Small Grants for Training and Research
Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Trainees

Population Studies Center

Please read the following instructions carefully, as the scope of our small grants program has changed. The Population Studies Center has several sources of discretionary funds to supportPredoctoral and Postdoctoral Trainees. Currently these include several endowments: Freedman, Hermalin, Eva Mueller, multiple Weinberg award categories and PSC Alumniendowment funds.

Eligibility:

  • All predocs and postdoctoral fellows in the PSC training program are eligible to apply.
  • Recipients who have not submitted final reports from prior years’ small grant projects are not eligible to apply for this year’s awards.
  • Trainees who are past-due on program requirements are not eligible to apply.
  • Applicants are only eligible to receive one award within a calendar year (exception only for Weinberg Fellowship: Population, Development and Climate Change)

Number of applications allowed: Only 1 application/project proposal per applicant accepted.

Application Review: The PSC Advisory Committee will evaluate all requests and if funded, will determine the most appropriate funding source for each award. Award amounts will vary, and in most cases funds will be available immediately after the awards are announced, provided all regulatory requirements are in place.

Period of award: In general, projects should be designed to last approximately 12 months. Slightly longer periods may be accepted.Please address any need forextension in your project description. Post-award extensions may be granted for up to one additional year due toextenuating circumstancesbut must be approved at least 3 months in advance of original deadline. Awards that are not commenced within the first year will be withdrawn, and the awardee mayre-apply in the following grant cycle.

IRB Requirements: No funds will be released until all IRB permissions are in place. Please plan accordingly so that the research may commence on time.

Deadlines:

April 12, 2018Call for proposals

May 7, 2018 11:59 p.m.Proposal deadline

May 22, 2018Announcement of awards

Final Report:A 2-3 page final report is required at the end of the period of research. This report should include a description of your research activities, findings, products (e.g. papers, presentations, grant proposals) and future plans. In addition, you should expect to report and discuss your findings in a meeting/talk with other researchers. All awarded small grant investigators should expect follow-up for routine data collection used in reporting on center grants and competing renewals.

Small Grants Application Form

Population Studies Center

POSTDOCTORAL AND PREDOCTORAL TRAINEE APPLICATION

Name of applicant: ______

Title of project or activity: ______

Proposed Project Period: ______

Country of project or activity:

□SolelyU.S. □International country or countries (list):

Human Subjects □Yes□Not Required

If yes, IRB Approval:□Pending□Approved, number:______

(If approved, attach approval)

Total amount of request (direct costs, no indirect costs allowed): $______

PLEASE INDICATE WHICH OF THE AWARDS BELOW MATCH YOUR PROPOSAL (select all that apply):

_____Marshall M. Weinberg Endowment: To support exceptional PSC graduate students and postdoctoral fellows conducting research and activities benefiting international populations(in particular how malnutrition, poor health, and lack of education affect societies but not limited to these topics).

Marshall M. Weinberg Graduate Support Endowed Fund:

_____ Weinberg Research Prize: To support PSC graduate student dissertation work, including support for travel and research.

_____ Weinberg Fellowships: Smaller awards available toall graduate students to attend and participate in professional conferences, domestic travel for research, summer training courses, to purchase software/data/equipment (except computers),and for other research or educational support.

_____ Weinberg Summer Prize: On occasion, summer awards may be made to early career (year 1 or 2) graduate students to pursue a particularly interesting research project (preference given to a student with a strong likelihood of a co-authored publication or similar academic product).

_____Marshall Weinberg International Travel Fund: Limited to education and learning experiences abroad forpredoctoral and postdoctoral trainees in PSC.

_____Eva L. Mueller New Directions in Economics and Demography Fund: Supports research and training in demography and economics, especially projects focusing on low income countries and projects dealing with the socioeconomic position of women and investments in children’s health and human capital.

_____Ronald and Deborah Freedman Fund for International Population Activities: The goals of this fund are to foster social demographic research in developing countries and to promote durable ties between the Center and overseas scholars and institutions. This fund supports research and training with a focus on fertility, family planning, and family dynamics. Activities may include pilot research projects, workshops, postdoctoral research, and travel for collaboration.Support may include participation in summer courses offered by SRC and ICPSR. Travel grants will assist in developing new collaborations; awards solely for the purpose of international travel to present papers at professional meetings will be considered if a paper has been accepted and the meeting will provide an opportunity for new contacts overseas. Proposals that seek to supplement funds from other sources are encouraged.

_____Albert Hermalin Scholars Fund: Addresses the need for continuing education, international collaboration,and interdisciplinary research between demography and other fields through a) summer fellowships to take courses from the ISR programs in Survey Research (SRC) and statistical methods (ICPSR) and to collaborate with PSC/ISR colleagues and b) six-month fellowships to take courses during a regular academic semester and/or to engage in collaborative research with one or more PSC/ISR researchers.

_____Alumni Award for PSC Predoctoral Trainees: Funds for this award are provided by PSC alumni to help advance the research careers of current PSC graduate students through support of travel, data procurement or collection, equipment and conference expenses that are not otherwise covered. Open to predoctoral trainees in the second or third summers of their graduate program. Awards are up to $5,000. Budget may not contain salary for the applicant or costs for summer courses. Each proposed research activity will be evaluated on the basis of potential tangible work products – such as a paper or conference presentation – and the likelihood of completion.Students must be in good academic standing and have the endorsement of their PSC mentor. PSC trainee affiliates are not eligible.

Required Application Materials

Description of proposed project or activity:

  • Include names and affiliations of all non-UM participants and note where PSC alumni are involved.
  • Include a proposed project timeline.
  • For research proposals, the description should include significance, specific aims, plan of work, and expected outcomes/products (e.g., presentation at meetings, publication, and proposal for outside funding of research).Priority will go to projects that have potential to advance an individual’s line of research, and serve as a foundation for external funding.Page limit 2 pages for research plan (not including budget, project timeline or abstract).
  • For training and related activities, the description should include as much detail as possible, including trainers, trainees, date, location, and any special needs for facilities, equipment, local housing arrangements, etc. For details about courses offered through the SRC and ICPSR summer programs, see:
  • Abstract/project summary (1 paragraph). If small grant is funded, project abstract will be made available publically on the PSC website.
  • Predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees need to include a letter of endorsement from their faculty mentor supporting the project.
  • If your proposal is for a continuation of a previously awarded PSC small grant, a brief progress report including updated budget and project timeline is required.

Budget (attach 1/2 page):

Awards may be granted up to $8,000, or lesser amounts, as determined by the review committee. Use simple categories, e.g., software, data sets, subject payments, travel, supplies. Applicant salary and/or fringe benefits and computers are not permitted. Add budget notes for any category that is not discussed in the text of the proposal.

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The deadline for receipt of all application materials is May 7, 2018

Please send materials as attachments to Lekisha Maxwell <>