The Center on Philanthropy and the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy offer the Ernest W. Wood Fellowship of up to $10,000 annually to an American or Canadian doctoral student pursuing an approved dissertation topic related to fund raising and research, including the areas of major gifts and capital campaigns.

Deadline for Proposals: June 30.   Award Announcement: July 15

For full consideration, a proposal letter will be double-spaced, not to exceed 11 pages plus attachments, and must include:

1. a one-page executive summary of the proposal with a brief description of the project, the main research questions to be addressed, and the types of organizations and populations to be studied;
2. an explicit statement of the questions to be examined;
3. a description of the conceptual framework that will guide the research;
4. a review of relevant literature indicating how the research will build
upon existing work in the field, or how the research will pioneer a neglected area;
5. a description and justification of the methodology, data collection and data analysis, and types or organizations or populations targeted by the research;
6. a time frame and schedule for completing the project;
7. an outline of preliminary plans for disseminating project findings to academic and fund-raising professional audiences;
8. a detailed budget for the research project, with narrative description of items;
9. a description of plans for obtaining other funding for the research, if the budget exceeds the amount of the Ernest W. Wood Fellowship;
10. documentation that nonprofit organizations involved in the study are fully aware of the project and have given permission to the researcher to carry it out. If the research involves human subjects, provide evidence that applicable institutional approval procedures have been followed.

Proposal Attachments: The attachments to the proposal must include:

1. an e-mail address or a self-addressed stamped postcard to acknowledge proposal receipt;
2. a fully completed Application Form (click here to download the Application Form);
3. a one-page resume or curriculum vita, to include information on the person's foreign language proficiency and cultural knowledge if relevant to the research project, publications and related research experience, and other relevant background;
4. one publication or a brief (e.g., 5 page) sample of analytic writing;
5. names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three persons who can serve as references (do not have them send us letters; we will contact them as needed). At least one of these people should be a member of the applicant’s dissertation committee;
6. a letter from the appropriate university official verifying the graduate student’s doctoral status and approval of the dissertation topic.

Where to submit your proposal: Send 3 copies of the proposal and attachments to:

Dwight Burlingame, Ph.D.
IU Center on Philanthropy
550 West North Street, Suite 301
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3162