Research Grants

The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute supports a program of small grants-in-aid, not to exceed $2,500, in support of research on the "Roosevelt years" or clearly related subjects. Grants are awarded each spring and fall. The deadlines for grant submissions are February 15 and September 15. Funds are awarded for the sole purpose of helping to defray living, travel, and related expenses incurred while conducting research at the Roosevelt Library.

The grants program is particularly designed to encourage younger scholars to expand our knowledge and understanding of the Roosevelt period and to give support for research in the Roosevelt years to scholars from the emerging democracies and the Third World.


Applicants should write:

Chairman, Grants Committee
The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
511 Albany Post Road
Hyde Park, NY 12538

Grant Application Face Sheet
Grant Application Instructions

Criteria for Grants-In-Aid

Applicants are required to submit to the Chairman of the Grants Committee of the Institute an original grant application and one copy detailing the nature and scope of their research project, the names and institutions of three references, and a budget outlining the amount needed for travel, lodging, and any other research expenses.

Each application is evaluated by the Library's archival staff to ascertain that there is material at the Library appropriate for the research topic, approximately how long such research might be expected to take, and per diem.

A panel of scholars and Institute Board members reviews the application, letters of reference, and the Library information sheets to determine the merits of each research topic and its potential contribution to scholarship. After appropriate discussion, a vote of the panel is taken: a) to fund or not, and b) whether to fund at the level requested by the applicant or the amount estimated by the Library's archival staff. Panel decisions are transmitted to the Executive Board of the Institute for final approval.

Letters are sent to all applicants informing them of the panel's decision. Grantees are informed that use of their grants is to occur within a year of their letter. When plans are firm, grantees are issued two checks totaling the amount of the award. One is mailed to them immediately in order to assist with travel; the is given upon arrival at the Library when they begin their research.

Upon conclusion of their research, grantees are requested to submit a brief end-of-grant report to the Chairman of the Grants Committee; two copies of any publications resulting from their research are expected to be given to the Roosevelt Library and the Roosevelt Study Center in the Netherlands.