Funding
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.
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 Stansifer Fellowship, the Oppenheimer Memorial Scholarship, and Tinker Field Research Grants are the signature grants of CLACS.
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.
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 Liberal Arts and Sciences are eligible. An interdisciplinary committee from Latin American and Caribbean Studies will decide the competition. The award will not exceed $6,000 per year. Previous Stansifer awardees are eligible to apply, but might be considered at a lower priority, at the discretion of the committee.
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 award is $3000, and multiple awards each year are possible. 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.
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