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Grants, Fellowships, and Funding in the Discipline

The American Political Science Association awards grants, fellowships, and scholarships with the aim of advancing education and research in political science. These include grants to support scholarly research, grants to support civic engagement programming, collaborative projects on teaching political science, and research projects aimed at having real-world impact on pressing issues, and more. 

The information below represents a selection of grants, fellowships, and other opportunities sponsored by APSA. APSA also maintains a listing of open grants, awards and fellowship opportunities submitted by outside organizations here. 

 

Research Grants

Spring Centennial Center Research Grants
The APSA Small Research Grant Program supports research in all fields of political science. The intent of these grants is to provide funding opportunities for research conducted by political scientists not employed at PhD-granting departments in the field, or who are in non-tenure track or contingent positions ineligible for departmental funding. Applications due April 15th of each year.


Summer Centennial Center Research Grants
The Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs offers over $100,000 per year in research funding to APSA members. Centennial Center Research Grants assist with the costs of research, including travel, interviews, access to datasets, auxiliary devices or services necessary for scholars with disabilities to conduct their research, and access to archives. Applications due June 15th of each year.



Fund for Latino Scholarship
The primary purpose of the Fund for Latino Scholarship is to encourage and support the recruitment, retention and promotion of Latino/a political scientists. The fund also seeks to support research on Latino/a politics.

Grants for Collaborative Projects 

The Special Projects Fund

Special Projects Fund grants support collaborative, member-led projects aimed at advancing the political science discipline and/or a tackling a challenge facing the discipline. Projects must be evidence-based and provide wider benefits for the profession and the discipline. Projects must be collaborative and can be focused on any area of disciplinary work, inclusive of teaching, research, service, and public engagement. Proposals can work to contribute to or advance a research area but should not focus on traditional scholarly project (e.g. production of a single author book or journal article). For examples of past funded proposals see the above link.

Special Projects Fund calls for applications are not issued in pre-determined cycles but are scheduled based on availability of funding.



Research Partnerships on Critical Issues
APSA’s Research Partnerships on Critical Issues program provides grants to political scientists for collaborative, research-based projects aimed at advancing the public good. The Research Partnerships on Critical Issues program has two central goals:

  1. To demonstrate the value of political science to the public to policymakers and to the broader community through publicly-engaged research.

  2. To bring higher ed-based political scientists into conversation with practitioners and policy-oriented scholars across ideological and geographic lines.

Research partnerships proposals are typically due in early January of each year.



Pedagogical Partnerships
Pedagogical Partnership grants support projects that will bring together political science faculty from different institutions in the same geographic area to share expertise and produce cutting-edge teaching resources. PI’s will lead the organization of a series of meetings that will bring a larger group of local faculty together, allow for the sharing of best practices and innovations, and produce new teaching materials and new ties between faculty in the area. All Pedagogical Partnerships proposals must include at least one PI from a community college and one organizer from a research-intensive institution.

Pedagogical partnership proposals are typically due in early January of each year.



Growing Democracy
Growing Democracy grants support community-based programming led by political scientists that aims to bridge the boundaries between academia and community and break down the barriers between residents and governing institutions. Growing Democracy grants provide funding for collaborations between political scientists and their local communities aimed at supporting informed, engaged, and effective citizens. Proposed work should be community-centered and developed with an awareness of community needs and recognize the expertise held by faculty and community members.

Growing democracy proposals are typically due in early January of each year.

Travel Grants

Travel Grants
APSA is pleased to provide travel grants to U.S. graduate students, international students in the U.S., international scholars, community college faculty, adjunct faculty, and unemployed members for attendance at the APSA Annual Meeting and Teaching and Learning Conference.

Relief Grants

APSA Member Relief Grants are now available! APSA is providing $200 grants to support members that are experiencing financial hardships due to the coronavirus. Members are encouraged to submit their application early as grants will be administered on a first-come, first-serve basis. Eligible Members can apply through the application here