Graduate Funding

Description

Supported by the Pearl and Otto Delikat Holocaust Memorial Fund, these grants support Cornell graduate students seeking to conduct summer archival or field research, or to take advantage of learning opportunities not otherwise available on the Cornell campus. Funds may be used to cover expenses related to domestic or international travel, tuition for non-Cornell summer programs, and research expenses.

About Jewish Studies

The Cornell Jewish Studies Program was founded on the conviction that the record contained in the languages, literature, and history of the Jewish people, as developed across the globe and over thousands of years, are an integral part of the human heritage. Jewish Studies invites critical engagement with a range of cross-disciplinary issues that have long engaged scholars in the humanities and social sciences, including: diaspora; inter-group relations; and migration.

Funding

The maximum award per year is $2,500.

Eligibility

• All enrolled continuing Cornell graduate students in good academic standing are eligible to apply.
• Students may apply once per year. Previous applicants and recipients may reapply. Priority is given to first-time applicants.
• Proposals must demonstrate the project’s relevance to Jewish Studies, broadly construed.

Guidelines

Allowable expenses may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Travel and living expenses for research-related fieldwork or training, collections-based research, or ethnographic fieldwork.
• Tuition support for language, methodological and/or regional training broadly relevant to areas of dissertation research.
• Costs associated with equipment.

How to Apply

All materials must be submitted by February 14. 

1. Complete the online Application.
2. After we receive your online application, our office will create a secure folder in Cornell Box and share access with you. Add all required documents to your secure folder:
   • A proposal (2 pages) that:
     • Describes the research plan, outlines the research methods, and details how the applicant plans to successfully carry out the project.
     • Provides an academic rationale for the project in clear, non-technical language.
     • Presents the project’s relevance and explains why the project should be supported.
     • Adheres to length and formatting requirements: maximum 2 pages, including references and figures; double-spaced; 12-point font; 1” margins.
   • Budget (Maximum: 1 page): Please provide a breakdown of funds requested, and a justification for expenses (Maximum 1 page). If the application is to support a larger project, please explain how the amount requested fits into the larger project and its budget; name the sources of the rest of the funding, and when decisions on this other funding will be known. Jewish Studies expects that applicants will search out reasonably-priced options. Budgets for travel should include individual estimated costs for equipment, services, big-ticket transportation items (e.g., air, train, or bus) and lodging. Please consult with Tracy Gavich for per diem rates for meals and incidental expenses for your research site, and for standard mileage rate for personal vehicle use if needed.
   • Cornell transcript including most recent Fall semester grades (unofficial transcript is acceptable).
3. A letter of support (300-word maximum): For an applicant to be considered, the DGS or Chair of Applicant’s special committee must submit a brief letter of support. Recommenders are asked to provide a brief explanation of how the project relates to applicant’s goals and progress to degree, and to comment on the merits of the application. Letters of support should be emailed directly to Jason Mokhtarian.

Please direct any questions to the Director of the Jewish Studies Program Jason Sion Mokhtarian.

Information for Recipients

Final Report

Upon completion of the funded research, recipients must provide a written report, and 1-2 images of themselves in the field or involved in research activities. Reports (250-500 words) must be submitted no later than October 1 to Jewish Studies.

Promotion 

By accepting the grant, recipients give permission to the Jewish Studies program to share news about the award. Jewish Studies may include recipient photograph(s) and/or text from the final report on the Jewish Studies website, across its social media platforms, and in its promotion of the grant program.

Reporting Expenses

Funds received through the Jewish Studies Program may be received as an advance through the student’s Bursar Account (with receipts submitted after research is complete), as reimbursement for submitted receipts, through direct purchase of equipment and supplies, or as a combination of these methods. Successful applicants should meet with Tracy Gavich to make the necessary arrangements.

The Cornell University Accounting Office Requires Documentation for All Awards. Documentation accounting for all expenditures related to the award MUST be filed with Jewish Studies upon completion of fieldwork and return to Cornell University. For summer projects, a full account of the funds spent must be submitted no later than October 1 to Jewish Studies. Any awardee who fails to provide adequate documentation, will be financially responsible for repaying all award amounts to the university.

Jewish Studies requires that awardees provide proof that Jewish Studies funds were used for approved academic purposes. For equipment, services, big-ticket transportation items, and lodging, individual receipts are necessary. For per diem meal and incidental expenses, Jewish Studies will need a statement about which days were spent on location; for personal vehicle use, we will need a list of days driven and daily mileage amounts. Awardees should not submit individual meal receipts, or receipts for gasoline purchases.

For expenses incurred outside the United States, should such travel be approved, awardees will need to provide a document with conversions to U.S. dollars for each individual receipt (using daily exchange rates). It may be easiest to provide Jewish Studies with a spreadsheet indicating dates, individual expenses, and U.S. dollar equivalents. An English translation must be provided for each receipt in a foreign language.

Please note that research and travel funds students receive as advances or reimbursement may be reported as taxable income.

Kroll Travel Awards

This award, in honor of Professor Ross Brann, is potentially offered to students traveling to the Israel or the Palestinian Territories to participate in academically recognized archaeological digs and/or other academic programs during the summer. 

Awards will range from $250-$1000.  Graduate & undergraduate students are eligible to apply.

More about Kroll Travel Awards at neareasternstudies.cornell.edu