Funding


road in Cusco, Peru

FLAS Applications Now Open – Due Feb. 2

CLACS FLAS Application Link:

https://kusurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2tQvpX03R0vxbeu

CLACS Letter of Recommendation Submission Portal: 

https://kusurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2mWvmPivzlf89wy

CLACS FLAS Application Checklist:

https://flas.ku.edu/application-checklist

CLACS 2023 Awardees

2023-2024 AY FLAS Awardees

Korbin Jones (MA student in Latin American and Caribbean Studies), Guaraní

Margarita Nuñez Arroyo (PhD student in American Studies), Kaqchikel

Kiera Eckhardt (MS student in Anthropology), Portuguese 

Salem San Filippo (BA student in Linguistics and German Studies), Kaqchikel

Fernanda Reyes (MD student in School of Medicine), Kaqchikel

Nathaniel Blum (MA student in Geography), Kaqchikel

Alysia Martinez (BA student in Psychology & Linguistics), Yucatec Maya

Yareli Ortiz (BA student in Social Work), Yucatec Maya

Devin Rogers (BA student in Spanish and Portuguese), Yucatec Maya

 

Summer 2023 FLAS Awardees

Yareli Ortiz (BA student in Social Work), Quechua

Itzel Nava (BS student in Business Administration, co-major in International Business & minors in Brazilian Studies, Latin American & Caribbean Studies and Spanish), Portuguese

Christa Osarczuk (PhD student in Anthropology ), Kaqchikel

Alysia Martinez (BA student in Psychology & Linguistics), Quechua

Margarita Nuñez Arroyo (PhD student in American Studies), Kaqchikel

Pittack Wesley (BS student in Finance, BA in Psychology), Kaqchikel

 

Tinker awardees

Carola Emkow (PhD student in Indigenous Studies/LACS), Bolivia

Luisa Garces (PhD student in Spanish and Portuguese), Colombia

Andrés Herrera (PhD student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), Colombia

Lorena Mosquera (PhD student in Spanish and Portuguese), Colombia

Manuel Rodríguez (PhD student in Spanish and Portuguese), Mexico
 

Stansifer Awardees

Timmia Hern Feldman (PhD student in Theater), Guyana

Luis Sánchez (PhD student in Spanish and Portuguese), Panama

 

Oppenheimer awardees

Guillermina Peña-Sandoval (PhD student in Spanish and Portuguese), Mexico

Pere DeRoy (PhD student in Woman and Gender Social Studies), Guayana

Hipatia Medina (PhD student in Spanish and Portuguese), Mexico border

Rafa González (PhD student in Geography), Mexico

 

Herzfeld awardees

Anika Schroeder (BA student in Global and International Studies & Spanish Language and Literature, Slavic and Eurasian Languages and Literature, minor in Spanish)

Sofia McCoy (BA student in Human Biology (pre-Med), minor in Spanish)

Angela Salinas-Villa (BA student in Foreign Language Education, minor in French and Spanish)

David Matson (BA student in Human Biology (Pre-med), minor in Spanish)

Funding for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) works closely with KU to provide students with the opportunity to fund their schooling through a variety of sources. CLACS also helps students find grants, fellowships, assistantships, awards and scholarships from other sources.


Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships FLAS fellowships were established by the US Department of Education to encourage college students to learn “less commonly taught languages” (LCTLs), which include all languages except Spanish, French, German, and Italian. Because CLACS won FLAS funding from the US Department of Education for 2022-2026, it can annually award 4 undergraduate FLAS awards per academic year and 3 awards per summer to receive LCTL and area studies instruction. Academic Year FLAS’s include $10,000/year for tuition and $5,000 as a living stipend for undergraduates. The Summer FLAS’s include $7,500 for tuition, travel, and living stipend, with the possibility of an additional $1000 for travel-related expenses.

Please see FLAS Funding for details, limitations, and application procedures.

