Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research 2018 (Grants up to $5,000)

 

Deadline: February 1, 2018

Call for application is ongoing for the Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research 2018. The Lewis and Clark Fund (initially supported by the Stanford Ascherman/Baruch Blumberg Fund for Basic Science, established by a benefaction from the late Stanford Ascherman, MD, of San Francisco) encourages 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 archeology, anthropology, biology, ecology, geography, geology, linguistics, paleontology, and population genetics, but grants will not be restricted to these fields.

The fund is put together by the American Philosophical Society. An eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, the American Philosophical Society promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and community outreach. As America’s first learned society, the APS has played an important role in the country’s cultural and intellectual life for over 250 years.

Award

• Amounts will depend on travel costs but will ordinarily be in the range of several hundred dollars up to about $5,000. Grants are payable to the individual applicant.

Eligibility

• Open to U.S. citizens and residents wishing to carry out research anywhere in the world. Foreign applicants must either be based at a U.S. institution or plan to carry out their work in the United States;
• Grants will be available to doctoral students. Postdoctoral fellows, master’s degree candidates, and undergraduates are not eligible. Applicants who have previously received a Lewis and Clark Fund grant may reapply after an interval of two years. Preference is given to applicants who have not yet been granted an award from the Fund;
• Applicants should ask their academic advisor to write one of the two letters of recommendation, specifying the student’s qualifications to carry out the proposed work and the educational content of the trip. Budgets should be limited to travel and related expenses, including personal field equipment;
• Proposals that are archival in nature or museum based will not normally be considered. The proposed work should be dissertation directed to the extent possible given the applicant’s year in the doctoral program;
• When appropriate, the applicant should provide assurances that safety measures will be taken for potentially hazardous projects. When necessary, the applicant and his or her supervisor should discuss the field training that will be provided and the provisions for experienced supervision. Funding is contingent on successful applicants demonstrating that required permits and permissions have been secured.

Application

• Complete the online application here. If you are unable to log in or have any questions, concerns, or difficulties, contact aps@onlineapplicationportal.com.
• Each Lewis and Clark Field Scholar will submit brief reports on his or her trip for archiving in the APS Library. The project and financial reports will be due one month after completion of the funded portion of the work, per the time frame indicated on the proposal. Instructions will be provided with notification of an award.