The Franklin program is particularly designed to help meet the costs of travel to libraries and archives for research purposes; the purchase of microfilm, photocopies, or equivalent research materials; the costs associated with fieldwork; or laboratory research expenses.
Franklin grants are made for noncommercial research. They are not intended to meet the expenses of attending conferences or the costs of publication. The Society does not pay overhead or indirect costs to any institution, and grant funds are not to be used to pay income tax on the award. Grants will not be made to replace salary during a leave of absence or earnings from summer teaching; pay living expenses while working at home; cover the costs of consultants or research assistants; or purchase permanent equipment such as computers, cameras, tape recorders, or laboratory apparatus.
Deadlines
For applications and two letters of support:
October 1, 2018, for a January 2019 decision for work in February 2019 through January 2020
December 3, 2018, for a March 2019 decision for work in April 2019 through January 2020
Special Programs within the Franklin Research Grants
APS/British Academy Fellowship for Research in London
In collaboration with the British Academy, the APS offers an exchange postdoctoral fellowship for a minimum of one and a maximum of two months’ research in the archives and libraries of London during 2019. This award includes travel expenses between the United States and the United Kingdom and a monthly subsistence paid by the APS. Candidates should specify that they are asking for the British Academy Fellowship and apply by October 1; applicants not selected for the British Academy Fellowship will be considered for a Franklin Research Grant.
APS/Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities Fellowship for Research in Edinburgh
In collaboration with the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh, the APS offers a visiting fellowship of between two and four months for research in Edinburgh in the calendar year 2019 in any aspect of the humanities and social sciences. Further information about the IASH, including current research themes, is available at http://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/.
Applications are submitted through the IASH. Information and forms are available at https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/american-philosophical-society-fellowship. Note that there is no need to fill out a separate Franklin application, and candidates not selected for an IASH Fellowship will be considered for a Franklin Research Grant. Applicants will be notified in March.
Application Guidelines
Deadlines
For applications and two letters of support:
October 1, 2018, for a January 2019 decision for work in February 2019 through January 2020
December 3, 2018, for a March 2019 decision for work in April 2019 through January 2020
Eligibility
Applicants are expected to have a doctorate or to have published work of doctoral character and quality. Ph.D. candidates are not eligible to apply, but the Society is particularly interested in supporting the work of young scholars who have recently received the doctorate. Independent scholars and faculty members at all four-year and two-year research and non-research institutions are welcome to apply provided that all eligibility guidelines are met. American citizens and residents of the United States may use their Franklin awards at home or abroad. Foreign nationals not affiliated with a U.S. institution must use their Franklin awards for research in the United States. Applicants who have previously received a Franklin grant may reapply after an interval of two years.
Awards
Funding is offered up to a maximum of $6,000. Grants are not retroactive.
Grants are payable to the individual applicant. Franklin grants are taxable income, but the Society is not required to report payments. It is recommended that grant recipients discuss their reporting obligations with their tax advisors.
Letters of Support
Note that letters of support must directly address the project outlined in the proposal. Submission of letters through Interfolio is discouraged as these letters are often too long (and may be truncated at the point at which they reach limit of allowable space) and not related to the project at hand.
Requirements
Project and financial reports are due one month after completion of the funded portion of the work, per the time frame indicated on the proposal. Instructions will be provided with notification of an award.
Q. Must I be a U.S. citizen to be eligible to apply for an award?
A. Applicants may be residents of the United States (either American citizens or foreign nationals or permanent residents affiliated with a U.S. institution) or American citizens resident abroad and may apply for funding to carry out projects anywhere in the world. Foreign nationals not affiliated with a U.S. institution are eligible to apply for projects to be carried out in the United States.
Q. If I apply for the British Academy Fellowship or the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) Fellowship, do I need to fill out a separate application for the Franklin program?
A. No, the applications are one and the same. Simply apply to the Franklin program by October 1 and indicate that you would also like to be considered for the British Academy Fellowship or the IASH Fellowship.
Q. Is brief information available on the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities?
A. The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh was founded in 1970 to promote enquiry of the highest standards in the humanities, broadly conceived, and is both nationally and internationally renowned. It was the first interdisciplinary research institute in the United Kingdom, and since its foundation over 800 scholars from 60 countries have held fellowships. The Institute is housed in a secluded eighteenth-century courtyard close to the University library, where fellows have full borrowing rights and access to the library’s unusually rich collection of manuscripts and rare books. It is also within easy reach of the National Library of Scotland, the Central City Library, the National Galleries and Museums, the library of the Society of Antiquaries in Scotland, the library of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and the National Archives of Scotland. About 20 scholars can be accommodated in the Institute at any one time, and each has a private office with a computer, telephone, and internet access. All fellows give at least one seminar on their research and are expected to play a full part in the Institute’s activities, which include a weekly fellows’ lunch and a full program of seminars and scholarly events linked to the Institute’s current research themes. The Institute has close links with all academic schools within the University of Edinburgh’s College of Humanities and Social Science, and fellows are encouraged to develop contacts with appropriate faculty within the College. Further information about the IASH, including current research themes, is available at http://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/.
Q. What constitutes “work of doctoral character and quality”?
A. In general, publications should be scholarly in nature and length, with extensive footnotes and possibly, though not necessarily, peer reviewed.
Q. If I have received a grant in the past, may I apply for an award for a new project?
A. Yes, you may apply to the program again after an interval of two years.
Q. The program information states that “the Society is particularly interested in supporting the work of young scholars who have recently received the doctorate.” Are senior scholars ever funded?
A. All proposals are judged on their merits, and awards are made accordingly. That said, given the goal of stretching our resources as far as possible, a junior scholar will be favored over his or her senior colleague when several applicants are competing for the same funds.
Q. May I submit multiple applications in a given cycle requesting funding for different projects?
A. No, only one application may be submitted for a given competition, meaning that each applicant can submit one request for funding for either the October 1 or December 1 deadline in a given year.
Q. May I apply before I earn the Ph.D. (if I do not have publications of doctoral character and quality)?
A. No, you must have earned the Ph.D. prior to the date of the application, although an exception will be made if you are merely waiting for the degree to be conferred.
Q. What is the difference between “inclusive dates of trip or project” and “specific dates for APS support?”
A. The first refers to the full time frame of a trip or project, and the second asks for the exact time period during which APS funds would be needed.
Q. If I do not submit my application on or before October 1, will it automatically be retained or will it disappear?
A. If your application shows the status “in progress” on October 2, you will be able to continue working on it and submit it for the December 1 deadline.
Q. Are the letters of support due after the application deadline?
A. Letters of support are due on the application deadline. As soon as you fill in the contact information for your letter writers, the system will send a message to them containing complete instructions on how to submit a letter on your behalf. You may want to fill in this section before completing the rest of the application in order to give your letter writers ample time to compose and submit their letters.
Q. Will my letter writers see my proposal when they log in to the portal?
A. No, the proposal will not be available to the letter writers at that time. The best approach is to send them a copy of your statement or otherwise discuss the project with them ahead of the deadline.
Q. Must I wait until the letters have been received before submitting my application?
A. No, you may submit the application as soon as you are finished with it. Check the status of your letters by logging into your account and using the “track references” link.
Questions concerning the eligibility of a project, applicant, or use of funds, as well as requests to confirm receipt of the application and required two letters of support, should be directed to Linda Musumeci, Director of Grants and Fellowships, at LMusumeci@amphilsoc.org, or 215-440-3429.
Scholarship & Career 