Other Criteria
Taxation
A recipient of a dissertation fellowship may be liable for income taxes on funds awarded, depending
on whether the funds are used to pay tuition and certain other related expenses, the amount of the
recipient's other income, the law of the recipient's domicile, and other factors. The foundation does
not provide advice on tax matters. Applicants should consult their own tax advisors to determine the
tax consequences of receiving a dissertation fellowship.
Final Report
Recipients of the dissertation fellowship must submit a copy of the dissertation, approved and
accepted by their institution, within six months after the end of the award year. Any papers, books,
articles, or other publications based on the research should also be sent to the foundation.
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Application Procedure
Applications are submitted online. The application link can be found on our web site, hfg.org. The
direct address is https://www.grantinterface.com/hfg/Common/LogOn.aspx. Applicants first create a
login account and then may access the online application. The deadline for submission is February
1 (midnight, EST). Late applications will not be considered.
(We will still accept a mailed application using our previous application method, a printable PDF
form, provided it arrives at the foundation’s office no later than February 1, or the following Monday if
February 1 falls on a weekend.)
A. Project Title
Complete all questions in this section that are applicable to your proposed project. Some questions
are required; these are marked with an asterisk (*).
B. Abstract and Survey
Enter an abstract by typing or pasting text. (Note the length limit.) The abstract should be an
informative but succinct description of the project, including its relevance to aggression and/or
violence. The survey questions--about the topics, time period, and geographic region of your
project--are for statistical purposes only; this information does not affect our evaluation of the
application.
C. Advisor's Letter and Advisor's Abbreviated C.V.
A letter from your advisor must be uploaded by the advisor using our online system. In the section
of the online application headed “Advisor Letter,” please follow the instructions to enter your
advisor’s email address and then click “Compose Email.” The system will prompt you to write an
email to your advisor asking that they provide a letter. We will then send your advisor an additional
email containing a link through which they may upload their letter. The letter should address the
significance of the research and affirm that all requirements for the Ph.D. except the dissertation
will have been satisfactorily completed at the beginning of the award period and that preparation
for the dissertation is such that it will be completed within the academic year for which the
fellowship is requested. (If this is not true, the advisor is doing the applicant no favor by saying it
is. It would be better to encourage the advisee to wait until the appropriate time to apply.) The
advisor’s letter is due by February 15.
Please upload an abbreviated (two-page) version of your dissertation advisor's curriculum vitae.
(You will not be penalized, however, if you are unable to shorten or obtain a shortened version of
your advisor's C.V.)
D. Applicant's C.V. and Graduate School Transcript
Upload your own curriculum vitae of no more than two pages in length. Please arrange for your
university to mail a copy of your official transcript to the foundation at the address below. The
transcript should arrive at the foundation’s office by February 15. If your Ph.D. program does not
involve graded coursework, include an explanation of the university's requirements.
E. Project Description
Describe guiding theories, methods, study populations, etc., and explain how the dissertation
research augments your discipline's body of knowledge. If your analysis is far enough along that all
or some of your findings can be conveyed, discuss them. This is a chance to convince the
foundation that a project is worth funding. Be concise, but give sufficient detail for a proper
evaluation. Research plans are typically about 15 double-spaced pages (not including footnotes or
references listed in a bibliography). Supplementary supporting material is not necessary but may be
submitted.
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F. Protection of Subjects
If your project’s subjects are living humans, or people with living relatives or associates whose lives
may be affected by the research, indicate what has been done to protect their safety or privacy. If
subjects are non-human animals, the foundation must be assured that you have avoided subjecting
them to unnecessary discomfort or harm. If your research involves documentary work concerning
people long dead or otherwise incapable of being harmed, this should be stated.
G. Other Support
Describe facilities and resources already available for dissertation support. A Harry Frank
Guggenheim Foundation Dissertation Fellowship may be accepted in conjunction with other
awards, fellowships, or employment. A $20,000 fellowship can only contribute to the support
needed over the course of a year. Do you have other sources of support? Will you be working?
Have you applied for other fellowships? Alternatively, it may be that a $20,000 award will support
you for full-time work for a few months. We like to see that an applicant has thought about these
practical matters.