Graduate Workshop: Grants and Fellowships
November 13, 2006
Angel Kwolek-Folland
SAMPLE CALLS FOR PROPOSALS:
(1) Fulbright
(2) Huntington Research Fellowships
(3) UNC Chapel Hill Manuscripts Visiting Scholars Grant
(4) American Council of Learned Societies
(1) Fulbright
http://www.cies.org/us_scholars/us_awards/
PREPARING THE STATEMENT OF PROPOSED STUDY OR RESEARCH:
It is important that you have adequate formal training for the study that you wish to pursue and that your language skills be commensurate with the requirements of the project.
Graduating seniors generally will be expected to attend regular university lectures, but they should describe the study programs they wish to follow in terms as specific as possible. They should not expect close academic supervision, and should be prepared to supplement lectures with independent work.
Graduate students, as well advanced-degree candidates proposing research for theses and dissertations, will be expected to work independently without close supervision.
Read the application instruction sheets. Follow the instructions.
Ph.D. candidates should indicate when they expect to complete preliminary or comprehensive examinations, and whether their project statements have been accepted or approved as dissertation proposals.
Candidates in the creative and performing arts should submit projects indicating their reasons for selecting a particular country, the form their work will take and the results they hope to obtain.
In other words, if there could be any question regarding the feasibility of your project or your background or ability to conduct the project, address the issue directly. Enrolled students are urged to consult professors in their major fields and their FPAs about the feasibility of their proposed projects. At-large applicants should consult qualified persons in their fields.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN:
The best proposals begin with good ideas. Start by putting your ideas on paper, and list the goals and objectives of your project. Share your ideas with your Fulbright Program Adviser, your academic adviser and professional colleagues in your field. As you work on your proposal, consider the following questions and remember your audience. Avoid discipline-specific jargon. The individuals reading your proposal prefer you get to the point about the "who, what, when, where, why and how" of the project. In a direct and persuasive manner address the following:
With whom do you propose to work?
What do you propose to do? What is exciting, new or unique about your project? What contribution will the project make to the Fulbright objective of promoting cross-cultural interaction and mutual understanding?
When will you carry out your study or research? Include a timeline.
Where do you propose to conduct your study or research? Why is important to go abroad to carry out your project?
Why do you want to do it? What is important or significant about the project?
How will you carry out your work? All students should discuss methodology and goals in their statements.
How will your project help further your academic or professional development?
IS THE PROJECT FEASIBLE?
You must also demonstrate that the project research strategy is feasible, including its time frame. Provide answers to the following questions:
How will the culture and politics of the host country impact your work?
How do the resources of the host country support your project?
If employing such research methods as extensive interviewing and the use of questionnaires, how will you get locate your subjects?
Is your language facility adequate? If not, how will you accomplish your work?
TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIP APPLICATIONS:
Students applying for English Teaching Assistant (ETA). Positions are not expected to present extensive research plans. Rather, you should describe for the reviewers:1. Why you would like to undertake a Teaching Assistant Assignment. 2. What your qualifications are, and what experiences you have had that relate to the overseas assignment.3. How you expect to benefit from the assignment, and what use you will make of the experience upon your return to the United States. 4. What use you will make of your time outside the classroom. (Most TAs work no more than 20 hours per week.)
WHAT ABOUT AFFILIATION?
Refer to the Country Summary in Participating Countries for specific considerations regarding affiliation.
Unless it is explicitly stated otherwise in the Country Summary (e.g., some countries will arrange for grantee placements/affiliations), grantees are expected to make their own arrangements for one or more affiliations in the host country. Even if it is not specifically mentioned in the Country Summary, you should discuss your intentions regarding your affiliation in the proposal.
The affiliation can be an academic institution, a research institute, a non-profit organization and/or individuals at any one of these or other type of relevant agencies. In some cases, particularly in the arts, the affiliation may be a person such as a writer, musician, or artist or an arts organization or foundation. You should pay special attention to the requirement in some countries to attend/affiliate with an academic institution.
Many countries prefer that students have directly made contact with potential affiliations in the host country prior to submitting the application.
