Frequently Asked Questions

Payments

Can I pay my award to my university?

• We are happy to pay out the funds to whoever you prefer. Once you receive your acceptance email, you will be prompted to fill out a confirmation form where you may signal the preferred payee for your grant.

I was supposed to receive a payment and haven’t yet. Is there any update?

• Once you provide all of the information and documents needed to be able to pay out the grant, you should receive the funds within 2–3 weeks. Please allow this time for processing. If it is after the 3 week mark, please reach out to Funding@TheIHS.org and we will be happy to assist.

When will I receive my payment once I get an acceptance email?

• Once we receive your completed DocuSign forms or other required paperwork, you should receive your award payment within 3–4 weeks. Please let us know if you do not receive the funds within this timeline by contacting Funding@TheIHS.org.

Can awarded funding be used for indirect costs or institutional overhead?

• No, IHS grants cannot support institutional overhead or indirect costs.

Other

Can I apply for the Junior Fellows program?

• Our Junior Fellowship program is by invitation only. Participants are selected by our review committee from the top scholars involved in the IHS community and active in our focus areas. To be considered, we encourage interested parties to continue participating in our community through our funding opportunities and events and programs. You may also want to sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on the latest opportunities from IHS.

Is IHS a private or public institution?

• The Institute for Humane Studies is a nonprofit organization with a 501(c)(3) status.

Can I apply for funding to cover tuition?

• Unfortunately, we do not provide scholarships or funding to cover tuition costs. Please contact us at Funding@TheIHS.org if you have any questions about our funding opportunities.

How can I update my email preferences?

• You may update your email preferences through our email preference center.

Do I need to acknowledge IHS in my research if I am accepted?

• The Institute for Humane Studies should be acknowledged as a sponsor of the supported project whenever feasible. Like the NSF and other leading grantmaking organizations, IHS asks that you acknowledge our support for this project using the unique identifier that you received with your award email. We suggest using language similar to the following in your funded publication(s):
  • I am grateful to the Institute for Humane Studies for their support (grant no. XXXXX).
  • This work received support from the Institute for Humane Studies under grant nos. XXXXX and XXXXX.

Why was I accepted for a different award instead of the one I selected?

• All submitted applications are subject to consideration for a different IHS funding opportunity. When this happens, a grantee receives an acceptance email from the appropriate funding opportunity.

Am I eligible to apply for Expense Support?

• To be eligible to apply for Expense Support, applicants must be full-time students or faculty at an accredited college or university. Preference will be given to research directly tied to IHS focus areas and to applicants from top research institutions.

What can Expense Support be used for?

• Expense Support grants are typically supplemental and are designed to offset a project’s total cost. This includes, but is not limited to:
  • Travel for conference presentations and archival research
  • Research collaboration and hiring a research assistant
  • Journal submission fees
  • Purchase of data sets
  • Book publication expenses (e.g. copy editing, indexing)

What expenses cannot be covered with an Expense Support grant?

• Expense Support cannot cover any of these expenses:
  • Living expenses (e.g. rent)
  • Hardware costs (e.g. laptops, printers)
  • Tuition expenses
  • Salary support
  • Retroactive expenses

Can I receive more than one Expense Support award in an academic year?

• Yes, previous applicants and winners are welcome to apply.

Can I apply for Expense Support grants to support the same project more than once?

• We recognize that new and unexpected expenses may emerge in the process of advancing a research project. Should you be the recipient of an Expense Support award for a particular project and new expenses arise (such as the need for additional data sets, the assistance of an editor or research assistant, or an archival trip), you may apply for additional support.

When will I hear back about my Expense Support application?

• You will receive a decision within 6 weeks of submitting your application. Feel free to follow up on the confirmation email you should have received after submitting your application. If you do not see this message in your inbox, it may have been filtered to your spam folder.

What does an acceptable receipt for Expense Support reimbursement look like?

• A receipt needs to include the payment date, method of payment, vendor, items/services received, and amount. If you are acquiring a hotel or flight receipt, calling the hotel or airline/booking agency will often allow you to get a receipt emailed to you. If you are unable to acquire one of these, a screenshot of your credit card/bank account statement that shows the same vendor and price as the booking confirmation and includes the date of payment works. You can find more information about reimbursements here.

Who is eligible to apply for an Event Support grant?

• Full-time graduate students and faculty can request funds for hosting in-person and online events, such as research workshops or academic conferences. Events must be rigorously academic in nature and may take place either in person or online. Preference goes to events that deal with the IHS focus areas. Events should feature speakers or texts that represent the diversity of views within the broad liberal tradition.

What is the platform and can I use it for my event?