The Anita Herzfeld Award honors Anita Herzfeld, professor emerita of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, former director of the Office of Study Abroad and beloved teacher and noted linguist, who retired in 2012 after working to expand international education for KU students during a distinguished career spanning more than fifty years. The award is for study in any Latin American country. 

Check out other KU undergraduate and outside funding on the side menu. 

The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) and KU provide graduate and advanced professional students with a variety of grants, fellowships, and awards. The FLAS, Stansifer Fellowship, the Oppenheimer Memorial Scholarship, and Tinker Field Research Grants are the signature grants of CLACS. 

Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships 

FLAS fellowships were established by the US Department of Education to encourage college students to learn “less commonly taught languages” (LCTLs), which include all languages except Spanish, French, German, and Italian. Because CLACS won FLAS funding from the US Department of Education for 2022-2026, it can annually award 4 graduate FLAS awards per academic year and 3 awards per summer to receive LCTL and area studies instruction. Academic Year FLAS’s include $18,000/year for tuition and $20,000 as a living stipend for graduate students. The Summer FLAS’s include $7,500 for tuition, travel, and living stipend, with the possibility of an additional $1000 for travel-related expenses. Please see FLAS at KU for details, limitations, and application procedures. 

Tinker Field Research Grants 

Since 1979, the Tinker Field Research Grant (FRG) program has provided support to graduate students in U.S. universities to conduct exploratory research in the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries of Latin America. Through its funding, matched by universities, the Foundation has supported more than 9,000 individuals to conduct field research in Latin America. CLACS directors have won several cycles of funding for KU graduate students from the Tinker Foundation, including in 1995-97, 2000-03, 2007-10, 2014-2017, 2020-2022, and 2020-2025 with inaugural Tinker Field Research Collaborative. This places CLACS in a prestigious cohort of only 15 universities to currently have Tinker Field Research funding. 

Tinker Foundation funds are designed to encourage graduate students to specialize in Latin America. Therefore, funding is aimed at graduate students who have yet to begin their dissertation research: master’s degree students; pre-ADB (pre-candidacy) PhD students; and post-baccalaureate students in professional schools.  Awards and their amounts depend on project design, budget, academic record, and letters of recommendation. Individual awards range from $1,000-$3,500, and CLACS grants at least 9 awards per academic year. Except for the flight, which CLACS can purchase pre-trip, the funding will be reimbursed to awardees upon submission of receipts directly related to their research-related travel expenses. 

CLACS Graduate Student Field Research Grants 

This grant, funded by our generous donors, is meant for students who cannot apply for a Tinker either because they are ABD (PhD candidates) or they are researching in countries that speak a language other than Spanish and Portuguese. CLACS can award up to $1000 per academic year in these funds, and students should use the Tinker submission link, making sure to identify this grant at the top of their application. Competitiveness is based on quality of the proposal and budget, 2 letters of recommendation, academic record, and demonstrated economic need. 

The Stansifer Fellowship Fund 

Endowed by Professor Emeritus Charles Stansifer, this award of up to $6000 is for the support of graduate students planning to complete a doctorate in the study of Middle America (defined as Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean). 

Priority is to be given first to students of Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, or Panama), second to Mexico, third to the Caribbean, and fourth to students of relations between the United States and any Middle American country. 

Graduate students from any department in the College of Arts and Sciences are eligible. The interdisciplinary CLACS Graduate Committee will referee the competition. Previous Stansifer awardees are eligible to apply but are considered at a lower priority than other applicants. 

Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Scholarship 

This award was established for graduate students in History and Latin American & Caribbean Studies in memory of Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, former KU professor of Latin American history. CLACS and the Department of History alternate annually in selecting the awardee(s). During even years, History selects the awardee(s), and during odd years it is CLACS. 

The maximum Oppenheimer budget each year is $6,000. The CLACS Graduate Committee may award the full amount to one applicant, or $3,000 to two applicants, depending on the pool of applicants and the competitiveness of their project designs, budgets, academic records, and letters of recommendation. Selection will be based on the proposal narrative, grade point average, letters of recommendation, and budget. The budget should detail how funds would be spent on research-related travel expenses. Recipients of other awards (e.g., FLAS) are eligible. 

