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Library Research Grants

The 2024-2025 application has closed. The 2025-2026 applications will open in fall 2024.

Each year, the Friends of the Princeton University Library offers short-term Library Research Grants to promote scholarly use of the Princeton University Library special and distinct collections. Applications will be considered for scholarly use of archives, manuscripts, rare books, and other rare and unique holdings in Special Collections, including Mudd Library; as well as rare books in Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology, and in the East Asian Library (Gest Collection).

These grants, which have a value of up to $4,800 plus transportation costs, are meant to help defray expenses incurred in traveling to and residing in Princeton during the tenure of the grant. The length of the grant will depend on the applicant’s research proposal but is ordinarily between two and four weeks. Library Research Grants can be used from May of the year they are awarded through the following April.

Funding for grants may also be supplemented by:

  • The Program in Hellenic Studies, with assistance from the Stanley J. Seeger Fund, also supports a limited number of Library grants in Hellenic studies.
  • The Elmer Adler Fund supports Research Grants in Graphic Arts, and the Cotsen Children’s Library supports grants in its collection on aspects of children’s books.
  • The Maxwell Fund supports research on materials regarding Portuguese-speaking cultures. 
  • The Sid Lapidus '59 Research Fund for Studies of the Age of Revolution and the Enlightenment in the Atlantic World and covers work using materials pertinent to this topic donated by Mr. Lapidus as well as other also relevant materials in the collections. 

Application process

Applicants should read the FAQ before beginning the application process.

  • Set up an account in the application system
  • Complete application form
  • Upload a curriculum vitae or resume (Word or PDF) 
  • Upload your Project Narrative (no more than 1,000 words); your narrative should include the relevance to the proposed research of the unique resources found in the Princeton University Library collections 
  • Two letters of recommendation; invitations are sent directly from the system to the recommenders
  • Submit your application once all of the items above are received. 

Prospective grantees are urged to consult the Library’s website for detailed descriptions of the collections, especially those in Special Collections. Applicants should have specific Princeton resources in mind as they prepare their proposals. Applications solely focused on the general circulating collections and electronic resources of the Princeton University Library will not be funded.

A committee consisting of members of the faculty, the Library staff, and members of the Friends of the Princeton University Library will award the grants on the basis of the relevance of the proposal to unique holdings of the library, the merits and significance of the project, and the applicant’s scholarly qualifications. 

If you have a current application, you can access the Grant Application System.

Click the links below to see past grant recipients: