Cosmos Scholars Grant Program

COSMOS SCHOLARS
A Grant Program of
The Cosmos Club Foundation
In Support of Graduate Students
At Washington Area Universities
2012-2013

Purpose

The Cosmos Club Foundation's Young Scholars Grant Program provides grants to graduate students at local Washington-area universities to meet unexpected and otherwise unsupported aspects of their research.

Scope of Program

There is no restriction as to academic field, but the project should be focused on objective scholarly research rather than commercial or political activity, social activism, or other non-academic goals. The number of grants to be awarded is not rigidly fixed, but is expected to be at least fifteen. Amounts of awards will be determined individually, and are contemplated to be in the range of $500 to $3,000.

Eligibility

Applicants must be enrolled, on a full-time or part-time basis, in a program leading to a graduate degree (Masters or Doctoral) at one of the local institutions listed below under "Eligible Institutions".

Budget

Grants will not exceed $3,000. Every research proposal must include (in the space provided on the application form) a brief budget statement that lists clearly the funds requested and explains how the money will be allocated. The budget should also state what other support has been sought or received for the work proposed (a field for this is on the application form).

Items of equipment and special supplies are eligible, but the equipment should be expendable. Items that the institution ought to provide or that graduate students can be expected to own are not eligible. Items and services that will outlive the project are not considered expendable and are generally not eligible.

Travel for field research, or to research facilities to consult documents or to study artifacts in situ or to conduct cultural exploration is generally eligible. Travel to consult with an expert practitioner may be considered. Travel to attend professional meetings to present an accepted paper or poster exhibit may also be considered. Travel to a conference simply for networking or job-hunting is not eligible. Applicants should keep in mind the virtues of economically modest travel requests.

Guidelines

The major criterion for selection is the excellence of the research proposal, which must introduce the problem, state the hypothesis, and explain how the research will apply to the problem.

It is essential to make the project description understandable to scholars in other fields, while retaining enough detail to satisfy a specialist in the field of the proposal.

We do not support work which will be conducted prior to the announced date of awards, or so soon thereafter that the funds, if awarded, could not be applied to it.

Funds for tuition or related expenses for personal professional education will not be provided.

Generally funds will not be provided to support remuneration to participants in studies or stipends for research assistants.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Please note: The Application Procedures change slightly from year to year, but the entire application must be submitted online at www.cosmosclubfoundation.org. Applications for a given year's program usually are accepted beginning in late summer, when revised procedures are posted on the Foundation's web site. The deadline for submission is midnight Eastern Daylight Time November 1, 2012.

More details, and a link to the application form, may be found here.

Questions and other messages may be sent as e-mail messages to grants@cosmosclubfoundation.org.

Evaluation and Selection

Successful proposals will be selected by the Cosmos Club Foundation Trustees after evaluation and recommendation by panels chosen by the Foundation. Proposals will be judged on both substance and clarity. The Foundation may make awards in amounts different from those requested. Decisions of the Foundation are final and are not subject to review. Winners' names will be posted on the Foundation web site usually by early February. Recipients of grants will also receive a letter requiring a reply to the Foundation before funds will be disbursed.

Conditions of Award

Cosmos Scholars are expected to provide a summary report of the results of the project in support of which they have received awards, and to indicate how the award contributed to the project. This report is expected within one year of the date of the award, and the Foundation may post the report on its web site. Cosmos Scholars may also be invited to present their results at a special Cosmos Club Foundation function organized to recognize them and their accomplishments. Publications resulting from supported research must acknowledge the Cosmos Club Foundation's support.

Eligible Institutions

American University
The Catholic University of America
Corcoran College of Art + Design
Gallaudet University
George Mason University
The George Washington University
Georgetown University
Howard University
Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies
Marymount University
Trinity University
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
University of the District of Columbia
University of Maryland, College Park

Cosmos Scholars

The Cosmos Club Foundation's Young Scholars Awards have been presented annually* since 1998, with the invaluable assistance of the Consortium of Universities of the Metropolitan Washington Area for the years 1998-2007. Through the 2012 academic year, the program, now named the Cosmos Scholars Grant Program, has provided 278 grants to graduate students at local Washington-area universities.

* The absence of a list labeled "2000" reflects a change of the month of the award from December to January.

Selection of Cosmos Scholars for 2012

After an arduous process of review, 22 Cosmos Scholars have been selected from a field of 197 applicants. Their names, institutions, and proposal titles appear in the table on this web site. Regrettably, limited resources prevented us from supporting many worthwhile projects, or granting the level of support requested for many of those selected. We congratulate the new Cosmos Scholars and thank all applicants for their participation.