Dirksen Congressional Center Grants

   The Dirksen Congressional Center invites applications for grants to fund   
research on congressional leadership and the U.S. Congress. The Center, named   
for the late Senate Minority Leader Everett M. Dirksen, is a private,   
nonpartisan, nonprofit research and educational organization devoted to the   
study of Congress and its leaders. Applications are accepted at any time, but   
the deadline is March 1 for the annual selections, which are announced in   
April. A total of up to $35,000 will be available in 2012.   
  
The competition is open to individuals with a serious interest in studying   
Congress. Political scientists, historians, biographers, scholars of public   
administration or American studies, and journalists are among those eligible.   
The Center encourages graduate students who have successfully defended their   
dissertation prospectus to apply and awards a significant portion of the funds   
for dissertation research. Applicants must be U.S. citizens who reside in the   
United States.   
  
The awards program does not fund undergraduate or pre-Ph.D. study.   
Organizations are not eligible. Research teams of two or more individuals are   
eligible. No institutional overhead or indirect costs may be claimed against a   
Congressional Research Award.   
  
Download the Word document -- Congressional Research Award Application -- and   
complete the required entries. You may send the application as a Word or PDF   
attachment to an e-mail directed to Frank Mackaman at   
fmackaman@dirksencenter.org. Please insert the following in the Subject Line:   
"CRA Application [insert your surname]." Thank you.   
  
The Congressional Research Award Application contains the following elements:   
Applicant Information, Congressional Research Award Project Description,   
Project Description, Budget, Curriculum Vita, Reference Letter, and Overhead   
Waiver Letter.   
  
The entire application when printed must NOT exceed ten pages. This total does   
NOT include the reference letter (one additional page) or the Overhead Waiver   
Letter (one additional page). Applications which exceed the page limit and   
incomplete applications will NOT be forwarded to the screening committee for   
consideration.   
  
All application materials must be received on or before March 1, 2012. Awards   
will be announced in April 2012.   
  
Complete information about what kind of research projects are eligible for   
consideration, what could a Congressional Research Award pay for, application   
procedures, and how recipients are selected may be found at The Center's   
Website: http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_grants_CRAs.htm. PLEASE READ   
THOROUGHLY. Frank Mackaman is the program officer -   
fmackaman@dirksencenter.org.   
  
The Center, named for the late Senate Minority Leader Everett M. Dirksen, is a   
private, nonpartisan, nonprofit research and educational organization devoted   
to the study of Congress and its leaders. Since 1978, the Congressional   
Research Awards (formerly the Congressional Research Grants) program has   
invested more than $840,000 to support over 400 projects.   
  
  
Web site: http://www.dirksencongressionalcenter.org/   
  
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DirksenCenter   
  
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