Fellowships and Research Grants at the American Philosophical Society

APS Research Program FAQs

Daland Fellowship in Clinical Investigation

Phillips Fund for Native American Research

Sabbatical Fellowships in the Humanities and Social Sciences

General/Applicable to All Programs

Q. May I apply to more than one APS program in a given grant cycle?
A. Yes, although it is highly likely that you will not be granted more than one award.

Q. Is my report due at the conclusion of my trip or project or when I have expended the APS funds?
A. The project and financial reports are due within one month of the completion of the APS-supported portion of the trip or project.

Q. If I have received an award in the past, may I apply for funding again?
A. Yes, as long as you do not submit applications in consecutive years.

Q. If I have applied and not been funded, may I reapply the next year?
A. Yes, but the application must be either for a later stage of the same project or for an entirely new project. We will not review the same proposal more than once.

Q. Does the APS offer scholarships or other funding to defray educational expenses?
A. No, the APS does not grant funds to pay for tuition, fees, or other expenses associated with the pursuit of a degree.

Q. Should I send all of the receipts with the financial report?
A. No, just categorize your expenses as they are given in the budget on the application form and list them in the report.

Q. What should I do if I have money left over?
A. If the amount is small, see if you have any other eligible expenses related to the same project on which you can spend the funds (the purchase of books is acceptable). If it is a large amount, please contact Linda Musumeci, APS Research Administrator, at LMusumeci [AT] amphilsoc [DOT] org or 215-440-3429.

Q. How will my grant/fellowship money be distributed?
A. You will be issued a check made out to you. Special arrangements should be discussed with Linda Musumeci, APS Research Administrator, reachable at LMusumeci [AT] amphilsoc [DOT] org or 215-440-3429.

Q. Should the proposal be written for an expert in the field or for a layman audience?
A. Because the Society engages experts in many fields to review proposals, each of which is usually read by three people, you should write as if you are speaking to someone familiar with the language and other conventions of your field.

Daland Fellowship in Clinical Investigation

Q. How many total letters should support my application?
A. Three: The nomination letter, the letter from your scientific advisor, and one letter from other experts.

Q. Is the M.D. mandatory? Is a Ph.D. sufficient?
A. The applicant must have earned the M.D.

Q. Must eight copies the nomination letter be sent along with the eight copies of the application materials?
A. No, the person nominating you may send the letter directly to the American Philosophical Society office.

Franklin Research Grants

Q. Must I be a U.S. citizen to be eligible to apply for an award?
A. Applicants may be residents of the United States (either an American citizen or a foreign national or permanent resident affiliated with a U.S. institution) or American citizens resident abroad and may apply for funding to carry out projects anywhere in the world. Foreign nationals are eligible to apply for projects to be carried out in the United States.

Q. If I apply for the British Academy Fellowship, do I need to fill out a separate application for the Franklin program?
A. No, the applications are one and the same. Simply apply to the Franklin program by October 1 and indicate that you would also like to be considered for the British Academy Fellowship.

Q. What constitutes “work of doctoral character and quality?”
A. In general, publications should be scholarly in nature and length, with extensive footnotes and possibly, though not necessarily, peer reviewed.

Q. If I have received a grant in the past, may I apply for an award for a new project?
A. Yes, you may apply to the program again after an interval of two years.

Q. The program information states that “the Society is particularly interested in supporting the work of young scholars who have recently received their Ph.D.” Are senior scholars ever funded?
A. All proposals are judged on their merits, and awards are made accordingly. That said, given the goal of stretching our resources as far as possible, a junior scholar will be favored over his or her senior colleague when several applicants are competing for the same funds.

Q. Can I submit multiple applications in a given cycle requesting funding for different projects?
A. No, only one application can be submitted for a given competition, meaning that each applicant can submit one request for funding for either the October 1 or December 1 deadline in a given year.

Q. May I apply before I earn the Ph.D. (if I do not have publications of doctoral character and quality)?
A. No, you must have earned the Ph.D. prior to the date of the application, although an exception will be made if you are merely waiting for the degree to be conferred.

Q. What is the difference between “inclusive dates of trip or project” and “specific dates for APS support?”
A. The first refers to the full time frame of a trip or project, and the second asks for the exact time period during which APS funds would be needed.

Phillips Fund for Native American Research

Q. May I apply for funding to cover work in Mexico or South America?
A. No, only work in the United States and Canada will be funded.

Sabbatical Fellowships in the Humanities and Social Sciences

Q. What does “mid-career” mean?
A. For purposes of this program, mid-career is defined as between seven and twenty years out from the Ph.D. In all likelihood, if you are at the lower end of that range, you have recently been granted tenure.