Advancing Research Grants – Early Career Scholars

The APSA Advancing Research Grants for Early Career Scholars is administered by the American Political Science Association, a professional organization dedicated to advancing scholarly research and education in political science. This grant program is part of APSA’s broader Diversity and Inclusion initiative, which aims to support scholars whose research addresses critical issues related to equity, representation, and social justice within political systems. The program is designed to provide targeted financial support to early career researchers whose work contributes to expanding knowledge in underrepresented or marginalized areas of political science. The primary purpose of the grant is to support research projects and professional development activities that focus on key thematic areas including race, ethnicity, and politics; racial and social justice; systemic racism, inequality, and inequity; gender and sexuality in politics; LGBTQ+ politics; and accessibility politics. The program welcomes a wide range of methodological approaches, including qualitative, quantitative, interpretive, mixed methods, and theoretical frameworks. Collaborative research projects are also permitted, allowing scholars to jointly pursue research that aligns with the program’s goals. Funding provided through this program ranges from 2000 to 2500 dollars per award. These funds may be used for a variety of research-related expenses, including accessing data or archival materials, compensating undergraduate or graduate research assistants, purchasing statistical or analytical software, and covering costs associated with manuscript preparation. Additionally, funds may support travel for fieldwork or research site visits, as well as professional development activities such as skills training or methodological advancement. For collaborative projects, funds are disbursed to the primary investigator either directly or through their affiliated institution. Eligibility for the grant is limited to early career scholars in political science. Applicants must have earned a PhD within the past six years and must fall into categories such as pre-tenure faculty, contingent faculty, postdoctoral fellows, practitioner political scientists working outside academia, or recent PhD graduates actively seeking positions in the field. Doctoral candidates are eligible only if they will have completed their dissertation and received their degree by the end of May of the application year. Applicants must demonstrate that their proposed research aligns with at least one of the specified thematic focus areas. The application process requires submission through APSA’s online system, which necessitates creating a user profile. Applicants must provide a project title and a 250-word abstract describing their research or professional development objective. Additionally, they must submit a 500 to 1000 word statement explaining how the grant will advance their research, an itemized budget detailing planned expenditures, and a current curriculum vitae or resume. All materials must be submitted through the online portal for consideration by the selection committee. Applications for the Spring 2026 cycle opened prior to the May 3, 2026 deadline, and review of submissions is scheduled to begin immediately following the deadline in May. The program encourages applications from first-generation scholars and individuals from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, including African Americans, Asian and Asian Pacific Americans, Latinos or Latinas, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and individuals of Middle Eastern and North African descent. Questions regarding the application process can be directed to the APSA diversity programs team via email.

Ensure research clearly aligns with one or more priority thematic areas and demonstrates strong contribution to diversity and inclusion scholarship