Grant-Making Activities

The National Institute launched its Grants Program (originally called the Seed Grant Program) in 2011 to support outstanding graduate students in the social sciences. Through these grants, NISS recognizes and supports path-breaking research in multiple fields. NISS grants supplement a university’s financial support and other funding that the student already has in place.

Over the past several years, NISS has supported several outstanding graduate students in the social sciences. Based on the success of this pilot program, and following extensive deliberations within the Grants Committee and the Board of Trustees, the Board voted in 2021 to substantially expand and systematize the National Institute’s grant-making activities.

NISS now sponsors a two-track grants program. First, NISS hosts an annual Dissertation Grant Program that supports graduate students completing dissertations in the social sciences. Any accredited university may nominate a candidate to receive a grant to support the completion of a dissertation. Second, NISS partners with professional associations in the social sciences to support graduate students attending, delivering papers, and making presentations at their annual meetings.

Please direct all enquiries concerning the National Institute’s Grants programs by email to grants@socialsciencesinstitute.org

Dissertation Grants Program

The National Institute of Social Sciences’ signature grant-making activity is its longstanding and growing Dissertation Grants Program. NISS Dissertation Grants are designed to support outstanding Ph.D. students who need additional resources to complete doctoral work that promises to significantly advance their fields of study.

For 2024, NISS sought nominations in the fields of Anthropology, Economics, History, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. Interdisciplinary projects that included one or more of these fields as a major component were also considered. Seven grants were awarded in 2024.

The criteria and submission deadline for 2025’s competition will be announced soon. Please subscribe to our news feed and check back here often for updates.

Other Grant-Making Activities

The National Institute of Social Sciences sponsors a number of programs in conjunction with our cousins the American Anthropological Association, the American Historical Association, the American Political Science Association, and the American Sociological Association to support graduate students in the social sciences.

These programs include such things as sponsoring travel grants for scholars to attend these organizations’ annual conventions and Three-Minute Thesis competitions. The National Institute continues to look for additional opportunities to fulfill its mission by directly funding emerging and established scholars in the social sciences.

Questions? Please contact the Grants Committee at grants@socialsciencesinstitute.org.

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