Moynihan Graduate Student Research Grants

The Moynihan Institute will grant awards to graduate students of any discipline to support research concerning the regions below. Typically, these awards will be used during the summer of 2026. The purpose of the award is primarily to provide graduate students with the opportunity to conduct field research, pursue archival research, gather preliminary data, make contacts, map topics, undergo advanced language training, and increase competitiveness of future funding proposals. 

The awards are competitive with research relating to dissertations or final graduate theses/projects receiving priority. In addition to the general promise of the research question, proposals will be judged on the basis of (i) the quality of the proposed research, (ii) the organization and thoughtfulness of the proposal, and (iii) the appropriateness and feasibility of the research plan in relation to the student's background and qualifications.

You may apply for more than one grant from the Moynihan Institute, but no more than one award will be given by the Moynihan Institute per year per student. Awards are ranked separately, so if your proposal is accepted by more than one committee, you will be awarded the better opportunity. Previous recipients of this or other grants awarded through the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs are eligible but not a top priority.

*We will be offering a "Proposal Writing Workshop" on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 at 3:30pm in Eggers 341. Further details will be announced with our grant applications, which will be available on Wednesday, September 10, 2025.

Europe

The Moynihan Institute’s Center for European Studies (CES) announces its annual grant competition for graduate students interested in learning about and studying Europe. Any student enrolled in a graduate program (master’s or PhD) at Syracuse University may apply. These awards are funded by the Goekjian and Perryman endowments.  

For the purposes of the grant competition, “Europe” includes any country in the standard geographic area west of the Urals and north and west of the Caspian and Black seas, including Russia, the states of the South Caucasus, and Turkey.

Award: up to $1,500

Deadline: October 15, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET

Please review the Proposal Format before beginning your application.

Application: https://syracuseuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eDu7HZXOpZWXOWG

East Asia

The Moynihan Institute’s East Asia Program (EAP) announces its annual grant competition for graduate students interested in learning about and studying East Asia. Any student enrolled in a graduate program (master’s or PhD) at Syracuse University may apply.  These awards are funded by the Goekjian and Perryman endowments.  

Award: up to $2,000

Deadline: October 15, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET

Please review the Proposal Format before beginning your application.

Application: https://syracuseuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7ZYoP5LxCtZp4RU

Latin America and the Caribbean

The Moynihan Institute’s Program on Latin America and the Caribbean (PLACA) announces its annual grant competition for graduate students interested in learning about and studying Latin America and the Caribbean. Any student enrolled in a graduate program (master’s or PhD) at Syracuse University may apply. These awards are funded by the Goekjian and Perryman endowments.

Award: up to $1,500

Deadline: October 15, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET

Please review the Proposal Format before beginning your application.

Application: https://syracuseuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6L0KQEdZtbaMZJc

Middle East

The Moynihan Institute’s Middle Eastern Studies Program (MESP) announces its annual grant competition for graduate students interested in learning about and studying the Middle East. Any student enrolled in a graduate program (master’s or PhD) at Syracuse University may apply.  These awards are funded by the Goekjian and Perryman endowments.  

Deadline: October 15, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET 

Please review the Proposal Format before beginning your application.

Application: https://syracuseuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1zBjs1MuCVvFR6m

South Asia

The Moynihan Institute’s South Asia Center announces the 33rd Annual Bharati Memorial Award competition for graduate students interested in learning about and studying South Asia. Graduate students pursuing PhDs in the Maxwell School are preferred, but students pursuing PhDs in other schools or colleges may apply.  These awards are funded by a generous donation in honor of Professor Agehananda Bharati, Syracuse University professor of anthropology for 30 years, Ford-Maxwell Professor of South Asian Studies, and a recipient of the Chancellor’s Citation for Exceptional Academic Achievement. Professor Bharati was a world-renowned expert in the cultural anthropology of South Asia, including the field of tantric studies. NOTE: In addition to the Bharati Memorial Award, the South Asia Center may have additional limited funds to support graduate students whose proposed research is directly related to an MA thesis or other final project (such as in an MFA program). 

Award: up to $2,500

Deadline: October 15, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET

Please review the Proposal Format before beginning your application.

Application: https://syracuseuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b2UfZlfeTUbl5rw

For more information on the Bharati Memorial Award, click here.

Sub-Saharan Africa

The Moynihan Institute’s Maxwell African Scholars Union (MASU) announces its annual grant competition for graduate students interested in learning about and studying sub-Saharan Africa. Any student enrolled in a graduate program (master’s or PhD) at Syracuse University may apply. These awards are funded by the Goekjian and Perryman endowments.

Award: up to $2,500

Deadline: October 15, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET

Please review the Proposal Format before beginning your application.

Application: Https://syracuseuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b9IwWYG5ncNnBvU