Funding Sources for Research Scholars
NOTE: This guide is intended to provide information on possible sources of funding for the research projects of Law School faculty. While a comprehensive list of such sources would be beyond the scope of this guide, the selected programs on this list represent a broad cross-section of available funding. The “Additional Resources” section at the end of the guide provides suggestions for further investigation. Please send any desired program additions to Joe Gerken.
Criminal Law/Justice
Data Resources Program 2005, National Institute of Justice
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/new.htm#sl000712
- Description: Grants for “proposals to replicate findings from previous research or to conduct original research using data from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data”
- Availability: “Grantees should be able to demonstrate awareness of the state of current research, soundness of methodology and technical approach, as well as potential for significant advances both in the field and in scientific understanding of the problem”
- Duration: Typically 12 months; proposed work should begin no sooner than 6 months after application deadline to allow sufficient time for review and approval process
- Amount: Up to $35,000
- Deadline: November 15
Soros Justice Advocacy Fellowships, U.S. Justice Fund / Open Society Institute
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/focus_areas/justice_fellows/guidelines
- Description: Funding for research projects with topics ranging “from litigation to public education to coalition-building to grassroots mobilization to action research [that] identify a clear policy goal”
- Availability: “Outstanding individuals including lawyers, advocates, grassroots organizers, and activist academics”; two to five years of advocacy experience for Track I fellowship; “demonstrated expertise and a minimum of ten years experience in their fields and five years of advocacy experience” for Track II
- Duration: 18 months
- Amount: $56,250 (Track I) / $71 ,250 (Track II); additional insurance and professional development funding
- Deadline: October 14
W.E.B. DuBois Fellowship Program, National Institute of Justice
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/new.htm#sl000706
- Description: Funding for proposals relating to policy issues in crime, violence and the administration of justice in diverse cultural contexts; residency encouraged
- Availability: “talented researchers early in their professional careers”
- Duration: Typically 12 months; proposed work should begin no sooner than 6 months after application deadline to allow sufficient time for review and approval process
- Amount: Not specified; recent grants ranged from $74,000-78,000
- Deadline: February 1
Education
LSAC Research Grants, Law School Admission Council
http://www.lsac.org/LSAC.asp?url=lsac/lsac-legal-education-grant-program.asp
- Description: “Funds empirical research related to legal education in the United States and in the common law schools of Canada… from any of a variety of methodologies, [and] a potentially broad range of topics” but NOT including“doctrinal studies, curriculum development for a particular law school, conferences or symposia, preparation of casebooks, and other course-specific material”
- Availability: Grants awarded only to institutions or organizations with which individual investigators are affiliated
- Duration: N/A
- Amount: N/A; budget submitted with proposal
- Deadline: February 1 and September
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Faculty Fellowships in Ethics, Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics
http://www.ethics.harvard.edu/fellowships.php
- Description: “support [for] outstanding teachers and scholars who wish to develop their ability to address questions of moral choice in such are as as business, education, government, law, medicine, and public policy”; residency required
- Availability: All academics with “doctorate in philosophy, political theory, theology or related disciplines; or a professional degree in business, education, public policy, law, or medicine”; preference for those with less than 10 years since receipt of degree
- Duration: September – June of the following year
- Amount: Up to one-half of current academic year salary ($40,000 maximum); home institutions expected to contribute other half and benefits
- Deadline: November 1
Laurance S. Rockefeller Visiting Fellowships, University Center for Human Values
http://www.princeton.edu/~uchv/LSR_Fellowships.html
- Description: Fellowships for “outstanding scholars and teachers interested in devoting a year in residence at Princeton writing about ethics and human values”
- Availability: Applicants possessing “doctorate or a professional postgraduate degree [who are not] in the process of writing a dissertation”
- Duration: September-July academic year in residence
- Amount: Up to one-half of current academic year salary; home institutions expected to provide other half and all benefits
- Deadline: November 1
Fellowships and Faculty Research Awards, National Endowment for the Humanities
http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/fellowships.html
- Description: Support for full-time “advanced research in the humanities that contributes to scholarly knowledge or to the general public's understanding of the humanities”
- Availability: academic faculty/staff as well as independent scholars
- Duration: 6-12 months of full-time research work
- Amount: $24,000 (6-8 month grant) / $40,000 (9-12 month grant)
- Deadline: May 1
NHC Fellowships, National Humanities Center
http://www.nhc.rtp.nc.us/fellowships/fellowships.htm
- Description: “residentialfellowships for advanced study in the humanities” as well as “individuals from the natural and social sciences, the arts, the professions, and public life who are engaged in humanistic projects”
- Availability: Junior or senior scholars with a doctorate and record of publication
- Duration: Academic year, September through May
- Amount: $50,000 maximum, amount dependent on needs of scholar
- Deadline: October 15
Summer Stipends, National Endowment for the Humanities
