Each year, the Centennial Center offers over $100,000 in research grants to APSA members through its Spring and Summer application deadlines. Learn more about eligibility and funding areas for each of these cycles below.
Eligible costs for Centennial Center Research Grants include:
- Research costs associated with data collection, including costs of conducting interviews and surveys, access to archives, and more.
- Salary support for PIs and/or research assistants
- Per diems regardless of travel/location
- Research software and hardware, including statistical software, productivity software, and devices necessary for scholars with disabilities to conduct their research.
- And more! We recognize that APSA members may have research needs not included in the above list. If you have a cost that is not listed here, please contact us at centennial@apsanet.org.
Spring Centennial Center Research Grants
Previously the “Small Research Grants Program.” Supports research in all fields of political science conducted by:
- Political scientists in non-tenure track or contingent positions who are ineligible for departmental funding
- Political science faculty of all ranks who are employed in departments that do not grant PhDs.
Maximum grant amount: $2500. Total of $40,000 awarded each year.
Deadline: April 15th of each year.
Application requires: CV, abstract, short proposal, budget.
Summer Centennial Center Research Grants
Summer Centennial Center Research Grants are open to all APSA members. Grants are supported by a set of endowed funds, some of which target specific research topics. The summer application deadline also offers a limited number of grants for mini-conferences, workshops, and other collaborative projects.
Maximum grant amount for research: $2,500
Maximum grant amount for conferences, workshops, etc.: $10,000
Deadline: June 15th of each year.
Application requires: CV, abstract, short proposal, budget, letters of reference for graduate student applicants and proposals over $5,000.
Applications generally require the following materials (see individual application forms for exact details):
Title Page (1 page): This should include an abstract of your proposal in 150 words or less.
Research Statement (max of 5 single-spaced pages): Include a description of your research topic, questions, and its import to the field; the research design to be used; and the present status of your project. Although not required, if your project has a potential public engagement component or other public component, please include this as well.
Bibliography for proposed research statement. List any references in a brief bibliography. Extensive references/citations not required.
Research budget: This must include individual line items for all direct costs included in your funding request (flight, access to archives, interview compensation, research assistance hourly rate and total hours, etc.). Please bear in mind that the maximum size of a Spring Centennial Center Research Grant is $2,500, and that grants are not renewable.
CV for PI and any co-PIs.
Applications generally require the following materials (see individual application forms for exact details):
- Abstract (maximum 1/2 page, 12 pt Times New Roman font, single spaced)
- Project Statement (maximum 2.5 pages single spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman font). Should include: a description of the topic and the value/contribution of the proposed work; a summary of the basic ideas and hypotheses; the methodology to be used; a timeline for the project and the present status of your work (including IRB approval, if relevant); the relevance of your grant application to the grant fund(s) selected; and the materials that will be used.
- CV
- Budget (1 page maximum in spreadsheet, list, or table format). Budget should include detailed breakdown by budget category (e.g., travel, office supplies), and estimated cost per item in each budget category (e.g. flight, car rental, digital recorder). Actual expenses may vary up to 10% from proposed budget, and further revisions to budget may be made during active grant phrase with funder approval. If your project is receiving support from other sources, this should also be noted in your budget. Please not that we do not allow for indirect or overhead costs to be charged to any Centennial Center grants.
- For Summer Centennial Center Research Grants: One letter of recommendation is required from graduate student applicants and for any applicants requesting workshop/event funding over $5000. Requests should be sent to letter writers via the grant application form.
- Grant funds may not be used for overhead or indirect costs.
- Grants must support work that has not yet been completed.
- Proposed work must fall within the discipline of political science.
- Grant recipients must maintain an APSA membership throughout their grant period.
- For graduate students and proposals for workshops or events exceeding $5,000 applicants must submit letters of recommendation through our application portal.
When will applicants be notified of decisions? We typically aim to notify applicants of decisions by one month after the application deadline. For the 2021 cycle, the review and notification process may take longer due to limitations on reviewer availability.
Do you have any tips for writing my grant application and preparing my budget? Yes! You can find our grant writing guide here.
What should be included in letters of recommendation? Letters must speak to the applicant’s ability to successfully carry out the proposed work. They may also speak to the value of the proposed work.
How should I acknowledge APSA in funded work? All programs receiving funding from the Centennial Center must include recognition of that funding in publicity materials for that program. Recipients should also send the Centennial Center any news, news articles, or newsletters mentioning the funded project, notification of publications resulting from the project, as well as electronic copies of any photos, videos, or other multimedia content that the Centennial Center can use in promoting or otherwise recognizing the funded project or program.
Do I need to inform APSA of the results of my work? Yes! All projects and programs funded by the APSA must submit an annual report for each year in which they receive funding. This report must detail what the grant funds supported and evaluate progress towards goals in the previous year. Visit our grant reports page to learn more.
Summer Centennial Center Research Grants Topics
Summer Centennial Center Research Grants are supported by a set of thirteen endowed funds. Each grant fund has a unique set of aims, including supporting international scholarship, electoral scholarship, and scholarship on race and gender. Click on one of the fund names below to see detailed information about individual grant aims.
When you submit an application, you will be asked to select individual funds relevant to your research. We highly recommend that you apply widely and that you consider how your project might relate to multiple funds. Applicants are encouraged to note in their project proposal how their work might speak to the focus of multiple funds. For example, you may consider your project to be focused on gender and politics, but your work may draw on, build on, or have implications for legislative studies. You should identify and explain all of these ties and select all relevant funds in your application form. For further advice for preparing your Spring and Summer grant applications visit our tips page.
Supports grants in all research areas and with a variety of aims around professional development, advancing the discipline, and public engagement. This fund provides support for research grants up to $2,500 and for grants of up to $10,000 for events, workshops, and programs with broader disciplinary benefits.
The Artinian Fund supports programs that encourage and assist early career scholars in publishing their research. To learn more visit our Artinian Fund page.
Supports international scholarship, especially in Asia.
Supports the global study of political life and the internationalization of the political science discipline.
Supports research on diversity, cultural nationalism, African-American voting behavior, education policy, or urban and minority policy and politics.
The Steiger Fund enables Congressional Fellowship Program alumni to extend their stays in Washington for research. It also supports scholarly research in any aspect of domestic or international legislative politics.
Supports research on the intersection of gender, race, ethnicity, and political power.
Supports scholars conducting work on the presidency, and whose work brings them to Washington, D.C. to examine executive politics.
The Miller Fund supports research in national and comparative electoral politics.
Supports scholarship in the field of women and politics.
The Volcker Fund promotes and supports excellence in research and theory on public administration issues affecting governance in the United States and abroad. This award is administered by the Organized Section for Public Administration. For more information, visit their website.
The Ostrom Fund supports the Association’s promotion of democratic engagement;
efforts to advance understanding of self-governing systems; the possibilities of moving from
authoritarian to democratic systems; and the critical role of citizens in a democratic polity. Grants can support training seminars, publications, outreach activities, and research.
This fund supports Latino/a graduate study as well as Latino/a scholarship, research, and activities that advance our knowledge of Latino/a politics. Additionally, the fund is used to support Latino/a junior faculty. The Fund for Latino Scholarship is administered by the Latino Caucus in Political Science/Sector Latino de Ciencia Politica. If you are interested in seeking funding from this fund, please contact latinofund@apsanet.orgfor more information.