Include documentation of contacts with potential affiliations as part of the application. This could be of a letter of invitation from the host institution/organization/individual indicating research support, or a statement that access to facilities is available to the applicant; or, it could be a letter indicating that the institution provides courses in the applicant's areas of study. The level and type of support provided by the affiliation may vary. Letters of affiliation should address activities specific to the applicant's proposal.
Finally, in the US, we have become accustomed to rapid response, especially in electronic communication. Many cultures do not have this expectation, and many people do not enjoy the reliable connectivity or easy access to the Internet that we do. Therefore, be advised that you may not receive a response to your inquiries as quickly as you might hope. Keep in mind, that we will not accept emailed or faxed letters of affiliation and that these letters must be included by the October 23, 2006 deadline date. Therefore, your search for an affiliation should begin very early.
A BIBLIOGRAPHY?
Since the Statements of Proposed Study or Research can not exceed two pages, a formal bibliography is not necessary; however, if background data is provided it is appropriate to briefly cite sources within the two-page limit.
A FINAL WORD:
Organize your Statement carefully. Don't make reviewers search for information. We urge you to have several people read and critique your Statement, including a faculty adviser, a faculty member outside your discipline, a fellow student, and/or a colleague.
(2) Huntington Research Fellowships
http://www.huntington.org/ResearchDiv/Fellowships.html
HUNTINGTON FELLOWSHIPS
Eligibility: Ph.D. or equivalent; or doctoral candidate at the dissertation stage.
Tenure of fellowship: One to five months.
Amount of award: $2,000 per month.
Within this category, the Huntington awards a number of specialized fellowships, including:
· Francis Bacon Foundation Fellowships in Renaissance England
· Haynes Foundation Fellowships in Los Angeles History
· Reese Fellowship in American Bibliography and the History of the Book in the Americas
· Trent R. Dames Civil Engineering History Fellowship
· Christopher Isherwood Foundation Fellowship
W.M. KECK FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIPS FOR YOUNG SCHOLARS
Eligibility: Non-tenured faculty; or doctoral candidate at the dissertation stage.
Tenure of fellowship: One to five months.
Amount of award: $2,300 per month.
NOTE: Applicants for the Keck fellowships are automatically considered for the Huntington fellowships. There is no need to apply for both.
HUNTINGTON-BRITISH ACADEMY FELLOWSHIPS FOR STUDY IN GREAT BRITAIN
Eligibility: Ph.D. or equivalent.
Tenure of fellowship: One month.
In cooperation with the British Academy, the Huntington offers a limited number of exchange fellowships in any of the fields in which the Huntington collections are strong.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
There is no application form. Applications consisting of items 1 through 4 should be mailed to: Committee on Fellowships, The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108.
1. Cover sheet with the following information: Name; mailing address to be used for future correspondence; telephone and fax numbers; e-mail address; present rank and institution name; date Ph.D. received or expected; citizenship status; name of fellowship you are applying for and number of months of support you are requesting; title of project; history of fellowships and grants received during the past five years.
2. If you are applying for either a short-term or long-term award, please send a two- to three-page (single-spaced) description of your project, specifying the materials you plan to consult at the Huntington and indicating your progress to date. The description will be considered by a panel of scholars from a variety of humanities disciplines, so should be written for non-specialists.
3. A curriculum vitae of no more than three pages.
4. Three letters of recommendation sent directly to the Committee on Fellowships. It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact referees and supply them with a description of the project. Letters postmarked after the deadline of December 15, 2006, will not be considered. Please do not send letters from your job dossier.
Robert C. Ritchie, W.M. Keck Foundation Director of Research
Phone: (626) 405-2194
Fax: (626) 449-5703
E-Mail:
(3) UNC Chapel Hill Manuscripts Visiting Scholars Grant
http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/travel.html
ELIGIBILITY AND REQUIREMENTS:
Graduate students, faculty, and independent scholars who plan to use the resources available in the Southern Historical Collection are eligible. Foreign nationals must independently obtain a social security number and a visa before grant funds can be issued to them.
