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Extra financial (e.g. research) support?

In our newest "how can we help you?" thread, J writes:

I am wondering about ways to find rather small financial support for people from places with less resources available to them. Say I want to focus on a research project, attend a workshop, or spent a short visit here and there. I might be able to get some support but, due to many factors including differences of currencies and else I cannot solely rely on that. What else I can do? What are the possibilities?

Here’s an example. At times I think whether I can suggest to present a short course or a similar teaching service to finance a visit to that center/department. But not being from Europe, I don’t know the opportunities, possibilities, and the norms. Any advice would be appreciated.

Good questions, and I'm not sure–especially since the OP seems to be in Europe and I have no experience there. However, the thought that immediately occurred to me is: grants. In addition to government or private grants, many universities (at least in the US) also have smaller internal grants one can apply for (e.g. on the order of several thousand dollars or more). Alternatively, if you can give talks at other universities, they may be able to offer you some sort of honorarium. But, in addition to these things, I'm not all that sure what the options or opportunities here are. Any readers have any helpful tips?

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2 responses to “Extra financial (e.g. research) support?”

  1. Polaris Koi

    Small visits and similar can be funded in three main ways (and their combinations): a) the department receiving you covers the costs, b) the department you’re affiliated with covers the costs, or c) you get a grant. In practice, a) is very rare (for junior academics at least). But various philosophical associations have small sums available for junior scholars for travel purposes, and there are also some grantmakers who fund junior scholars. This, however, varies greatly on a country to country basis. J should seek out philosophers in the country they’re based in for advice on this and should get acquainted with any local grant databases, as these sorts of small grants are usually not intended for an international competition. The local philosophical association may also have information. (I can help if J is in Finland….)

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  2. grad_student

    I am still a grad student but was lucky to tap into relatively many diverse funding opportunities.
    Internal university grants are not US-exclusive – I received support multiple times during my master’s for conferences and such things. Applications are typically low-effort. I’d ask a competent admin staff member or professor for internal funding opportunities.
    Strongly dependent on your political leanings and topic of research, but I have also had good experiences with politically-aligned foundations.
    Regarding conference visits, for example, the Hayek Fund may be a good address. I am sure that similar funds exist for more left-leaning or conservative-leaning political positions as well (the Hayek fund is part of a libertarian/liberal foundation).
    Regardless of where you go to for money, in my experience once you have received some funds by a source, it is often more easy to complete future applications. So I would encourage applying even for miniscule funding when the application is not too much of a hassle, both to train application writing and to get a small foot in the door.

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