alumni, Jennifer provides information and support throughout the application process—from matching students with appropriate opportunities, to preparing and submitting a compelling application package. Email Jennifer > 

Information for Current Students

See below for complete resources via our intranet

Internal Funding Opportunities for Bennington Students

Bennington offers a number of internal opportunities that are open to students enrolled at the College who meet eligibility requirements, including the following:

Student Conference Grant

The Bennington College Student Conference Grant provides up to $500 to support individual student academic work for students presenting at conferences in any area of study. If funding remains after this primary goal has been met, then awards will be made to offset the cost to students wishing to attend (but not present at) conferences. Recent recipients of this award presented their work at the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ) Conference in Washington, D.C. and the SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation Conference in Japan.

Student Testimonials

Lindsey Leggett ‘27 says: “While at the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice Conference, I experienced firsthand the indelible opportunity that was being amongst like-minded and diverging opinions, ideas, and people, and I got to see that while so many of us came to advocate for different communities, harms, and broken systems, we all wanted similar results to come from them: for our stories and the stories of our communities to be known, respected, and heard. While many conversations given marked the beginnings of longer fights, I was able to create and be amongst connections that buzzed with passion and opportunity, and if it weren’t for the Bennington College conference grant or NACRJ’S scholarship funding my travel and admission, I wouldn’t have been able to finally feel like I belonged among the big voices, hearing my own in tandem with theirs.”

nametag
Linds Leggett ‘27 presented at the NACRJ Conference, Summer 2024
student presenting
Linds Leggett ‘27 presented at the NACRJ Conference, Summer 2024
student presenting
Elizabeth Pollom ’25 presented at the NACRJ Conference, Summer 2024

Bennington's London School of Economics (LSE) Summer School Scholarship

Eligible students with Plan concentrations in the social sciences are encouraged to apply for Bennington's London School of Economics (LSE) Summer School Scholarship. Each year, Bennington College offers financial support for one student’s participation in a three-week summer course at LSE. Recent recipients of this scholarship have taken courses in Machine Learning in Practice and International Journalism and Society: The Role of the Media in the Modern World.

Student Testimonials

Muhammad Ammar ‘24 received the scholarship for the 2022–23 academic year. He says:
At LSE, where I took a course on International Journalism, I got the chance to not only take a class that I would have otherwise not been able to take at Bennington, but also to live in the center of the gorgeous city that is London. My time in London was divided between taking classes, watching West End theatre shows, reconnecting with long-lost family, and laughing at the remnants of British colonial rule scattered throughout the city. I’m really grateful to Bennington for providing me with this opportunity and helping me every step of the way!

Peace Kalomba ‘25 received this scholarship for the 2023–24 academic year. She says: “I am so glad that I was able to attend the London School of Economics summer program. Being in London was exciting and I am so grateful for the connections that I made. I got to experience a different academic setting from that of Bennington college which gave me a different perspective to education.”

student and LSE sign
Muhammad Ammar ‘24 at the London School of Economics, summer 2023
student and LSE sign
Peace Kalomba ‘25 at the London School of Economics, Summer 2024

Jessica K. and Ronald D. Liebowitz Centennial Fellowships

Bennington’s partnership with the Middlebury Language Schools has made it possible for three Bennington students each year to receive Jessica K. and Ronald D. Liebowitz Centennial Fellowships to support enrollment in the summer Language Immersion Programs. These intensive learning environments offer the opportunity to significantly advance a student’s learning through complete language immersion and provide credits that transfer back into Bennington College. Recent recipients of this fellowship have studied Arabic, French, Japanese, and Spanish.

Student and professor at LSE
Abraham Dreher ‘26 and MLS professor Marta Sánchez Millán, Summer 2024
students at MLS
Christine Frye '25 (second row, far right) at MLS, Summer 2024

Projects for Peace

Bennington College students who meet eligibility guidelines can apply for the Projects for Peace grant, which provides $10,000 of funding to support grassroots projects which promote peace and address root causes of conflict. Recent grant recipients have completed projects in Bangladesh, Georgia, and Senegal. 

Student Testimonial

During summer 2024, Hanna Anday ‘24 received this grant to pursue her project “Field of Dreams: Equal Play, Equal Dreams at Adey Meshelsh Primary School” in Tigray, Ethiopia. Hanna shares that her project “established a recreational center with a soccer field and volleyball court to provide equal opportunities for girls and boys, fostering a strong sense of equality and encouraging their dreams. By normalizing girls’ participation in sports and engaging teens in community-based volunteer programs (collectively helping villages with farming tasks), the initiative sought to keep young people off the streets and strengthen community connections. The project also sought to heal the community from the trauma of recent conflicts and build a foundation for long-term peace and unity.”

community meeting
Hanna Anday talks with members of the community near Adey Meshelsh Primary School, Tigray, Ethiopia, summer 2004
girls playing soccer
Participants in “Field of Dreams,” Adey Meshelsh Primary School, Tigray, Ethiopia, summer 2004
girls playing soccer
Participants in “Field of Dreams,” Adey Meshelsh Primary School, Tigray, Ethiopia, Summer 2004

Bennington College Public Action Grant for Study Abroad

The Bennington College Public Action Grant for Study Abroad provides up to $1,500 of financial support to students studying at abroad programs outside of the United States and with a significant focus on the advancement of public action. Recent grant recipients have studied at Kansai Gaidai in Japan, Macquarie University in Australia, J.F. Oberlin University in Tokyo, Denmark Institute of Scandinavia in Copenhagen, Bard Berlin, and on a Semester at Sea.

Student Testimonials

Ebony Dalimunthe ‘26 attended Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan for her study abroad term, and she says that “it was easily one of the best experiences of my life! I got to see so many amazing things, eat so much good food, and meet so many amazing people. It was incredible to see so many different cultures cross paths, including mine, and I’m glad I was able to achieve this with the help of the Public Action Grant.”

Anne Adamson ‘27 says that “with the help of the Public Action Grant, I was able to study abroad in Tokyo this summer. Not only did this experience strengthen my Japanese language skills, but it also allowed me to become immersed in the culture and connect with the local students. I’m very grateful to have had these opportunities and will use them to inform my study of how language interacts with culture.”

Veronika Kostyaeva '25 participated in an exchange program at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea during Spring 2024. She says: "My main academic interest was to learn more about Eastern/Asian culture, in particular—its social structure, influence on the relationship building strategies employed by locals, presence of social hierarchies and their main causes, as well as how current political life is being affected by long-standing traditions and certain behavioral expectations in the society. Attending classes in Comparative Politics and Social Psychology allowed me to familiarize myself with and learn a lot about the above topics. This experience has undoubtedly expanded my knowledge and I plan on incorporating several parts of it into my senior thesis and other academic projects in Bennington."

students in Japan
Ebony Dalimunthe ‘26 (front row, left) in Osaka, Japan, Spring 2024
students in Japan
Anne Adamson ‘27 (back row, third from right) in Tokyo, Japan, Summer 2024
students in South Korea
Veronika Kostyaeva '25 (front row center in pink ear muffs) in Seoul, South Korea, Summer 2024

Current students

See below for complete resources via our intranet.