Grants
The grants program offers modest short term awards to advanced students, postdoctoral trainees, and scientific researchers who are commencing their careers in the fields covered by the American Museum of Natural History. Grants are available from six funds, each having specific missions.
Chapman Research Grants
These are small short-term awards for research that are available to graduate students for expenses associated with projects primarily focused on the evolutionary biology of birds, particularly those that conduct specimen-based research and participate in expeditionary work. These awards are highly competitive (recent success rates are approximately 20-30 percent) and typically range from $1,000-$3,500. Salaries and stipends are not funded. There is one competition per year.
The submission deadline was November 30, 2024. Awards will be announced by April 3, 2025.
Application for Chapman Small Grant Award 2024-2025 (MS Word format)
Application for Chapman Small Grant Award 2024-2025 (PDF format)
Collection Study Grants
Collection Study Grants are awarded, competitively, to avian systematists (graduate students being a priority) without other funds who wish to perform specimen-based research in the ornithological collections of the American Museum of Natural History. These grants are designed to supplement funding from the investigator’s own institution.
There are two application deadlines, January 15 and July 15. It normally takes a month or more to evaluate and process the applications; so grants should be submitted at least two months prior to when the researcher would like to visit the Collection. These grants are for expenses only, no stipends, and should not exceed $2,000.
Application for Collections Study Grant (Microsoft Word format)
Application for Collections Study Grant (Adobe PDF format)
Looking for the Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund Ornithology Fellowship?
Early career researchers (including doctoral students) proposing to conduct research in any phase of wildlife conservation or related fields of North American fauna—terrestrial and freshwater (rivers, lakes, streams), extant or fossil—are invited to apply to the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grants. North America includes everything north of the Isthmus of Panama, including the Caribbean. Grants made from this program generally range between $500 and $3,500.
Application Exceptions: Applicants submitting research proposals on birds must apply to the Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund Program, not to the Theodore Roosevelt Grants. Applicants submitting research proposals on ocean/sea marine life and environments must apply to the Lerner-Gray Grants, not to the Theodore Roosevelt Grants.
Applications now open:
Deadline to Apply: February 15, 2025
Open to all early career researchers (including all doctoral students) proposing to conduct research in systematics, evolution, ecology, zoology or paleontology of marine life and environments are invited to apply to the Lerner-Gray Grants for Marine Research. Grants made from this program generally range between $500 and $3,500.
Application Exceptions: Lerner-Gray awards are not made to support research in botany or biochemistry. Applicants proposing to conduct freshwater research in North America must apply to the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grants, not the Lerner-Gray Grants.
Applications now open:
Deadline to Apply: March 15, 2025
Enable pre-doctoral, current/recent postdoctoral investigators and other early career research scientists to study the scientific collections at the American Museum of Natural History in in the divisions of Anthropology, Invertebrate Zoology, Physical Sciences, Paleontology, and Vertebrate Zoology. The awards partially support travel and subsistence for scientists on short term American Museum of Natural History visits.
*Note: Late applications and applications that do not conform entirely with our specifications will not be considered.
Applications currently closed.
Made possible by a generous gift from Curator Emeritus Sydney Anderson (1927-2018), this award will support travel costs for two Richard Gilder Graduate School Comparative Biology Ph.D. students annually during the duration of the gift, for professional development via doctoral program field work or to attend and present at a national or international conference. The award fosters Dr. Anderson’s wish to provide special assistance to our students for their academic and professional advancement.
Recipients of RGGS Sydney Anderson Travel Award funds must provide a short but compelling report (1-2 pages) on how the funds were spent and what was achieved. They may also be asked to provide a brief note to the donors, describing accomplishments made possible by the award, at the completion of their project. All awardees must acknowledge support from “the Richard Gilder Graduate School Sydney Anderson Travel Award” on their conference presentation(s), publication(s) dissertation, and/or CV, or any other projects or products arising from this Award.
Each award provides up to $2,500, to supplement the student RGGS research budget, and may be used to support the following expenses:
- Transportation (airfare, train, bus, or car mileage)
- Rented Vehicles
- Lodging & Meals
- Registration/Conference Fees
Application Requirements
- Sydney Anderson Travel Award Cover Page
- Proposal (250 words max)
- Proposed dates of travel
- Budget Form and Justification
- Curriculum vitae
Applications currently closed.
Made possible by a generous gift from The Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, this award will support travel costs for biology fieldwork and is ONLY available to current RGGS Ph.D. students and RGGS postdoctoral researchers.
The award fosters the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation’s mission to support individual scientists, teachers, conservationists and creators whose diverse perspectives enable us to discover new things about ourselves and our world.
After completing their travel, recipients of Maxwell/Hanrahan Travel Award funds will be asked to provide a brief synopsis of goals and accomplishments, and a personal statement of how they felt that this field experience helped advance their research and career. All awardees must acknowledge support from “the Richard Gilder Graduate School Maxwell/Hanrahan Grant” on their conference presentation(s), publication(s) dissertation, and/or CV, or any other projects or products arising from this Award.
Each award provides up to $2,500 to support fieldwork expenses, including but not limited to transportation to and within the field location, lodging and meals, and research supplies. Note that lab costs, museum collections visits, and conferences will not be funded.
All travel must take place between July 1 and June 30 of the year in which the grant is awarded. Awardees currently in their 4th year must complete their travel by August 31 of that year.
To apply: Please reach out to RGGS at [email protected] for instructions.
*International students who have received a grant from the American Museum of Natural History may require a visa to travel to the United States.
Please contact [email protected] to determine the correct visa needed for your visit, and initiate the required processes.
View the Notice of Non-Discrimination from the American Museum of Natural History.
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