MMUF-SSRC Predoctoral Grants Open

The MMUF-SSRC Predoctoral Research Grants offer modest supplementary financial assistance to Mellon fellows to help support the quality and timely completion of their doctoral work - particularly at benchmark moments in their graduate educations. Two predoctoral awards of up to $5000 are offered to fellows receiving fellowships and other institutional support during the second through fifth graduate years; a special award of up to $2,500 is available for fellows beyond the sixth graduate year who are writing the dissertation. We recommend that fellows carefully plan how they will use their grant opportunities, as they have been designed to allow maximum flexibility. Fellows should consider how to best allocate the available funds during their years of eligibility.

The SSRC offers three types of predoctoral research grants: the Predoctoral Research Development (PRD) grant, the Graduate Studies Enhancement (GSE) grant, and the Dissertation Completion Grant (DCG). The PRD grant is available to second- through fifth-year students and is subject to a $3,000 maximum. (South African fellows are eligible for this grant in their first year.) It may be used for small-scale, preliminary research and other activities that support the early investigation of data sources, field sites, data sets and archival materials. The PRD may be received once per fellow.

The GSE grant is available to second- through fifth-year students and is subject to a $1,500 annual maximum. (South African fellows are eligible for this grant in their first year.) It may be used to defer the cost of conference travel, equipment, books, journal subscriptions, and other necessary supplies. The GSE may be awarded to an individual fellow up to four times. The sum of PRD and GSE grants may not exceed $5,000.

The DCG is a special award available to fellows in the seventh year of graduate study or beyond who receive little or no institutional support. The DCG is subject to a $2,500 maximum and may be received only once. Fellows must provide a timeline reflecting their plans to complete the dissertation within twelve months of the award date.

For more information, please contact the SSRC staff at mellonmays@ssrc.org.