The Horowitz Foundation for Social PolicyGrant

$10,000 Horowitz Dissertation Research Grant

Dec 01, 2026 00:59:00 ET

Opportunity type

Grant

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Dec 01, 2026 00:59:00 ET

About this opportunity

The Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy, based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, gives small grants to PhD candidates whose dissertation research has a social policy application, at a global or local level. Around 20 scholars a year receive $10,000 each, and the foundation has made 441 awards to students around the world since 1999. Applicants can be at any university in any country, and the money goes to the student, not the university.

What you get:

A $10,000 grant: $7,500 paid up front and $2,500 when the project is completed
Freedom to spend the money on your project as needed, with no budget required
Automatic consideration for two special awards: the Irving Louis Horowitz Award for the most outstanding project (an extra $5,000) and the Trustees' Award for the most innovative approach in theory or methodology (an extra $3,000)
Five years from the award announcement to complete the project and claim the final payment
Publicity on the foundation's website, in professional media and through a press release to university media offices

What you'll do:

Create an account on the foundation's application portal and complete a short eligibility form
Write a 150 word project overview (50 words on purpose, 25 on methodology, 50 on policy relevance) and a project description of up to 750 words
Upload your CV and name two recommenders, who must submit their forms through the portal before the deadline
To claim the final $2,500, show acceptance of your dissertation, a peer reviewed journal acceptance, or an invitation to publish a book chapter based on the research

Key dates:

Applications opened July 1, 2026
Applications and both recommendation forms due December 1, 2026 (see the caveat on the closing time)
Award winners announced in June 2027
Grants are usually paid in June of the year they are decided

More information:

Full eligibility and conditions on the foundation's Grant Information page
Answers on word limits, recommendations and the portal on the foundation's FAQ page
Past funded projects are listed under Previous Recipients on the foundation's site

Who can apply

Current PhD or DrPH candidate actively working on your dissertation
You must not already hold a PhD
Your dissertation proposal must be defended, or your topic formally approved by your department, before December 1
Open to applicants from any country and any university; US citizenship or residency is not required
You may apply only once if you have applied in 2023 or later; applicants from before 2023 may apply again
The application, recommendations and all documents must be in English
Two recommendation forms are required, and the application cannot be considered until both are in

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Good to know

+$10,000 paid to you, not your university, with no budget required
+Open to PhD candidates at any university in any country, and free to apply
+Running since 1997 with 441 awards made, and every winner is automatically considered for extra awards of $5,000 and $3,000

Worth checking yourself

!Submit by the end of 30 November 2026: the foundation's pages say 11:59pm on 1 December, but its application portal closes at 12:59am New York time on 1 December
!Only for PhD or DrPH candidates whose dissertation topic is already approved
!Only $7,500 is paid up front; the last $2,500 needs an accepted dissertation or publication within five years
!Both recommendation letters must be in by the deadline, and anyone who applied in 2023 or later cannot apply again

Sources checked

HOhorowitz-foundation.orgApplyHOhorowitz-foundation.orgApplyHOhorowitz-foundation.orgApplyHOhorowitz-foundation.orgApplyHOhorowitz-foundation.orgApply292977f790-dd77-4872-8b9a-43d2492a2108.usrfiles.comOfficialAPapply.mykaleidoscope.comOfficial

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