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
Joel Cracraft, Chairman
George F. Barrowclough, Edwin Morgens, Michael J. Novacek, Robert F. Rockwell, Nancy Simmons, Brian T. Smith
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: During the 2022-2023 postdoctoral fellowship cycle, potential applicants are requested to contact individual curators for further information and availability. Interested individuals can contact curators Joel Cracraft or Brian T. Smith for further information.
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 systematics and evolutionary biology of birds. These awards are highly competitive (recent success rates are approximately 20-30 percent); they average approximately $1,500, but occasionally are as large as $2,000-$3,000. Salaries and stipends are not funded. There is one competition per year.
The 2022 submission deadline is November 30th, 2022. Awards will be announced by April 3rd, 2023.
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 is no deadline for application for these grants; they are considered when they are received. However, 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.
*Note: The Museum is now open to outside researchers. However, there are limitations to access, thus potential applicants should contact the curatorial staff to inquire about visiting the collection.