- Description: support for full-time “advanced research that contributes to scholarly knowledge or to the public's understanding of the humanities ”
- Availability: academic faculty/staff as well as independent scholars
- Duration: “two consecutive months of full-time research and writing”
- Amount: $5,000
- Deadline: October 3
International Programs
Abe Fellowship, Social Science Research Council
http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/abe/
- Description: opportunities for; international multidisciplinary research on topics of pressing global concern”, some overseas residency required
- Availability: U.S. citizens with Ph.D. or equivalent in their fields
- Duration: “minimum of 3 and maximum of 12 months of full-time support over a 24 month period” ; at least one-third of proposed research time should be spent in Japan
- Amount: unspecified
- Deadline: September 1
American Research in the Humanities in China, American Council of Learned Societies
http://www.acls.org/research/arhc.aspx?id=804&linkidentifier=id&itemid=804
- Description: “for scholars in the humanities to do research in the People's Republic of China” if they “have fully utilized the available resources in the US ” ; continuous residency required
- Availability: U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a Ph.D. or demonstrated equivalent; working knowledge of Chinese language strongly preferred
- Duration: 4-12 consecutive months with an 18-month window of opportunity
- Amount: “monthly stipend and travel allowance”; $30,000 maximum
- Deadline: November 15
Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowships
http://www.cfr.org/about/fellowships/iaf.html
- Description: "the International Affairs Fellowship Program is designed to advance the professional development of outstanding young Americans between the ages of 27 and 35. Each year, approximately a dozen men and women receive an opportunity to broaden their experience in the field of international affairs and to add a unique dimension to their careers. The fellowships seek to bridge the gap between thought and action in foreign policy by supporting both a variety of policy studies and active exposure to policymaking. ... [The program] encourages academics and others from the private sector to serve in a policy-oriented environment through operational experience in public service. Conversely, it permits government officials on leave to study key issues in a scholarly atmosphere free from operational pressure."
An International Affairs Fellowship in Japan is also available. - Availability: U.S. citizens between the ages of 27 and 35 (inclusive)
- Duration: one year
- Amount: maximum $65,000 for 12 months
- Deadline: September 19
Fellowships for Postdoctoral Research in Southeast European Studies, American Council of Learned Societies
http://www.acls.org/seguide.htm
- Description: “support for postdoctoral research and writing in Southeast European studies in all disciplines of the humanities and social sciences”. Residency required in Albania, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania>, Serbia and/or Montenegro (including Kosovo); applicants may propose comparative work in more than one country
- Availability: U.S. citizen or permanent resident with Ph.D. or scholarly equivalent
- Duration: 6-12 consecutive months, with a 15-month window of opportunity
- Amount: $25,000 maximum
- Deadline: November 10
Fulbright Programs for U.S. Scholars, Council for International Exchange of Scholars
http://www.cies.org/us_scholars
- Description: Short and long-term lecturing and research opportunities abroad; residency required
- Availability: Programs are country- a nd discipline-specific; each with own requirements
- Duration: 2-6 weeks (Fulbright Senior Specialists Program) – academic year (Traditional Fulbright Scholar Program)
- Amount: varies depending on specific program
- Deadline: varies depending on specific program
Public Affairs/Policy Fellowships @ the Wilson Center, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=fellowships.welcome
- Description: Provides residential fellowship for “outstanding project proposals in a broad range of the social sciences and humanities on national and/or international issues”, especially related to themes of “key public policy challenges”
- Availability: Postdoctoral scholars with “publications beyond their doctoral dissertations”
- Duration: nine-month academic year; no deferrals or extensions
- Amount: $26,200 - $85,000 range; attempts to approximate regular salary and includes round-trip travel costs
- Deadline: October 1
Fellows Program in Law and Public Affairs, Princeton University
- Description: Residential fellowship to “devote an academic year in residence at Princeton to research, discussions, and scholarly collaboration on topics broadly related to law and public affairs”
- Availability: Holders of doctorate or a professional postgraduate degree
- Duration: Academic year in full-time residence
- Amount: one-half of academic year salary; additional income may be provided to Fellows who elect to teach a course while in residence
- Deadline: December 1
Additional Resources
Grants and Grantmaking, University at Buffalo Arts & Sciences Libraries
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/grants.html
UB Libraries staff maintain a guide to grant resources in the University Libraries as well as available online. Recommended sources include:
- Directory of Research Grants, Oryx Press
Lockwood Reference LB2338 .D4 -
Foundation Grants to Individuals,The Foundation Center
Lockwood Reference LB 2336 .F6 or
Undergraduate/Science & Engineering Reference LB 2336 .F6 - Funding Opportunities, Community of Science
http://fundingopps.cos.com - The “Search Wizard” feature allows users to retrieve a customized list of funding opportunities from diverse sources including academic institutions, governments, and private foundations
- Sponsored Programs Administration, University at Buffalo
http://www.research.buffalo.edu/spa/A Web portal assembled by the Office of the Vice President for Research provides links to numerous funding opportunities. Faculty may explore the databases independently or request a Personalized Funding Search at http://www.research.buffalo.edu/spa/fundingrequest.cfm.