The Foundation does NOT ask for Letters of Recommendation or a list of referees to accompany the proposal. The application is evaluated on its own merit. Please do NOT send any recommendations to the Foundation, they will not alter the outcome of your application.

The Dissertation Fieldwork grant does not support any pilot projects or initial trips to the field.

If you are working on a large project (for example in a lab or on an archaeological site), you can apply for a Dissertation Fieldwork Grant to support the work that is part of your doctoral research. The proposed research must be viable as a discrete project. You cannot include expenses for research that is outside of your dissertation research.

Yes. You must make clear what research has been conducted already and how the final phase relates to research already completed. Funding can not be requested for research already begun. Budget requests should only include expenses to be incurred AFTER the grant is awarded (for the November deadline this would be research taking place from July and for the May deadline this is reaearch taking place from January).

There are two deadlines for the Dissertation Fieldwork grant -- November and May 1st. You cannot reapply for a grant until you have received notification on your application in process. The Foundation makes every attempt to ensure that applicants receive notification on the status of their application in time for them to reapply for the next deadline. We cannot always guarantee this as there are times when the review process can take longer than six months.

Information on US Tax Issues

I. Non-US Persons

Wenner-Gren grants and fellowships are not subject to US taxes if you are: 1) not normally subject to US taxes by nature of your citizenship or tax residency status and 2) 100% of the research or conference/workshop activities funded by Wenner-Gren is conducted outside the US. However, there may be tax implications in your country of citizenship or tax residence, and you should seek advice from an appropriate tax advisor.

Dissertation Fieldwork applications are submitted by applicants who are already working under the supervision of a designated thesis advisor or scholar. If you receive a Dissertation Fieldwork grant, this supervisor is responsible for the reporting requirements of the grant. For the purpose of the application, your advisor must be at the same department or academic instition. Other academic advisors can be mentioned in question 4 of the project description questions. We DO NOT require or accept any letter of recommendation from him or her with your application.

The Foundation does not  make awards to applicants who have not successfully completed all their requirements for the doctoral degree other than the dissertation/thesis. You may submit your application before you have completed these requirements, however you must have completed them before the start date for the research you provide on the application form. You will be required to provide confirmation of completion of these requirements if your application is successful.

No, tuition expenses or support for writing-up and analysis of results after your research is completed are ineligible.

The Wenner-Gren Foundation receives over 650 Dissertation Fieldwork grant applications each year. Only 15-20 percent of the applications are successful. More detailed breakdown of the programs can be found in the Foundation's Annual Report.