Travel/Research Funding | Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures

Funding to Support Presentation(s) at a Conference or Professional Meeting

Each semester AMEC solicits applications from graduate students for funding to attend a national or international meeting, once in the summer (for late summer/ fall conferences) and once in the fall (early summer/ spring conferences). The Department Head will send out a request for students to submit a Graduate Student Travel Support Request (https://www.amec.msstate.edu/sites/www.amec.msstate.edu/files/inline-files/AMEC%20Graduate%20Student%20Funding%20Request%20Form%20for%20Travel%20to%20National%20or%20International%20Meetings%5B21249%5D.pdf)

The Department can nominate two or more graduate students for travel funding from the College of Arts and Sciences (Graduate Student Travel Support (CAS/GSTS)) and the Graduate School (TAGGS) each cycle (late summer/ fall; early summer/ spring). Therefore, from the pool of students who submitted a Graduate Student Travel Support Request for that cycle, AMEC will nominate two or more students for CAS/GSTS and/or TAGGS funding.

Please note that you cannot successfully apply for either of these travel grants, in either cycle, without departmental cost-matching.

Funding may also be available for students to travel to specific conferences or on specific topics from non-MSU sources. For example:

The Pollitzer Student Travel Awards are designed to help students defray the costs of attending the American Association of Biological Anthropology (AABA) meetings, up to c. $595. https://bioanth.org/about/william-s-pollitzer-student-travel-award/
The Deborah L. Nichols Meeting Access Grants and the Julie K. Stein Geoarchaeology Undergraduate Travel Award are designed to help students with the costs of attending the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) meetings, with varying award amounts: https://www.saa.org/career-practice/awards/geoarchaeology-undergraduate-travel-award
The American Anthropological Association (AAA) provides financial assistance programs to help with the cost of the Annual Meeting. Each program provides support for various groups of people: https://annualmeeting.americananthro.org/general-info/financial-assistance/.
- Additionally for the AAAs:
  - The Society for the Anthropology of Religion (SAR) makes up to four (4) awards of US $500 each to scholars of color and underemployed scholars attending the annual AAA meetings and participating in SAR-sponsored panels: https://sar.americananthro.org/
  - The Aging and the Life Course Interest Group of the AAA invites applications for the Christine Fry Graduate Student Travel Award, which provides $500 toward travel to the AAA meetings. https://anthropologyandgerontology.com/new-graduate-student-travel-award-to-aaa-meetings-for-research-on-the-anthropology-of-aging-and-the-life-course/
American Institute of Pakistan Studies (AIPS) - Conference Travel Grant. Grant for conference travel to present papers on Pakistan studies, up to $2000.

Funding in Support of Research

AMEC students are encouraged to look over the following list and brief descriptions of research funding opportunities. You may discuss any of these with your major professor. We strongly encourage students to seek outside funding for research. Prior to applying for any external grant, make sure to contact the College of Arts & Sciences (Contract and Grant Specialists) at least two weeks prior to the application deadline for guidance.

MA students in anthropology are eligible for the following:

