Social Science Research Council (SSRC)

Purpose: To support independent African research and its integration into regional and global policy communities.

Eligibility: Applicants must be African citizens currently residing in an African country. Researchers based in conflict-affected African countries or those recently emerging from conflict are especially encouraged to apply. Applicants must hold a faculty or research position at an African university and have completed their PhD within 7 years of the application deadline.

Level of Study: Research

Type: Fellowships

Value: A maximum of $20,000

Frequency: Annual

No. of awards offered: Up to 4

Application Procedure: All applications must be uploaded through our online portal. For enquiries or technical questions pertaining to the portal, please contact APN staff (apn@ssrc.org). Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications we receive, no mailed materials will be accepted.

Closing Date: December

Additional Information: If you have questions, please contact APN program staff by telephone at (1) 212 377 2700 or by email at apn@ssrc.org.

Subjects: Humanities and social sciences.

Purpose: To help graduate students in the humanities and social sciences formulate doctoral dissertation proposals.

Eligibility: Open to graduate students in the early phase of their research. Please check website www.ssrc.org/fellowships/dpdf-fellowship for more information.

Level of Study: Predoctorate

Type: Fellowship

Value: Fellows up to US$5,000

Length of Study: 2 workshops and summer fieldwork funding

Frequency: Annual

No. of awards offered: 60

Application Procedure: Check website for further details – www.ssrc.org/programs/dpdf/.

Closing Date: October 15th

Funding: Foundation

Contributor: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

No. of awards given last year: 60

No. of applicants last year: 450

Additional Information: Please see the website for further details www.ssrc.org/fellowships/dpdf-fellowship/.

Subjects: The competition is open to applicants conducting research in Latin America or the Caribbean who are fully embedded in and committed to the region, and whose research focus has a clear and central connection to the field of drugs and to formulating sound drug policy. Successful applicants will be those whose work and interests best match, and who demonstrate a long-term commitment to, these program goals.

Purpose: To support short-term research that contributes to the literature on drugs in Latin America and the Caribbean on topics and countries that are central to drug policy discussions in the region and beyond.

Eligibility: Applications are welcome from mid-career and senior researchers/scholars conducting research in Latin America and the Caribbean that addresses issues with a clear and central connection to the field of drugs and to formulating sound drug policy. Eligible applicants must: be committed to the Latin American and Caribbean region; hold a terminal degree in their field of study or clearly demonstrate equivalent research experience related to the field of drugs, with at least a bachelor’s degree in any discipline; focus on one of the topics indicated in the section above; and; if proposing to conduct research in a nonnative language, provide evidence of sufficient language proficiency to carry out the project.

Level of Study: Postdoctorate, Research, Doctorate

Value: Research and living expenses as necessary for the project, as well as travel expenses to research site and a pre-field and a post-field workshop

Length of Study: 3—6 months

Frequency: Annual

No. of awards offered: Check website www.ssrc.org/fellowships/dsd-fellowship

Application Procedure: Applicants are available on the SSRC website.

Closing Date: March 2nd

Funding: Private

Contributor: Open Society Foundations

Additional Information: Please see the website for further details www.ssrc.org/fellowships/dsd-fellowship/.

Subjects: Social sciences (including history).

Purpose: To encourage communication and cooperation between social scientists in Great Britain and the Americas.

Eligibility: Open to PhD scholars in the Americas, ESRC-supported centres, and holders of large grants awards or professorial fellowships in Britain.

Level of Study: Doctorate, Research

Type: Fellowship

Value: Up to US$9,500

Length of Study: 1–3 months

Frequency: Annual

No. of awards offered: Approx. 18

Application Procedure: Check website for further details.

Closing Date: April 16th

Subjects: Social sciences and humanities.

Purpose: To provide qualified researchers with the opportunity to conduct research at leading universities and other research institutions in Japan.

Eligibility: Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents at the time of application and submit proof of affiliation with an eligible host research institution in Japan as part of the application packet. Permanent residents must provide a copy of a permanent resident card. Citizens of other countries are eligible for the short-term fellowship (1–12 months) if they have completed a Master’s or PhD course at an institution of higher education in the US and, upon completing the course, have for at least three continuous years conducted high-level research at a university in the US. Applicants for long-term (12–24 months) fellowships must submit a copy of a PhD diploma dated no more than 6 years prior to applying. Check website for further details.

