On June 17-18th, 2004, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) sponsored a workshop at the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to discuss emerging issues, research, and current practices related to financial support for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. The meeting, which was attended by 101 graduate students, postdocs, faculty from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, graduate deans, labor economists, and representatives from federal agencies was one in a series of events designed to examine and provide recommendations that will enhance our knowledge and improve practices and policies associated with graduate and postdoctoral education and research training. The specific goal of this workshop was to consider the role and impact that student financial support plays in encouraging U.S. citizens to pursue and complete doctoral and postdoctoral studies in STEM fields. The research and resulting discussions highlighted elements of the graduate student and postdoctoral support packages including mode, duration, amount of stipend, health care and other benefits; and indicators of student progress such as completion rate and time to first professional position. The workshop deliberations set the stage for developing best practices and outlining a research agenda on these topics, as well as building a community of researchers, educators, and stakeholders to maintain an ongoing dialogue in this critical area. (Contains 6 Appendices.)