Global

Spring 2025 King Center on Global Development Graduate Student Research Funding

Application deadlines:

Remaining deadlines for the 2024-25 academic year are:

Sunday, June 1, 2025 at 11:59pm

Please note: Letters of recommendation have the same due dates as the application and must be submitted as PDF files. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their letter(s) of recommendation are submitted by the application deadline.

Letter writers may submit their recommendations as soon as their information is put into SOLO by the applicant, and *before* the applicant has submitted their application. Out of courtesy to the faculty, applicants should request letters at least two weeks before the deadline.

Tiers of awards:

Travel awards (up to $5,000) - one letter of recommendation required
Exploratory awards (up to $8,000) - one letter of recommendation required
Advanced awards (up to $25,000) - two letters of recommendation required

Travel policies:

Please review the university's research guidance to determine if you will need travel and/or research approval.

For the latest university travel policies, please refer to the international travel policy.

Eligibility and requirements:

Stanford doctoral students in any discipline who are making satisfactory academic progress and are writing a PhD dissertation are eligible to apply for this award.
Prior applicants may reapply for funding for different projects or may resubmit improved versions of earlier submissions.

Selection criteria:

Proposals will be reviewed by a committee appointed by the King Center’s Faculty Steering Committee. The committee will apply a general filter for alignment with the themes of global poverty and development, and then use the following criteria to evaluate the proposals: (1) innovation, (2) academic rigor, and (3) whether the budget is commensurate with the value of the proposed research.

Awards will prioritize projects requesting coverage of direct research costs (travel, field expenses, data acquisition, etc.).

Application:

To apply, graduate students must submit the following:

100-word project abstract,
For travel awards, a one-page travel proposal: upload a PDF that provides details on topics of interest, travel locations, any potential contacts, etc.
For exploratory and advanced awards, a two-page project description: Upload a PDF document that provides a cogent summary of the proposed research written in a manner clear to non-specialists. The selection committee is composed of a range of scholars and may not include specialists in the applicant's field. Project descriptions summaries must not exceed two pages. They should be single spaced, use conventional margins, and be in 11-point font or larger.
Detailed budget submitted using the King Center budget template and a budget justification,
Faculty letters of nomination (one letter for travel and exploratory awards and two letters for advanced awards). These letters have the same deadline as the application and must be submitted by the faculty member through SOLO,
PDF of the applicant’s CV or resume,
PDF of the applicant’s transcripts.

Recommendation letters:

Faculty recommendation letters have the same deadline as the graduate student application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their letter(s) of recommendation are submitted by the application deadline.

Students request recommendation letters within the application on the SOLO platform. A link is immediately sent to the faculty member, who can then upload the letter via SOLO. Letters should be submitted as PDF files.

Faculty may submit letters of recommendation at any time after receiving the link and do NOT have to wait for the student to complete and submit the application. This means that students, out of courtesy to the faculty, should initiate their application early enough to give advance notice to their recommenders, even if students plan to finalize the application closer to the deadline. We recommend inputting letter writer names at least two weeks before the deadline.

Please note:

One letter of recommendation is required for travel and exploratory awards
Two letters of recommendation are required for advanced awards

Budget and budget justification:

Detailed budgets justifying funds requested must accompany applications, and emphasis will be placed on “value for money.” Partial awards may also be made.

Please upload one PDF document containing the budget and justification using the King Center budget template.

Please note:

Applicants are allowed to apply for other sources of funding simultaneously. However, they must indicate this in their application and cannot accept multiple sources of funding for the same expenses.

Additionally, please ensure that your other funding sources permit the use of KC funding.

The budget justification should include:

Itemized budget of all research-related expenses.
List of anticipated sources of funding. Indicate which items would be supported by these funds and which are covered by other sources. Note any other funding and whether other applications for funding have been submitted and/or awarded.

Please see the sample budget on the second tab of the budget template for examples.

The following expense categories WILL be considered appropriate for these funds:

Travel costs (either domestic or international) associated with the proposed research.
Other special project costs such as purchase of datasets, the production of questionnaires and surveys, or human subject costs.
Data entry or transcription costs.
Other activities directly related to the research (please give details).

The following expense categories will NOT be considered appropriate for these funds:

Payments to undergraduate students;
Equipment purchase(s);
Travel costs for dependents and/or spouses;
Childcare costs;
Travel costs for job interviews;
Travel costs to attend or present at professional conferences;
Dissertation write-up grants;
Health insurance;
Course registration;
Stanford tuition;
Language training.

Contracts:

There are some instances where a contract can and should be established - allowing funding to flow directly to payee. Contracts should be used when:

Hiring non-Stanford-student RA(s) in an international location
Hiring an international consultant
Setting up a survey in international/domestic location
Paying for data set(s)

If you think you may need to establish a contract start with: Contacting Global Business Services to schedule a consultation prior to engaging with outside providers.

For more information please visit Contract Frequently Asked Questions.

Video Link: Research Roadmap: Contracts Workshop

Award conditions, timing, & taxes:

Awards will be announced within one month of the application deadline. Funds awarded should be spent within 12 months of the award; extensions may be requested.

If the project involves human subjects, no funds will be disbursed until the awardee obtains IRB approval.

No funds will be disbursed until the awardee obtains travel and/or field research approval, if required under the university’s current research guidance.

Upon receipt of award, recipients must submit:

100-word abstract of the proposed research
Short biography written in the third person to be used on the center website and in materials for donors
Photograph of the recipient to be used on the center website and in King Center materials.

Upon completion of the award term, recipients agree to:

Submit a final budget that provides details regarding expenses incurred using the budget template.
Submit a brief report on the work completed and the findings, written in non-technical language, and including:
- The research topic
- A short summary of the research
- The stage of the research and any findings
- How the award enhanced or supported the research
- Next steps including anything that may be of interest to the donor(s)
- The recipient's future academic and/or professional career plans
- Several digital photographs highlighting the research (if possible).

Additional award conditions:

In the recipient's dissertation, as well as any resulting publications, the award recipient agrees to acknowledge that the research was supported by the Stanford King Center on Global Development’s Graduate Student Research Funding.
Funding recipients may be invited to present their work at a workshop or seminar organized by the Stanford King Center on Global Development.

Please note the following funding conditions:

Travel Awards are not eligible for contract work and funds will only be processed through a stipend.
You must be registered in the quarter in which you receive funds.
Funds for non-contract-related work will be dispersed as Stipend Funding via the Graduate Funding System (GFS).
When contracts are involved, the King Center will pay organizations vendors directly.
For university travel procedures, please refer to the international Planning + Traveling

More information about taxes:

International students may have taxes deducted before stipend funds are released.
Stipends may be considered taxable for the recipient. The tax obligation varies according to the student's total income, dependency status, treaty status for international students, and individual circumstances. See this page for information.
Residents of certain countries may be able to claim a tax treaty benefit for reduced federal taxation.
For assistance with tax withholding, tax treaty and tax form issues, submit a Support Request and visit this Student Services website page for more tax information.

Student Financial Services, the Bechtel International Center, and Stanford’s Fingate provide additional information regarding tax considerations.

Learn More About This Opportunity >

Continue to application

Contact:

King Center Programs Team

Email: kingcenter_programs@stanford.edu