American Association of University Women (AAUW) International Fellowships for Women. AAUW has a long and distinguished history of advancing educational and professional opportunities for women in the United States and around the globe. One of the world's largest sources of funding for graduate women, AAUW provides large numbers of fellowships and grants to outstanding women each year: www.aauw.org/what-we-do/educational-funding-and-awards/
National Geographic Society Young Explorers Grant. The National Geographic Society supports field research by anthropology students: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers/grants-programs/young-explorers/
NSF GRFP (Graduate Research Fellowship Program). Senior undergraduate students and early stage (1st - 3rd semester) MA students are eligible to apply to the NSF GRFP (Graduate Research Fellowship Program): http://nsfgrfp.org/ and http://nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply
National Science Foundation short-term summer courses: http://www.qualquant.net/training/.
The Geological Society of America, Archaeological Geology Division, annually offers the Claude C. Albritton, Jr. Scholarship. This scholarship supports field and/or laboratory research for a graduate student pursuing a Masters or Doctoral degree. The research must "involve interdisciplinary archaeology-earth sciences concepts and methods. Specific disciplines/subdisciplines and geographic areas are open, but can include geomorphology, pedology, sedimentology, archaeometry, stratigraphy, paleontology, zooarchaeology, and archaeological materials and characterization". [Note: this is ideal for using the Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer here at MSU, for example; radiocarbon and other dating also is supported]. Any student enrolled in the archaeology/bioarchaeology track is eligible. Awards are up to $650. Follow the link for information on applying: https://www.geosociety.org/GSA/grants/division.aspx.
The Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research, sponsored by the American Philosophical Society, supports "exploratory field studies for the collection of specimens and data and to provide the imaginative stimulus that accompanies direct observation. Applications are invited from disciplines with a large dependence on field studies, such as archaeology and anthropology." Grants are available for graduate students "who wish to participate in field studies for their theses or for other purposes." Awards are to support travel, and range from "several hundred dollars" to $5,000. The applications are on-line at http://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/lewisandclark.
Society of Ethnobiology. The Society of Ethnobiology offers awards recognizing student achievements in the field of ethnobiology. These include the Barbara Lawrence Award for Best Student Paper, the Best Ethnobiology Poster Award, and an Undergraduate Ethnobiologist Award. See http://www.ethnobiology.org/awards for details.
Sigma Xi Grants in Aid of Research (GIAR) program provides undergraduate and graduate students with award amounts between $500 to $5,000 for graduate applicants and $500 to $2,000 for undergraduate applicants. https://www.sigmaxi.org/programs/grants-in-aid-of-research
Phi Kappa Phi annually awards 20 grants of up to $1,500 to active members attending graduate school: https://www.phikappaphi.org/grants-awards/graduate-research
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) - Stetson Graduate Scholarship in Phonetics and Speech Science provides funds for graduate study and research in phonetics and speech production up to $30,000.
American Councils for International Education (ACIE) - Grants for Research, Study Abroad, & Language Training in Eurasia, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa
Grants for humanities & social science research & language training in numerous countries with Spring and Fall deadlines. Amounts vary.
American Geographical Society (AGS) - Council Graduate Fellowship. Fellowship for research in any sub-field of geography up to $2000.
American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS) - Research Grants. Short- and long-term grants for field research in North African Maghrib countries up to $15,000.
American Institute for Yemeni Studies (AIYS) - Research Fellowship for US Scholars. Fellowships for research on Yemen in venues other than Yemen, up to $5000.
American Institute of Pakistan Studies (AIPS) - Short-term Research Grants to Pakistan. Grant for short-term travel to Pakistan to conduct research, up to $3000.
American Philosophical Society (APS) - Phillips Fund for Research in Native American Studies. Small grants for research on Native American linguistics, ethnohistory, and the history of studies of Native American, up to $3500.
American Philosophical Society (APS) / Mellon Foundation - Native American Scholars Initiative (NASI) Digital Knowledge Sharing Fellowships. Small grant for projects in any field connecting archives and Indigenous communities, up to $3000.
American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC) - Graduate & Postdoctoral Fellowships, Short-term fellowships for research in/on the countries of the South Caucasus up to $10000.
American School of Classical Study at Athens (ASCSA) - Graduate & Postdoctoral Fellowships, Short- and long-term fellowships for research on all aspects of Greek culture from antiquity to the present, up to $20,000.
American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) - Fellowships & Grants to Study in Scandinavia, Short and long-term awards for study or research in Scandinavia, up to $23,000.
Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) - Elizabeth Bartman Museum Graduate or Post-Master's Internship, Short-term funding for graduate students and recent master's recipients in archaeology or related fields to support museum internship participation up to $4000.
Armenian Relief Society (ARS) of Eastern USA - Lazarian Graduate Scholarship. Need-based scholarship for students of Armenian descent, up to $2500.
Caring.com - Student-Caregiver Scholarship. Scholarship provides financial assistance (of varying amounts) to students who are caring for an adult relative while enrolled in college.
Cave Research Foundation (CRF) - Philip M. Smith Graduate Research Grant. Grant for graduate research in cave and karst studies. Up to $3000.
Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS) - Research Fellowships. Fellowships for research, travel, and writing that contributes to the field of LGBTQ studies, up to $3000.
Center for Reintegration - Baer Scholarship for Students with Mental Illness. Scholarships for students (of varying amounts) with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder.
Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies - Graduate Fellowship for Research on Pre-Modern Chinese Buddhism. Fellowship for graduate research on pre-modern Chinese Buddhism, up to $10,000.
DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) - German Studies Research Grant. Up to $2000 for 1-2 month grants for research in Germany on modern and contemporary Germany affairs.
Davis-Putter Scholarship in Social Justice. Scholarship for students actively working for peace and justice, up to $15000.
Dobility, Inc. - SurveyCTO Data Collection Research Grant. Grants for graduate students pursuing data collection-related research, up to $2000.
Early American Industries Association (EAIA) - Research Grants. Grants for research on historic trades, crafts, and tools, up to $3000.
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) - Climate Corps - Summer Fellowship, 10-12 week fellowships for hands-on public/private sector experience in energy efficiency and sustainability, up to $16000.
Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) / Urban Communication Foundation - Michael Brill Research Grant. Fellowships for research in urban communication and community design up to $3000.
Experiment.com - Crowdfunding for Scientific Research. Crowdfunding platform for scientific projects.
Finlandia Foundation National (FNN) - Scholarships for Graduate Study. Scholarships for students with Finnish-American heritage in all fields of study, up to $3000.
Foundation for Community Association Research (FCAR) - Byron Hanke Graduate Fellowship. Fellowship for research related to community associations and/or common interest communities, up to $5000.
Guttmacher Institute - Cory L. Richards Master's Scholarship in Public Policy on Reproductive Health and Rights. Fellowship for master's students pursuing careers in public policy related to sexual and reproductive health and rights, up to $15,000.
Henry Luce Foundation - Scholars Program for Study in Asia. One-year professional internship in East or Southeast Asia.
Herb Society of America (HSA) - Research Grant. Grants for research of the horticultural, scientific, and/or social applications or use of herbs throughout history, up to $10000.
Horovitz Fund - Fellowship for African Artists & Scholars in the Humanities & Social Sciences. Fellowship for graduate students, researchers or artists from Sub-Saharan African countries for study in the U.S., up to $8000.
Houtan Foundation - Graduate Scholarship in Iranian Studies. Scholarship for research and study in Iranian culture, heritage, language, and civilization, up to $3500.
Institute for Humane Studies - Humane Studies Fellowships. Grants to support graduate students and postdocs publishing on topics in the classical liberal tradition up to $15000.
International Council for Canadian Studies (ICCS) - Graduate Student Scholarships. 4-6 week grants for research at a Canadian university or research site. Fall deadlines are set by individual associations, up to $4000.
Islamic Scholarship Fund (ISF) - Scholarship for Study in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Liberal Arts. Scholarship for American Muslim students in select fields, including the humanities, liberal arts, social sciences, up to $10000.

You may be able to find additional opportunities through this Fellowship Finder.