Teaching Assistantship for Latin American & Caribbean Studies MA students 

CLACS provides one teaching assistantship per academic year for graduate students in the Latin American & Caribbean (LAC) Track of the Global & International Studies (GIST) master’s degree program. The assistantship includes a full tuition waiver plus roughly $18,000 for a living stipend in exchange for either assisting in the instruction (grading, discussion sections, exercises) of in-person LAC 100 “Latin American Culture & Society” or teaching the same course online. Applicants to the GIST LAC Track should specify whether they would like to compete for the assistantship. 

Other KU Funding for Graduate Students 

KU strongly supports Study Abroad and intensive language opportunities for Graduates. The Chancellor has a fund of $46,000 yearly for Costa Rican fellowships and exchanges. Such opportunities are critical for developing advanced language abilities. Other graduate student funding provided by KU can be found here: 

Graduate Student Funding 
Graduate Studies Awards/Departmental Scholarships  
The Office of Student Financial Aid 

 

All 4 of these funds have been spent for 2023-24. We will be taking new requests starting August 15.

Funding for Faculty

The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) to be a designated Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from 2022-2026. The funding amounts to approximately $1 million in the four-year cycle. Our proposed initiatives focus on the theme “Strengthening Communities” within KU, between KU and the region, and between these and Latin American and Caribbean communities and institutions.  The funding creates opportunities for research, curriculum development, international collaboration, and community outreach.  High priority is given by the USDE for activities that include Minority Serving Institutions and community colleges. Below are opportunities where funds are already allocated, although the center will consider other creative fundings requests (click on the links to access the online request forms): 

  • Faculty Research International Travel Awards: To conduct research (up to $1,250). Competitive preference will be given to projects that address pressing global questions. Application: CV, 300-word narrative about research project, other funding sources for travel, and detailed budget. Revolving deadline but no later than 45 days before travel. Direct applications please email Brent Metz, CLACS Director: bmetz@ku.edu

  • Partner Projects Faculty Travel Awards: To build international partnerships, design exchange programs, arrange joint study abroad trips, and conduct collaborative research with Latin American / Caribbean partners (up to $5,000). Please explain the collaborative nature of your project and submit a detailed budget.  Projects involving area Community Colleges or Minority Serving Institutions will be favored.  Application: CV, 300-word narrative about collaborative project, and detailed budget.  Revolving deadline but no later than 45 days before travel.  In 2023-24, we will fund a special multi-faculty trip to explore partnerships and programs in Paraguay. Direct applications please email Brent Metz, CLACS Director: bmetz@ku.edu

  • Collaborative Online International Learning (COILs): To enhance student-to-student transnational course engagement.  Students in a KU course would meet regularly online (e.g., Zoom, Teams) with students or others in Latin America and the Caribbean at least 8 times in a semester. The point could be as simple as students sharing information or as complex as the student co-design of projects.  The number of participants in online meeting sessions depends on the language abilities of the KU students and their Latin American partners. Optimally, enough KU students will know Spanish or Portuguese or the international partners will know English to facilitate the exchange and allow for small group meetings.  The Center can provide up to $1000 as compensation for establishing a COIL project and can help find a partner in Latin America.  Stipends will be paid upon the completion of the COIL. Applications should consist of a brief description of the collaboration plan and an email of intent from the Latin America partner. If interested, apply no later than 20 days before the first scheduled exchange. Direct applications please email Brent Metz, CLACS Director: bmetz@ku.edu

  • Curriculum Internationalization STEM Faculty Development Program:  For KU STEM faculty travel to Latin America or the Caribbean to gain cultural and linguistic training to enhance their research and/or teaching.  The Center can provide up to 2 awards per year at $2,000 apiece.  To apply, please send a brief proposal, itinerary, and budget to Brent Metz, CLACS Director: bmetz@ku.edu

For further information and direct applications please email Brent Metz, CLACS Director, directly: bmetz@ku.edu