2026 Cycle Now Open: Application Closes on June 1, 2026, at 11:59pm Eastern Time.
- Provides support to enhance and improve the conduct of doctoral dissertation research in political science.
- Connect awardees to APSA’s extensive professional development and public engagement networks and resources.
- Supports the advancement of national health, prosperity, and welfare.
The APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant has made 139 awards to doctoral candidates from 53 PhD-granting institutions since 2020.
About the DDRIG Program
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has made two awards to APSA to administer the Political Science Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (DDRIG) program. The NSF awarded APSA $1,410,000 to administer the DDRIG program from 2020 to 2023, and they renewed this award to continue its administration from 2023 to 2026.
The Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant project provides support to enhance and improve the conduct of doctoral dissertation research in political science. Awards will support basic research which is theoretically derived and empirically oriented. The APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant program intends to award between twenty and twenty-five grants yearly of between $10,000 and $20,000 to support doctoral dissertation research that advances knowledge and understanding of citizenship, government, and politics. The 2026 cycle of APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants opens on April 1, 2026, and closes on June 1, 2026, at 11:59pm Eastern Time.
The program will also connect awardees to APSA’s extensive professional development and public engagement networks and resources, to amplify the effect of the award on the awardee’s career and on the impact of their work as they explore solutions to a wide range of institutional, political, and social challenges. In addition, it will support the advancement of national health, prosperity, and welfare, by supporting projects that identify ways to use knowledge of citizenship, government, and politics to benefit society. The APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants was funded under NSF award number 2000500 and under NSF award number 2317099.
Advancing diversity and inclusion in the profession is a key priority of the association and the APSA Strategic Plan. As such, APSA is committed to broadening participation by supporting the most promising dissertation research projects from a wide range of institutions, geographic areas, research interests, and methodologies.
For more information, contact dissertations@apsanet.org.
Qualifications & Eligibility
The APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants are available to all US-based graduate students who are at the point of initiating or are already conducting dissertation research focused on advancing knowledge and understanding of citizenship, government, and politics.
Application Materials & Format
All proposals for APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants must include specific materials and formatting.
FAQs & Resources
These frequently asked questions and resources will be helpful to PhD students who are considering applying for the APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant.