Armstrong Graduate Student Research Grant

The Graduate School is pleased to announce the Armstrong Graduate Student Research Grant! Funded by a gift from John and Elizabeth Armstrong, these grants provide funds for doctoral students to advance their dissertation research, including data collection and analysis. 

Who Is Eligible?

UMass Amherst doctoral students enrolled in a campus-based degree program (i.e. no online programs) and in good academic standing are eligible to apply. Applications are invited from all fields. Students must have their prospectus (dissertation research plan) approved by their dissertation committee or the advisor must verify in the letter of recommendation that the student has a solid dissertation research plan.  

Application

To apply for the Armstrong Graduate Student Research Grant, submit an online application in the UMass InfoReady platform. The application includes a five-page proposal, budget table, budget justification, and letter of recommendation. Full application instructions, a template for the budget table, and a sample budget justification are available on the InfoReady application page (login with your UMass net ID).  

The maximum award will be $25,000. In most cases, award amounts will be less than this. Review the budget preparation tips and the lists of eligible and ineligible expenses carefully—details are on the InfoReady application page.  

The application deadline is February 1, 2026. There is only one deadline annually. Starting in academic year 2026-27, the deadline will be November 15 annually. 

Questions on the Armstrong Graduate Student Research Grant should be addressed to researchgrant [at] grad [dot] umass [dot] edu (Heidi Bauer-Clapp).