Now Accepting 2022 Union Pacific Research Grant Proposals

Proposals should be related to dissertation or pre-dissertation research but applicants may be at any stage of their graduate school career. Union Pacific Fellowships do not fund dissertation writing. Proposals must be for research that can be considered premodern. This opportunity is open to work in any discipline and concerning any geographic region. Priority consideration is given to:

  • Early Modern Studies or Medieval Studies minors

  • Recent ABDs conducting dissertation research or applicants doing pre-dissertation research

  • First-time applicants, and those who have been less-funded in the past. Previous grant holders may apply for grants in every year that they are eligible and students frequently receive UP funding more than once.

Link to Full UP Grant Call Details

Types of Grants

Two types of Union Pacific Grants are offered--Research Grants and Research Services Grants. In a single funding cycle, applicants may apply for and receive both types of funding. Please indicate in your application materials that you are applying for both types of grants and specify how each pool of resources would be used.

  1. Union Pacific Research Grants: Union Pacific Research Grants support dissertation and pre-dissertation research and are typically between $500-$1500. Traditionally, the awards focus on supporting travel to archives. Research funds are not intended to support travel/fees associated with conference attendance; however, if an applicant is able to make a strong  case for specific research outcomes directly related to conference/workshop attendance, the committee will consider proposals on a case-by-case basis. 

Union Pacific Research Materials Grants: Originally conceived and called “Microfilm Grants,” these awards allocated Union Pacific funds to award up to $500 per person to graduate students who needed to pay to access copied archival materials, digital technology necessary for research, and/or other materials essential to their scholarship.

Details about this and other CPS funding opportunities are also available on the CPS Website

* There are pandemic guidelines for this award. See the full call for details.

Please contact Lydia Garver at premod@umn.edu with questions.

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