Grants are available from a number of special funds: Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund, Lerner Gray Fund for Marine Research, Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund, and the Collection Study Grant Fund.
Approximately 200 grants are awarded annually to meet modest financial needs not normally available from private foundations or granting agencies. Research projects need not be carried out at the American Museum.
Application Procedures Application requirements, eligibility, and other details vary among the grants. Applicants are urged to review their terms carefully. A single application form is used for all grants except the Collection Study Grants. Applications must be submitted by regular mail. At this time, applications are not accepted by fax or e-mail.
Please obtain forms online or request forms from the Office of Grants and Fellowships, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024 or email grants@amnh.org. In cases of doubt, the Office of Grants and Fellowships will assign applications to the appropriate fund for review. Grants are mutually exclusive; candidates will not receive support from more than one for the same project during the same grant year.
Application on prescribed forms plus two letters of recommendation must be postmarked by the deadline date. A description of the proposed investigation is required; it must be limited to two pages, yet sufficiently detailed to be evaluated by reviewers competent in the appropriate field. The budget must show clearly the amounts and items for which the award will be used. Awards range from $200-$2000 with an average of $1400.
Final Reports Grantees are expected to submit a progress report upon completion of the project as described in the application. The report may be waived if the project results are published one year thereafter; three reprints of all publications, crediting the appropriate funding source, should be sent to the Office of Grants and Fellowships.
The Frank M. Chapman Memorial Grants support and foster research in ornithology, both neontological and paleontological.
Grant applications are reviewed by the Frank M. Chapman Committee. The Committee includes Trustees of the Museum, members of the Museum staff, and other persons chosen for their interest and experience in ornithology.
Deadline Applications on prescribed forms must be postmarked on the prescribed form by November 15; awards are announced in March.
The Lerner-Gray Grants for Marine Research provide financial assistance to highly qualified persons starting careers in marine zoology. Support is limited to projects dealing with systematics, evolution, ecology and field-oriented behavioral studies of marine animals. Awards are not made to support research in botany and biochemistry.
Applications are reviewed by the Lerner-Gray Advisory Committee composed of Trustees, staff scientists of the Museum, as well as other individuals chosen for their interest and experience in marine zoology.
Deadline Applications on prescribed forms must be postmarked by March 15; awards are announced in mid-May.
The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grants offer financial support to individuals for research on North American fauna in any phase of wildlife conservation or natural history related to the activities of the American Museum. Projects dealing with ornithology should be submitted to the Frank M. Chapman Memorial Grants.
Applications are reviewed by the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Committee, appointed by the President of the American Museum of Natural History. The Committee includes Museum Trustees, members of the Museum staff and other persons chosen for their interest in North American wildlife and Theodore Roosevelt.
Deadline Applications on prescribed forms must be postmarked by February 15; awards are announced March 1.
Collection Study Grants
Collection Study Grants provide financial assistance to enable predoctoral and recent postdoctoral investigators to study any of the scientific collections at the American Museum. These collections are in Anthropology, Astrophysics, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Entomology, Herpetology and Ichthyology, Invertebrates, Mammalogy, Ornithology, Vertebrate Paleontology.
The awards partially support travel and subsistence while visiting the American Museum of Natural History. The amount of the award ranges from $500 to $1500.
The visit must be arranged through and approved by the appropriate scientific department of the Museum and is expected to be four days or longer in duration. Ordinarily, only one Collection Study Grant is awarded to an individual. They are not available to investigators residing within daily commuting distance of the American Museum.
Applicants requiring larger grants for collection study may apply instead to one of the grant programs described above.
Application Procedures. Applicants for Collection Study Grants should first contact the appropriate Museum curator to discuss the feasibility of the proposed visit. Approval by the division chairman is required.
The special application form for Collection Study Grants can be obtained from the Grants and Fellowships Website.
Applicants should submit a proposal on Collection Study Grant forms by the deadline date. Application deadlines are May 1 and November 1 with the exception of the Herpetology, Ichthyology and Mammalogy departments, which have one deadline, Nov. 1. Ornithology proposals can be submitted 2 months prior to visit. Decisions will made shortly after the deadline and applicants will be notified.
The project description should include a brief statement of the purpose and scope of the research, its significance, collections to be studied, facilities needed, and professional staff members of the Museum you will consult.
Final Report. At the end of the visit, grantees are required to
submit a one-page report to the Office of Grants and Fellowships, along with
an accounting of expenses and original receipts.