Application Deadline: March 8, 2021, 11:59 PM CDT
View/download PDF version of the call
About Fellowship
The Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is pleased to announce that with the financial support of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (U.S. DHHS/ASPE), IRP anticipates supporting at least one dissertation research project for the summer of 2020 and potentially for the academic year 2021–2022 through IRP’s Ph.D. Student Research Fellowship program. IRP invites proposals in support of all poverty-related dissertation projects, but special consideration will be given to projects that inform policy and program effectiveness.
About IRP
IRP is a center for interdisciplinary research into the causes and consequences of poverty and inequality and the impact of related policies and programs. As the National Poverty Research Center sponsored by DHHS/ASPE, IRP coordinates the U.S. Collaborative of Poverty Centers (CPC) in an integrated set of activities with the ultimate goal of improving the effectiveness of public policies to reduce poverty and inequality and their impacts on the well-being of the American people.
Terms
Eligibility
Only doctoral students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who are pursuing a poverty-related degree and are sponsored by an on-campus IRP faculty Affiliate are eligible to apply. Applicants should expect to complete their required coursework by September 2021 and can reasonably expect to complete their Ph.D. in academic year 2022–2023 or 2023–2024. Preference will be given to students who have participated in the IRP Graduate Research Fellows program; however, any student with the sponsorship of an IRP faculty Affiliate may apply.
All fellowship applicants must show proof of application for outside funding support from another source in order to be considered for this award. Acknowledgement of receipt of a dissertation or related grant proposal from you by another funder can be demonstrated by a letter or e-mail from the other potential funder, acknowledging receipt of your application. No student will be allowed to receive both the IRP award and a similar award from another organization.
Funding
Fellowships provide up to 50% Graduate Assistant support for 3 months. Additional fellowships for the academic year 2021-22 may also be awarded.
Commitment
Receipt of a dissertation fellowship or summer dissertation support from IRP will require a commitment to submit brief quarterly progress reports and a final summary of your dissertation progress. The final summary (e.g., copy of dissertation abstract, link to publication of dissertation section in a journal, etc.) will be due within 60 days of your project end date. This summary as well as the quarterly progress reports will be shared with the ASPE Program Officer and IRP Executive Committee.
Award Info
IRP anticipates supporting at least one dissertation research project for the summer of 2021 and possibly others for the academic year 2021–22.
Application Instructions
Submit proposals via the online Application Form.
Have your sponsoring on-campus IRP faculty Affiliate submit a letter of sponsorship via the online Submission Form.
Applicants should provide the materials outlined below as one PDF file, in the order listed, by the application deadline. Applicants are responsible for providing the link above to their sponsoring on-campus faculty Affiliate and asking their sponsor to directly submit their letter of sponsorship by the application deadline. Both the applicant and the advisor will receive a confirmation e-mail when the letter is submitted. Note that the letter of sponsorship can be completed before or after the application is submitted but both the application and the sponsorship letter must be completed by the deadline for the application to be complete.
Your application should include:
- Cover page listing the following:
- Student’s name, department, contact information, and history of participation in the IRP Graduate Research Fellows program;
- Faculty sponsor’s name; and
- Project title and abstract.
- Description of proposed work, no more than 10 double-spaced pages, to include:
- Research question, original contribution to the literature, and to poverty research;
- Research design, methodology, and data sources; and
- Current status/preliminary work and expected dissertation completion date.
- Current curriculum vitae.
- Documentation that the proposal was entered in at least one outside dissertation competition.
- Letter of sponsorship from an IRP sponsoring on-campus faculty Affiliate, which should be uploaded directly (separately from the rest of the proposal) to the link specified above. Note: Affiliates are asked to sponsor no more than one project per year. The letter of sponsorship should address:
- The merits of the dissertation project;
- The faculty Affiliate’s level of involvement (e.g., chair of dissertation committee, collaborator on related project, etc.); and
- Expected dissertation completion date.
Contact
Questions should be directed to:
IRP Apply | irpapply@ssc.wisc.edu
Timeline
| Call Release | February 11, 2021 |
| Application Deadline | March 8, 2021 |
| Notification | April 5, 2021 |
| Contract Begins | Dates flexible and may cover Summer 2021 and/or 2021-2022 academic year |
| Quarterly Progress Reports Due | On the 1st of the month of each quarter during the contract period |
| Final Dissertation Summary Due | Within 60 days of award end date |
| Contract Ends | Dates dependent on award duration |
Note: Contract dates and reporting requirement deadlines will be specified in the award letter upon notification.