Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation Research Travel Grants Program

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation awards grants of up to $2,200 in support of research in the holdings of the Gerald R. Ford Library. A grant defrays travel and living expenses of a research trip to the Ford Library in Ann Arbor. Overseas applicants are welcome to apply, but they will be responsible for the costs of travel between their home country and North America. The grants only cover travel within North America.

Library collections focus on Federal policies, U.S. foreign relations, national politics and domestic issues in the 1960s and 1970s. There may be earlier and later materials depending upon your topic.

View a List of Recent Grant Recipients and Their Topics

How do I apply?
You may download the application in Microsoft Word format. Before you apply, please contact the Ford Library in Ann Arbor for information about holdings related to your project.

To apply, please send the application form, a vita, and a two or three-page project proposal to the Ford Foundation in Grand Rapids by mail or e-mail. The proposal should provide both a description of the project and the ways in which Ford Library resources can advance the research. Ask three professional references to send supporting letters of recommendation by mail, fax, or e-mail. Letters of recommendation must be received by the first day of the month after the application deadline (April 1 for the spring round and October 1 for the fall round). Grant applications lacking the full complement of recommendations by these dates may be deemed incomplete and held for consideration in a later round.

When are the application deadlines?
Awards are made twice yearly. Application deadlines are MARCH 15 and SEPTEMBER 15. If you submit your application by mail, it must be postmarked by the deadline. You may submit applications at any time, and those received too late for one round will automatically be considered in the next.

How and when are grants awarded?
Selection criteria are pertinence of "open" Library holdings, project significance, appropriateness of project design, and applicant qualifications. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation typically authorizes $45,000 for grants each year.

The Foundation will notify grant recipients about two months after the deadline. Grants must support research conducted after the awards are announced and will not be awarded retroactively for research already conducted. The Library staff presents the grant check when the recipient arrives to begin research.

Grant recipients must begin Ford Library research within one year of receiving an award notice, acknowledge Foundation support in the resulting publication(s), and donate to the Library a copy of the publication(s).

What other grants are available through the Gerald R. Ford Library?
The "Gerald R. Ford Scholar Award (Dissertation Award) in Honor of Robert Teeter" in the amount of $5,000 is given annually to one individual to support dissertation research on an aspect of the U.S. political process during the latter part of the twentieth century. See details about the award.