Individual Research Grants

Successful Grants from Prior Years

Application Deadline: August 1

To fulfill its commitment to advance research in religion, each year the AAR awards grants to support projects proposed by AAR members and selected by the AAR Research Grants Jury. The research projects can be either collaborative or individual.

Grants range from $500 to $5000.

Individual research grants provide support for important aspects of research, such as travel to archives and libraries, and field work. Funds are not provided for dissertation research, research assistance, stipends, released time, publication expenses, or travel to attend the AAR Annual Meeting.

Please view the Frequently Asked Questions for additional information.

2019–2020 Research Grant Application Cycle: May 1 to August 1, 2019

Deadline: Proposals must be uploaded to the AAR website by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on August 1, 2019.

General Information

• Notification of application status will be sent to the applicant via email by January 31, 2020.
• For awarded projects, funds are disbursed January 1 through June 30 of the award year.
• For awarded projects, expenses can be undertaken anytime within the calendar year of the award year.
• By January 31 of the following calendar year, awardees must submit an expense report along with a brief report on the research supported by the AAR grant.
• Grant recipients must maintain their AAR membership throughout the grant period.
   

Qualifications and Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants must be current AAR members and have been an AAR member for at least the previous year. To be eligible to apply for the 2019-2020 grant cycle, applicants must be 2019 AAR members and have been a member in 2018 as well.
• Applicants who have received an AAR research grant award in the previous five (5) years will not be considered. For the 2019–2020 grant cycle, this includes any previous research grants received after 2014.
• Applicants must have completed the doctorate.

How to Apply

Applicants must submit their application and materials through the AAR’s online Research Grant Proposal Submission System.

Hard copies or e-mailed copies of application materials will not be accepted.  

Applicants should be prepared to upload the following required materials. All of the proposal materials should be compiled into a single document in PDF or Word format:

1. COVER PAGE - Include the following:

• Your name
• Your institutional affiliation (if applicable)
• Project title
• Grant type—individual or collaborative
• Requested grant amount (USD)

2. ABSTRACT

• 50 words or fewer describing the project

3. PROJECT BUDGET

• List budget items with amounts; explanation of these expense items can be included in the two-page description of the project
• List other sources of support—e.g., funds granted by your institution, funds requested from outside agencies—and indicate the total award amount sought from the AAR

4. TWO-PAGE FOCUSED DESCRIPTION

• Description of the research project that details its aims and significance and explains how the award would be used

5. CURRICULUM VITAE

• No more than two pages

Please note the following: Additional material will not be considered. Incomplete proposals will not be considered.
 

Criteria for Evaluation

All eligible grant proposals (collaborative and individual) will be reviewed and assessed by the AAR Research Grants Jury using the following criteria:

• Clarity and focus of the research to be pursued
• Contribution to scholarship in a field or subfield of religion and significance of the contribution for advancing the understanding of religion or for advancing interdisciplinary discussions between religion and other humanistic and social science disciplines
• Adequacy of the overall work plan, including goals, objectives, and time frame for the completion of the project
   

Contact Information

Send direct inquiries to researchgrants@aarweb.org.