The Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund of the American Museum of Natural History
Dr. Frank M. Chapman, October, 1928
Image no. 110999, AMNH Library
Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund Committee
Brian T. Smith, Chairman
Joel Cracraft
George F. Barrowclough
Edwin Morgens
Frank Burbrink Cheryl Hayashi
The Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund of the American Museum of Natural History was set up by Ms. Elsie M. B. Naumburg in memory of Dr. Chapman, a long-term Chairman of the Department of Ornithology at the Museum. Grants for research in several aspects of ornithology are supported by the Fund. A Committee composed of Curators in the Ornithology Department at the Museum, along with the Museum's Richard Gilder Graduate School and other representatives of the Museum and non-Museum communities, handles the administration of the Fund and the grants.
Three categories of grants are available from the Fund, based on a competitive evaluation of the nature and quality of the proposed research.
1. Chapman Postdoctoral Fellowships: Postdoctoral fellowships will be offered on a periodic basis. If you have questions about when the next positions will be posted please contact Dr. Brian Smith.
2. 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 2024 submission deadline is November 30th, 2024. Awards will be announced by April 3rd, 2025.
3. 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 15th and July 15th. 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.
