Fund Your Research. Advance Ideas That Matter.
Each year, IHS offers $4+ million dollars in highly competitive grants for research and teaching in our areas of focus. One hundred percent of our funding goes to helping you deepen and expand the frontiers of your discipline. Request a free guide to our application process →
Submit your information to receive our Funding Application Guide.
Our Grants
Fund Your Research. Advance Ideas That Matter.
Each year, IHS offers $4+ million dollars in highly competitive grants for research and teaching in our areas of focus. One hundred percent of our funding goes to helping you deepen and expand the frontiers of your discipline. Request a free guide to our application process →
Requests for Proposals
The Institute for Humane Studies is seeking proposals for funding in several areas of interest pointing toward a future of abundance, progress, and freedom.
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Energy Innovation
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Debating AI Existential Risk
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Balance of Powers in the US
Flexible Teaching and Research Funding
Graduate Student Funding
IHS supports PhD students and postdoctoral fellows with grants awarded on a rolling basis:
Academic Mentorship
PhD Students and Candidates for the 2025–2026 Academic Year
Grant Amount
Up to $8,000
Humane Studies Fellowship
Grant Amount
Up to $5,000
Program Overview
The Humane Studies Fellowship provides up to $5,000 to support students completing major research projects, presenting their work at top conferences, and publishing their work in major journals. This award is intended to foster those key projects which maximize a recipient’s research impact and career prospects.
These awards give you access to other IHS opportunities including job market support, in-person and online events, and much more.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants will be notified of their award within eight weeks of submission.
Awardee Expectations
- Submit copies of research completed, presented, submitted for review, or published during the fellowship period when and as available.
- Provide updates on significant progress made during the fellowship period.
Applicant Eligibility
- Applicants must be full-time students enrolled in a PhD program or a postdoctoral fellowship.
- Previous applicants and winners are welcome to apply.
- Prior participation in IHS programs is encouraged, though not required.
- This award is available to students at any university. International students are eligible; however, priority is given to applicants at top research institutions.
- Preference will be given to research directly tied to IHS areas of focus.
Please note, all applications might be subject to consideration under a different IHS funding opportunity. Should that happen and your application gets accepted, you will receive an acceptance email from the appropriate funding opportunity.
Indirect Costs
IHS grants cannot support institutional overhead or indirect costs.
Graduate Sabbatical Grants
Grant Amount
Up to $15,000
Program Overview
Graduate Sabbatical Grants provide up to $15,000 to PhD candidates (ABD) and postdoctoral fellows to buy out teaching or research assistance responsibilities for a semester so that they may develop dissertation chapters or other work into publishable paper drafts within six months. These highly competitive grants can be renewed for grantees who show exceptional progress. Summer fellowships for graduate students are available. Applicants who do not receive a sabbatical offer may be invited to receive a Humane Studies Fellowship.
Awardee Expectations
- Submit at least one paper, significantly developed during the sabbatical term, to a leading publication outlet within six months of receiving the awarded funds.
- Present their work at an online IHS event (e.g. our Graduate Conference).
- Keep IHS updated on their research progress.
Applicant Eligibility
- Applicants must have published previously or have an article currently under review.
- Applicants must be enrolled as full-time PhD students who have advanced to candidacy, or currently hold a postdoctoral fellowship.
- Previous applicants and winners are welcome to apply. Prior participation in IHS programs is not required.
- The fellowship is open to students at any university. International students are eligible; however, priority is given to applicants at top research institutions.
- Preference will be given to research directly tied to IHS areas of focus.
Application Timeline
We suggest that sabbatical applications be submitted at least three months before the semester begins. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants will be notified of their award decision within eight weeks of submission.
Indirect Costs
IHS grants cannot support institutional overhead or indirect costs
Junior Fellowships
Junior Fellowships are invitation-only awards to help leading PhD students commit their summers to discipline-defining research.
Roger Pilon Fellowship
Grant Amount
$10,000
The Roger Pilon Fellowship awards $10,000 grants for the next academic year to up to two qualified Columbia University School of General Studies students selected each year by IHS.
The grant is paid to the winner’s account at Columbia University after the winner attends an IHS event (winners will receive information about upcoming IHS events) and after IHS receives notice from Columbia that the winner has registered for the fall 2023 semester.
The priority deadline for applications for the fall 2023 semester is September 15, 2023. Notice of fall semester awards will be given on September 29, 2023. Applications submitted after September 15, 2023, will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
We also encourage you to explore other funding opportunities from IHS.
More About the Roger Pilon Fellowship:
The Roger Pilon Fellowship is generously supported by Roger Pilon, PhD JD (GS, 1971), and administered by the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS), which works to achieve a freer, more humane, and open society by connecting and supporting talented graduate students, scholars, and other intellectuals who develop and apply classical liberal ideas. The fellowships are intended for students planning careers that advance the ideas of the classical liberal tradition.
Am I eligible?
The Roger Pilon Fellowship is open to full-time students who will be enrolled at Columbia University’s School of General Studies during the 2023–2024 academic year. The fellowships are intended for students who plan to pursue either:
- Academic careers in political philosophy, American history, economics, or law, or
- Legal careers practicing public-interest law in the classical liberal tradition.
Veterans of US armed forces will receive special consideration.
What do I need to complete the application?
A completed online application form will include:
- CV or resume.
- Official transcript from Columbia University‘s School of General Studies (prospective students may submit their most recent transcript from a previous institution).
- Short essays on the following:
- List four books or thinkers that have influenced your worldview, and explain why (<100 words each).
- Autobiographical sketch (<500 words).
- Discuss your understanding of the U.S. Constitution (<1,000 words).
- Discuss your career plans, including why you have chosen them (<500 words).
- One letter of recommendation, sent from the recommender directly to the Institute for Humane Studies.
Please direct any questions and letters of recommendation to Funding@TheIHS.org.
