CRG Student Grants Program

CRG Student Grants Program for Research & Creative Projects

Grid with lots of student pictures

A glimpse of the student researchers that CRG has supported since 2003.

Student Research Grant Program Application

Faculty Mentor Form

*includes a link to upload the letter of support for your student.

Supporting student research is one of the most important goals of the Center for Race & Gender (CRG), which conducts interdisciplinary research on intersections between race, gender and social justice.

History

Since the establishment of CRG's Student Grants Program for Research and Creative Projects in 2003, CRG has awarded over $223,000 in grants to 145 undergraduates and 213 graduate students for research projects that are oriented towards academic work or that approach race and gender from the perspectives of media, fine arts, and performing acts.

Overview

CRG welcomes proposals from both undergraduate and graduate students to support research or creative projects. Project topics should be consonant with CRG’s mandate to support critical student research on race, gender, and their intersections in a wide variety of social, cultural, and institutional contexts. Proposals that address both race and gender will be prioritized, and proposals that do not address race at all will be de-prioritized. Projects may be oriented toward academic research or may approach race and gender issues from the perspectives of the media, fine arts, and performing arts.


Guidelines

Grants are intended to fund students’ own independent research, rather than contributory research for a broader faculty project.  We encourage students to include a specific research question that they hope to answer in their proposals.  For creative projects, we ask students to include a thesis statement for their project and a critical race and/or gender analysis for why the project is important.  Strong proposals will include a critical race and/or gender analysis.  We recommend sending a draft of your proposal to your faculty mentor with enough time to incorporate their feedback. 


Funding

UNDERGRADUATE GRANTS: $100 - $750

GRADUATE GRANTS: $250 - $1000

CRG Student Research Grantee awarded funds are disbursed as reimbursements for expenses incurred. 

Payments are restricted to UC Berkeley students who are registered for the current academic semester for which they are seeking reimbursement, or in the grace period immediately after academic semester registration (grace period defined as a semester or summer, whichever is after the period of enrollment).

GRANT PERIOD AND USE OF FUNDS:  Grants will be awarded for a period of six months (schedule details are shared in the grant award letter). Grant payments will be in the form of reimbursements for expenses.

  • Funds MAY be used for direct costs related to the proposed project, such as travel to archival or ethnographic research sites; books and supplies; equipment rental; or token gifts or gift cards (e.g. Target, Trader Joe's, Clipper Card) for research subjects*.
  • Funds MAY NOT be used for equipment purchases, personal stipend, living expenses, third-party payments to individuals (e.g. research subjects, assistants, or consultants), or generic gift cards (e.g. Visa/MC gift cards).

* Proof of IRB approval is required (ex. copy of CPHS approval letter) for seeking reimbursement of subject incentives and/or using virtual payments via UCB's Human Subject Prepaid Card Program. 

Grantee Eligibility

Applications can be submitted by any student enrolled in a undergraduate or graduate program at UC Berkeley. Proposals that support research for a thesis project are strongly encouraged.

CRG will only give grants on a one-time basis. Previously grantees will not be considered.

Grantee Requirements

  • Grant recipients are required to submit a short research summary with each grant payment (reimbursement) request. Details are provided in the award letter. 

  • If your funded work is featured at an event (virtual or in-person) during the academic year, please acknowledge the Center for Race and Gender at UC Berkeley as a supporting sponsor on the event publicity. Email (centerrg@berkeley.edu) with event details at least two weeks prior to the event date.

  • If your funded work is featured in any publication (online and/or print), social media, or the like, we request you to include CRG in your acknowledgments by name (Center for Race & Gender at UC Berkeley) and/or by the usage of the CRG logo.

  • Submission of a testimonial - As a condition of accepting a CRG Student Grant, grantees agreed to provide a testimonial about how the CRG grant helped your research or creative project before the end of the six-month grant period. Details are provided in the award letter. 

Application Process

Complete applications include the following:

  • Student submission of a complete Student Research Grant Program Application (see sidebar button on this page). 
  • Faculty submission of a Faculty Mentor Form (see sidebar button on this page) with a letter of support. 

The CRG Student Grants Program for Research and Creative Projects conducts two grant cycles each year, one in the fall semester and the second in the spring semester. 

FALL APPLICATION DEADLINE:  November 15, 5:00 pm PT
The fall application period opens in mid-September.
Funding decisions will be communicated by December 1. 

SPRING APPLICATION DEADLINE:  April 15, 5:00 pm PT
The fall application period opens in mid-February.
Funding decisions will be communicated by May 1.

Current & Past CRG Student Research Grantees

Check out the mini-sidebar on this page for links to CRG's current and past CRG Student Research Grantees.