• If you are awarded funding to host a research workshop, you will receive exclusive access to our IHS Digital Community and self-organizing digital solution to support you in running a successful event. More information on how to access the platform will be included in the acceptance email.

What kinds of events can an Event Support grant support?

• We are currently accepting applications to support academic conferences and research workshops.

Does the event need to take place within the US?

• You may apply to Event Support to be considered for funding to support an event you plan to host inside or outside of the US.

When will I receive a decision on my Event Support application?

• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and must be submitted at least 4 weeks prior to the proposed event. For events that are run through the IHS Digital Community, decisions will be announced within 3 weeks of submission. All other event decisions will be announced within 8 weeks of submission.

Who is eligible for a Course Buyout grant?

• Applicants must be full-time faculty (including postdocs) at an accredited college or university. International faculty are welcome to apply, but preference will be given to research directly tied to IHS focus areas and to applicants from top research institutions.

What does the Course Buyout grant fund?

• Faculty can request a course buyout, salary support, and full sabbatical funding to help prepare work for publication. A small number of applications are selected for full sabbatical funding, based on need and the expected influence of the work. Priority for these grants goes to:
  • Manuscripts under contract with top academic publishers
  • Papers likely to be accepted in top peer-reviewed journals
  • Research directly tied to IHS focus areas
  • Applicants from leading research and teaching institutions

What is expected of me if I am awarded a Course Buyout grant?

• Grantees are expected to make significant progress on their project during the grant period. Failure to do so could result in forfeiting eligibility for future IHS programming and funding support. We require any changes or major updates to the project during the grant period to be shared with IHS. Grantees are also expected to complete our post-program survey, which will be sent at the conclusion of the buyout along with a series of reporting emails sent 1 month, 9 months, and 18 months after the end date of the buyout period.

Who is eligible for the Humane Studies Fellowship?

• This grant is available to full-time students enrolled in a PhD program or a postdoctoral fellowship at accredited universities and colleges. International students are eligible; however, priority is given to applicants at top research institutions. Previous winners are welcome to apply for consideration.

What can a Humane Studies Fellowship grant be used for?

• The Humane Studies Fellowship provides up to $5,000 to support students completing major research projects, presenting their work at top conferences, and publishing their work in major journals. This award is intended to foster those key projects which maximize a recipient’s research impact and career prospects. We generally do not fund students studying the natural sciences, medicine, or engineering.

When will I hear back about my Humane Studies Fellowship application?

• Applications can be submitted on a rolling basis, and decisions are sent on a monthly basis. If you have not received an application update within 8 weeks of submitting a proposal, please contact us at Funding@TheIHS.org.

What will be expected of me if I am selected for a Humane Studies Fellowship?

• You will either produce and submit a paper to a highly regarded peer-reviewed journal, present at an important conference in your field, or complete a substantial portion of your academic research for advancement in your program. Failure to produce one of these results could lead to ineligibility for future IHS programming and funding support. We also require that you share any changes or major updates on your project during the grant period. You will complete our post-program survey, along with a series of reporting emails sent 6 months and 12 months after the end date of your application.

Who is eligible for a Graduate Sabbatical Grant?

• This grant is available to full-time students enrolled in a PhD program or a postdoctoral fellowship at accredited universities and colleges. Previous applicants and winners are welcome to apply, and prior participation in IHS programs is not required. Applicants must have published previously or have an article currently under review. International students are eligible; however, priority is given to applicants at top research institutions and research directly tied to IHS focus areas.

What can a Graduate Sabbatical Grant be used for?

• This grant provides up to $15,000 to PhD candidates (ABD) and postdocs to buy out teaching or research assistant responsibilities for a semester to focus on developing dissertation chapters or other work into publishable paper drafts within 6 months. These highly competitive grants can be renewed for grantees who show exceptional progress. Summer fellowships for graduate students are available. Applicants who do not receive a sabbatical offer may be invited to receive a Humane Studies Fellowship. These awards give you access to other IHS opportunities including in-person and online events, and much more.

When will I hear back about my Graduate Sabbatical Grant application?

• Applications can be submitted on a rolling basis, and decisions are sent on a monthly basis. If you have not received an application within 8 weeks of submitting a proposal, please contact us at Funding@TheIHS.org.

What will be expected of me if I win a Graduate Sabbatical Grant?

• You will produce at least one paper that you will submit to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. Failure to complete a paper could result in forfeiting eligibility for future IHS programming and funding support. We require that you share any changes or major updates on your project during the grant period. You will also complete our post-program survey, which will be sent at the conclusion of your sabbatical, along with a series of reporting emails sent 6 months and 12 months after the end date of your application.