Level of Study: Doctorate, Postdoctorate

Type: Fellowship

Value: Round-trip airfare, insurance coverage for accidents and illness, a monthly stipend and settling-in allowance. Applicants will also be eligible for additional funds annually for research expenses for stays of 1–2 years and a domestic travel allowance for stays of 3–12 months

Length of Study: 1 month to 2 years

Frequency: Annual

Study Establishment: An approved institution

Country of Study: Japan

No. of awards offered: Up to 20

Application Procedure: Applications are available on www.ssrc.org/fellowships/jsps-fellowships.

Closing Date: December 1st

Funding: Government

Contributor: The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

No. of awards given last year: 10–20

No. of applicants last year: 25–40

Additional Information: Fellows are selected by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science based on nominations made by the SSRC Japan Advisory Board. Applicants will be notified of their nomination status by the following March. Successful applicants will be notified directly by JSPS in the summer.

Subjects: Anthropology and archaeology, area/cultural/ethnic/gender studies, art history, classics, computer science, geography and population studies, earth/environmental/geological science and ecology, English, film, cinema and media studies (theoretical focus), musicology and ethnomusicology, foreign languages and literatures, history, linguistics, literature, mathematics, oceanographic/marine/atmospheric/planetary science, performance studies (theoretical focus)philosophy and political theory, physics and astronomy, religion and theology, sociology, theater (non-performance focus).

Eligibility: Applicants must be a Mellon fellow enrolled in a doctoral program. Applicants must have been selected as Mellon Mays Fellows as undergraduates. Fellows may apply for one grant per year and must be enrolled in a doctoral program in one of the fields listed in the website or have filed a petition for inclusion of another field.

Value: Total of $5,000 in GSE and PRD funds; DCG grant money is not applied towards this total

Application Procedure: Applicants should use the online application portal to apply. For detailed information, please visit: www.ssrc.org/fellowships/mellon-mays-predoctoral-research-grants/.

Closing Date: November 1st

Additional Information: If accepted, grants take 5–6 weeks to process.

Subjects: Social sciences and related fields relevant to any one or combination of (i) traditional and non-traditional approaches to security and diplomacy; (ii) global and regional economic issues; (iii) the role of civil society.

Purpose: To encourage international multidisciplinary research on topics of pressing global concern and to foster the development of a new generation of researchers who are interested in policy-relevant topics of long-range importance and who are willing to become key members of a bilateral and global research network built around such topics.

Eligibility: Open to citizens of Japan and the US and to other nationals who can demonstrate serious and long-term affiliations with research communities in Japan or the US. Applicants must hold a PhD or have attained an equivalent level of professional experience. Applications from researchers in non-academic professions are welcome.

Level of Study: Postdoctorate

Type: Fellowship

Value: Research and travel expenses as necessary for the completion of the research project in addition to limited salary replacement

Length of Study: Up to 1 year

Frequency: Annual

Study Establishment: An appropriate institution

Country of Study: United States of America

No. of awards offered: Approx. 14

Application Procedure: Applicants must submit an online application along with a writing sample, letter of reference and an optional language evaluation form.

Closing Date: September 1st

Funding: Foundation

Contributor: The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership

No. of awards given last year: 14

No. of applicants last year: 60–100

Additional Information: In addition to working on their research projects, Fellows will attend annual conferences and other events sponsored by the program, which will promote the development of an international network of scholars concerned with research on contemporary policy issues. Funds are provided by the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.

Subjects: Non-U.S. cultures and societies grounded in empirical and site-specific research (involving fieldwork, research in archival or manuscript collections, or quantitative data collection).

Purpose: To support distinguished graduate students in the humanities and social sciences conducting dissertation research outside the US.

Eligibility: Open to full-time graduate students in the humanities and social sciences regardless of citizenship enroled in doctoral programs in the US. Applicants must complete all PhD requirements except on-site research by the time the fellowship begins.

Level of Study: Doctorate

Type: Fellowship

Value: Approx. US$20,000

Length of Study: 9–12 months

Frequency: Annual

No. of awards offered: Approx. 75

Application Procedure: Applications are available on SSRC website.

Closing Date: November 3rd

Funding: Private

Contributor: The Andrew W Mellon Foundation

Additional Information: Applicants must contact the programme for further information by emailing.