Women in Physics Group Grants
The APS Committee on the Status of Women in Physics (CSWP) offers grants to women in physics (WiP) groups at US colleges and universities. The purpose of these grants is to support the CSWP mission of recruiting and retaining women in physics at the undergraduate level. WiP groups are uniquely able to address this mission locally by encouraging and supporting the participation of women in their departments.
Rules and eligibility
Eligible applicants and activities
Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply on behalf of their college or university’s WiP group. The group’s faculty advisor must be an American Physical Society (APS) member. The grant can be used to start a WiP group or enhance an existing one.
Ways to use the grant to further a WiP group:
- Visit a local high school classroom to talk about physics
- Set up a research expo, poster session, or guest lecture
- Implement a book club or journal club
- Coordinate with other STEM advocacy groups on joint events
- Plan other creative ways to engage women in physics
Grant money can be applied toward networking events, mentoring meetups, career workshops, lab tours, field trips, and similar initiatives. Be sure to mention how your plans are well-suited to the type and size of your department. Preference will be given to proposals that show high potential for sustainability after the grant term ends.
Funding cannot be used for travel support to meetings or scholarships for individual students.
Grant terms
The terms for each WiP grant are as follows:
- Group leaders must complete the 10-minute survey once while applying for the grant, and again at the end of each academic year.
- Funds will be distributed as one lump sum to a group account to be used within a one or two year period ending on October 31.
- Grant money cannot be used to cover university overhead or indirect costs.
- A brief report on activities and expenditures is required at the end of each term. A template for the report will be provided by APS. Send the report to the APS Women in Physics team and copy your department chair.
- Groups will acknowledge APS support on websites, social media, and event flyers.
Process and selection
Application materials
To apply for a Women in Physics Group grant, please prepare and submit the following materials in one PDF:
- Include a cover sheet with the applicant’s name, address, phone number, and email. The cover sheet should also include the names of your WiP group, department, and college/university; your faculty advisor’s name, address, phone number, and email; the total amount of funding requested, and whether your group is recognized as a student organization by the department or college/university.
- If you applying as part of an existing WiP group, please also include a list of group officers and whether they are APS members, the date the group was established, and your estimate of the current membership and/or event participation on your cover sheet.
- Your application should also include a brief summary (one page or less) of the leadership structure of your group, including each position’s responsibilities and how leadership is transferred.
- You will also need to include a narrative description (up to two pages) that lists the activities of your group, how these reflect the goals of the WiP program, and the impact on your campus.
- Please also submit a budget sheet (one page) that lists the funding amount(s) requested and a short justification for each amount (e.g., “We request $200 to provide refreshments for our scientific journals club. Our monthly meetings average about 10 participants.”)
- You will also need to provide a letter of support from a faculty advisor, who is also an APS member.
- Additionally, you should also submit a letter of support from your department chair, if different from the faculty advisor, addressing how the department will help sustain the program.
- If your institution does not currently have a WiP group, please also submit your plan to become an official student organization recognized by your institution.
You will submit the PDF with these materials online after taking an application pre-survey and filling out an application form. Once your application is submitted, you will receive a confirmation email.
Selection criteria
The following factors will be considered:
- How well the proposal fits the grant’s stated purpose
- Potential impact of creating a new group or expanding your existing group
- Focus on diversity and inclusion for students of all backgrounds
- Footprint of the group (number of members in the group, and those impacted by outreach efforts)
- Quality, creativity, and likelihood for success
Preference is given to those that have not received previous support from a WiP Group Grant.
Establishment and support
To support the recruitment and retention of women in physics, the APS Committee on the Status of Women in Physics offers Women in Physics group grants to create and strengthen Women in Physics groups across the US, as well as around the world. Women in Physics strives to help students develop their scientific communities, reduce isolation, and find mentors and advocates.
US WiP groups
The following WiP groups in the USmay serve as a resource for others seeking to start such communities:
Alabama
Arizona
California
- APS Conferences for Women in Physics (CUWIP) @ University of California, Davis
- California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo: Cal Poly Women in Physics
- University of California, Berkeley: Society of Women in the Physical Sciences (SWPS)
- University of California, Davis: Diversity and Inclusion in Physics
- University of California, Merced: Women in Physics
- University of California, Riverside Physics Organization for Women and the Underrepresented
- University of California, Santa Cruz: Women in Physics & Astronomy (WiPA)
- University of California, San Diego: Graduate Women in Physics
- University of California: Women in Physical Sciences
- Women in Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara
- Women in STEM (WSTEM) @ University of California, Merced
- Womxn in Physics and Astronomy at University of California, Irvine
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
- Georgia Institute of Technology: Women in Physics
- Valdosta State University: Women in Physics and Astronomy
Illinois
- Loyola University Chicago: Society for Women in Physics
- University of Chicago: Society of Women in Physics
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Society for Women in Physics
Indiana
- Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne: Women in Physics Group
- Purdue University: Women in Physics
Iowa
- Iowa State University Undergraduate Diversity and Inclusion in Physics
- University of Northern Iowa: Women in Physics Club
Kentucky
Maryland
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County: Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics (WGMP)
- University of Maryland: Physicists of Underrepresented Genders
Massachusetts
Michigan
- Michigan State University: Women and Minorities in the Physical Sciences
- University of Michigan: Society of Women in Physics
Minnesota
Missouri
New Jersey
New York
- Columbia Society for Women in Physics
- The Women in Physics Chapter at New York University
- University of Rochester: Society of Women in Astronomy and Physics
- Women in Physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
North Carolina
- North Carolina State University: Women in Physics
- University of North Carolina Chapel Hill's Visibility in Physics
Ohio
- Ohio State University: Society for Women in Physics (SWiP)
- Ohio University: Women In Physics and Astronomy (WIPHA)
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
- Bucknell University: Society of Women in Physics and Astronomy (SWiPA)
- Drexel University: Women in Physics Society (WIPS)
- Pennsylvania State University: Physics and Astronomy for Women
- Women in Physics at the University of Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
- Texas Tech University: Women in Physics
- University of Houston: Women in Physics Society
- University of Texas at Austin
Utah
Virginia
- Women Interested in Science and Physics at Virginia Military Institute
Wisconsin
- Marquette University: Women in Physics
- University of Wisconsin - La Crosse: Women in Physics
- University of Wisconsin - Madison: Women and Gender Minorities in Physics
Groups advancing women in physics around the world
Many groups are working to improve gender equality in physics globally. Groups around the world that address the under-representation of women in physics include:
Argentina
Asia Pacific
Brazil
Canada
- Committee to Encourage Women in Physics, Canadian Association of Physicists
- Physics Leaders And Student Mentorship Association (PLASMA)
China
Europe
France
Germany
- Working Group on Equal Opportunities, Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft
- Resources: Interviews with German Women in Physics and Profiles of German Women in Physics
India
Italy
- Equal Opportunities Committee, Società Italiana di Fisica
Spain
Sweden
Contact
For more information about WiP groups or about the Women in Physics Group Grants, contact the APS Women in Physics team.
The membership of APS is diverse and global, and the nominees and recipients of APS Honors should reflect that diversity so that all are recognized for their impact on our community. Nominations of members belonging to groups traditionally underrepresented in physics, such as women, LGBT+ scientists, scientists who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), disabled scientists, scientists from institutions with limited resources, and scientists from outside the United States, are especially encouraged.
Nominees for and holders of APS Honors (prizes, awards, and fellowship) and official leadership positions are expected to meet standards of professional conduct and integrity as described in the APS Ethics Guidelines. Violations of these standards may disqualify people from consideration or lead to revocation of honors or removal from office.