Graduate Student Research Grant

The Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy announces an opportunity for graduate student research grants of up to $5,000 for research that will take place between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027.  (Grant Funds may be made available earlier if there is demonstrated need.) The main goal of the grant is to support PhD dissertation research. We aim to support specific research costs, rather than to supplement applicants’ fellowship funding.

Examples of eligible research include:

  • Travel to archives/repositories/fieldwork sites, for preliminary investigation/orientation or focused data collection
  • Purchase of datasets, images, or equipment
  • Attendance costs for conferences to present work related to the dissertation
  • Third-party research assistance (translation, data collection, etc.)
  • Funds for experimental projects 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to start with research tasks and come up with a budget, rather than start with the maximum budget listed and come up with research tasks. 

Eligibility

Applicants must be PhD students in good academic standing in one of the six social science departments in the Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Columbia University or SIPA.

Applicants should submit

  • A 500-word maximum description of the applicant’s project and how the proposed funding will support it.
  • A one-page maximum budget justification (the narrative in a proposal that provides additional detail on line items in the budget), as well as a line-item budget, utilizing the budget sheet attached to this call.
  • A very short but signed email message to [email protected] from a full-time faculty member stating (i) familiarity with the project; (ii) confidence in its promise; (iii) commitment to supervising it.
  • A list of other funding, internal or external, received and/or applied for since the start of the applicant’s PhD program, including pending applications (excluding the standard university-funded fellowship).
  • A current CV.

Proposals should be submitted electronically via ISERP’s website here.

Duration: One (1) Year

Award Amount: Up to $5,000

Application Deadline: February 27, 2026

Award Period: July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027

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