Applications will be accepted from May 1, 2009 to November 1, 2009.

 The SSRC-Mellon Mays Graduate Initiatives Program offers three grants (Graduate Studies Enhancement, Predoctoral Research Development and Dissertation Completion) designed to meet specific needs during the doctoral degree process. 

Applicants must have been selected as Mellon Mays Fellows as undergraduates.  Fellows may apply for one grant per year and must be enrolled in a doctoral program in a Mellon-designated field of study or have filed a petition for inclusion of another field.  For more information on Mellon fields and petitions, see below.

Graduate Studies Enhancement Grant and
Pre-doctoral Research Development Grant
Eligibility

 
Fellows must be currently enrolled in a doctoral program and have completed the first year.  First-year graduate students are not eligible.  Fellows that have begun the sixth year of graduate study are not eligible for the Graduate Studies Enhancement (GSE) or Pre-doctoral Studies Development (PRD). Dissertation Completion Grant (DCG) Guidelines appear below.

Fellows may receive a total of $5,000 in GSE or PRD grants during the second to fifth graduate years.  Fellows who have received installments of the grant under the previous structure are eligible for the remainder of the monies totaling $5,000.  For example, third-year fellows who have received two $1,000 grants may apply for a maximum of $3,000 under this structure.

The Graduate Studies Enhancement (GSE) grant is available to second through fifth year students. It may be used to defer the cost of conference travel, equipment, books, journal subscriptions, software and other necessary supplies.  The GSE is subject to a $1,500 annual maximum and may be received four times.

The Pre-doctoral Research Development (PRD) grant is available to second through fifth year students. It may be used for small scale, preliminary research and other activities that support the early investigation of data sources, field sites, data sets and archival materials.    The PRD is subject to a $3,000 maximum and may be received one time.  The PRD requires a letter of support from an advisor.

We recommend that fellows carefully plan how they will use their grant opportunities, as they have been designed to allow flexibility.  Fellows should consider how to allocate the available $5,000 during their years of eligibility.  For example, students may want to apply for the GSE in the second year; the PRD in the third when they are beginning preliminary research and apply for another GSE in the fourth year to defray costs such as books and journals.

DCG Requirements

The Dissertation Completion Grant (DCG) is subject to a $2,500 maximum. GSE or PRD grant funds previously received are not counted towards the maximum allocation of DCG funds. Therefore, if a fellow has exhausted their $5,000 maximum s/he would remain eligible for the full amount of the DCG. Applicants must demonstrate the feasibility of dissertation completion within 18 months. Submission of a summary report six months following the award is required.

Mellon Fields of Study

In order to be eligible for any of the grants, fellows must be pursuing a doctorate in one of Mellon-designated fields listed below:

Anthropology
Area Studies
Art History
Classics
Computer Science
Demography
Earth Sciences
Ecology
English
Ethnomusicology
Foreign Languages
Geology
History
Literature
Mathematics
Musicology
Philosophy
Physics
Political Theory
Religion
Sociology

Fellows who enter Ph.D. programs in a field not listed above must formally petition for recognition of the graduate program before applying for the Pre-doctoral Grant. For more information on petitioning for Mellon Mays benefits, please contact mellonmays@ssrc.org.