Fellowships and Awards

BCAD offers financial support of research costs for Berkeley faculty and students engaged in social scientific scholarship on American democracy. Most funding supports doctoral research in political science, but applications are open to faculty, other doctoral students in the social sciences, and undergraduates engaged in writing a Senior Thesis.

Typical awards are capped at $2,000. Awards are intended for specific research tasks rather than general support.

Significantly larger awards, up to $50,000, will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but must meet a high bar for funding. Students are also encouraged to consider collaborative omnibus projects.

Requests for funding undergraduate research assistance should first consider utilizing the URAP program.

To Apply

Send a one-page memo summarizing the project and justifying the intended use of the funds, along with a budget, to the Director, David Broockman. Application requirements:
  • Quantitative projects must be accompanied be accompanied by a power calculation.
  • All applicants must commit to write up the results of the project which received the funding and post theĀ  results to a publicly available website within one year of receiving the funds.

Applications are considered on a rolling basis.