Applicants must include a brief prospectus of their current project and indicate which collections they intend to explore in connection with this research.
Each recipient must make at least one in-person research visit to the SHC and make use of the collections between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008.
Following the research visit, each recipient will submit a brief written statement describing the research visit and summarizing the results of research in the SHC's collections. This statement must be submitted to the SHC no later than July 31, 2008.
(4) American Council of Learned Societies
http://www.acls.org/fel-comp.htm
Welcome to the American Council of Learned Societies' fellowship programs. ACLS offers fellowships and grants in over one dozen programs, for research in the humanities and humanistic social sciences at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels. The specifics of the competitions vary; program descriptions, eligibility requirements, and application procedures for each program can be found at the individual program links below. Click here for a list of what ACLS does not fund.
Applicants must use the ACLS Online Fellowship Application (OFA) system for most programs. You may click here for a sample of OFA. (Please note: This is a sample of a 2004 ACLS Fellowship application and is meant to serve only as a preview of the online application process. Actual program requirements and deadlines are included in the descriptions below.)
Fellows and grantees in all programs will be selected by committees of scholars appointed for this purpose. An individual may apply to as many fellowship and grant programs as are suitable. However, not more than one ACLS or ACLS-joint award may normally be accepted in any one competition year.
In the administration and awarding of its fellowships and grants, the ACLS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, religion, disability, marital/family status, or political affiliation. Applications are particularly invited from women and members of minority groups. Younger scholars and independent scholars who do not hold academic appointments are also encouraged to apply. Membership in any ACLS constituent society is not a requirement.
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation/ACLS Early Career Fellowships
* Dissertation Completion Fellowships
* Fellowships for Recent Doctoral Recipients
The American Council of Learned Societies is launching this year a significant new fellowship program providing support for young scholars to complete their dissertation and, later, to advance their research after being awarded the Ph.D. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation/ACLS Early Career Fellowship Program will award fellowships in two categories: Dissertation Completion Fellowships and Fellowships for Recent Doctoral Recipients. A grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation supports this program.
Dissertation Completion Fellowships
* Stipend: $25,000, plus funds for research costs of up to $3,000 and for university fees of up to $5,000.
* Tenure: one year beginning summer 2007.
* Completed applications must be submitted through the ACLS Online Fellowship Application system (ofa.acls.org) no later than 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, November 15, 2006.
* Decisions will be announced in late March 2007.
The Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships are to assist graduate students in the humanities and related social sciences* in the last year of Ph.D. dissertation writing. This program aims to encourage timely completion of the Ph.D. Applicants must be prepared to complete their dissertations within the period of their fellowship tenure or shortly thereafter.
ACLS will award 65 Fellowships in this competition for a one-year term beginning between June and September 2007 for the 2007-2008 academic year. The Fellowship tenure may be carried out in residence at the Fellow's home institution, abroad, or at another appropriate site for the research. The Fellowships include funds for university fees and research support (together with stipend the award may total up to $33,000) but may not be held concurrently with any other major fellowship or grant.
Eligibility
* A Ph.D. candidate in a humanities or social science department in the United States. (Students preparing theses for master's degrees are not eligible.)
* All requirements for the Ph.D. except the dissertation completed before beginning fellowship tenure.
* No more than six years in the degree program; awardees can hold this Fellowship no later than their seventh year.
Application Requirements
The application process is comprised of the following:
* Completed application form
* Statement of all university and external support received during graduate study: fellowships, teaching or research assistantships, tuition grants, and summer support.
* Proposal (no more than 5 pages, double spaced)
* Bibliography (no more than 2 pages)
* Completed chapter of the dissertation.
* Timeline for the expected completion of dissertation writing and defense.
* Two reference letters
* A letter from the applicant's institution (preferably from the applicant's chair or dean), including (1) a statement attesting to the viability of the proposed timeline for completion, (2) stipulation that, in the event of an award, the university will not charge the student tuition or fees beyond a limit of $5,000 and will provide for any additional costs, such as health insurance, and (3) a pledge that if an ACLS award is made, the university will not provide the applicant with any subsequent aid.