2009–2010 Project Grants

Dumbarton Oaks makes a limited number of grants to assist with scholarly projects in Byzantine Studies, Pre-Columbian Studies, and Garden and Landscape Studies. The normal range of awards is $3,000–$10,000. Support is generally for archaeological research, as well as for the recovery, recording, and analysis of materials that would otherwise be lost. Funding is typically awarded for transportation, meals, housing, vehicle rental, workmen's wages, costs of technical analysis, etc.; grants are not normally made for the purchase of computers or the salary of the principal investigator. Eligible projects may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • non-destructive investigation and/or excavation of a site or a (Byzantine, Pre-Columbian, Garden) component of a site
  • materials analysis
  • surveying or photographing monuments and objects that are at risk (e.g., architecture, gardens, paintings, mosaics, and sculptures in situ, as well as objects that have already been collected but are largely unrecorded and endangered)

Pre-Columbian project awards are intended only to survey, excavate, and/or document sites, landscapes, or objects that are in imminent danger. Applicants should provide evidence that such sites, landscapes, or objects are under immediate threat. Priority is given to applicants who have not previously received support from Dumbarton Oaks.

Qualifications and Conditions

Project grants are limited to applicants holding a doctorate or the equivalent, and are awarded on the basis of 1) ability and preparation of the principal project personnel (including knowledge of the requisite languages) and 2) interest and value of the project to the specific field of study. Applications are reviewed by a committee of scholars in the relevant field. Awards are made for projects conducted within the 2010 fiscal year (July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010). Before applying, applicants must contact the appropriate Director of Studies, no later than October 1, 2008, to determine if the project falls within the purview of the Project Grants. The Directors of Studies may be reached by contacting their department below.

Project awards are not offered purely for the purpose of travel, nor for work associated with a degree, for library or archive research, for catalogues, or for conservation and restoration per se. When projects involve photography, Dumbarton Oaks requests that successful applicants provide a set of digital images to document the projects. Upon completion of their projects, grant recipients will be asked to submit brief reports of their work suitable for dissemination on the Dumbarton Oaks website. Byzantine project grant recipients may also be asked to provide longer reports for publication in Dumbarton Oaks Papers.

For application information, please click here.