Frequently Asked Questions about UWCHR’s Funding for Students:

Who is eligible to apply? 

UWCHR has six funds available: three in which students can apply to, two in which candidates are internally selected, and one for UW instructional faculty.

UWCHR has three endowed funds that UW students may apply for:

• The Mack and Mayerfeld Fund is open to graduate students.
• The Lisa Sable Brown Fund is open to graduate students.
• The Osheroff Clark Fund is open to undergraduate and graduate students. 

Candidates are internally selected (no applications accepted) for the following UWCHR funds:

• Benjamin Linder Fund
• Jennifer Caldwell Fund

UWCHR’s Speaker Honoraria Fund is open to…

• all instructional faculty on all three UW campuses, in all departments and programs, working in all areas of human rights, to bring a perspective from the “front lines” of human rights efforts to the classroom.

All student funds are open to …

• Currently enrolled (must be enrolled for the quarter the funds are dispersed, usually spring quarter) UW students on any of the three UW campuses (Bothell, Seattle, and Tacoma).
• Open to students regardless of citizenship or permanent resident status.

For specific fund priorities and focuses, please see the individual fund pages.

When is the application period open and when are decisions made?

Fund applications are generally open February – March, every year. Please check our funding page for updates on specific dates. Funding decisions are generally made by mid-April.

What can the funds be used for? 

Our funds are meant to support research and projects. Examples of some ways funds can be used: tuition, research, travel, books, materials, equipment, housing. 

What are the deliverables if awarded funds?

If awarded, we ask students to…

• Come to our annual Spring Symposium and Award Celebration (usually in May every year).
• Upon completion of your project, send us a short write up reflection and picture. We typically ask for reflections by the end of September every year.

When is the money disbursed and does it have to get used by a certain time?

Funding is usually disbursed before spring quarter is over. Usually students use the funds within the year, however some people don’t start their research until the next year. We can work with you, within reason, around flexible timelines.

Can I apply with another person? 

Yes, when applying as a team please choose one person to apply through the online portal and mention that this is a joint application in your application materials.

What makes a strong application?

Strong applicants will speak to the requirements and priorities of the specific fund they are applying to. They will show a strong commitment to human rights research and projects, and they will have all required materials completed and available for review. For priorities for funding available to graduate students, please see the following section. Read reports from past fund recipients here.

Priority Areas for Graduate Student Funding:

The growth of the UW Center for Human Rights has led to applications from diverse disciplines and various stages of graduate careers. To streamline the selection process, the UWCHR Steering Committee has voted to established a set of criteria and priorities.

The following are not requirements; they are priorities. This means the selection committee could still issue an award to an outstanding candidate whose work doesn’t align with all these criteria. Each of the five criteria below are of equal importance.

1. 1. 1. Applications from PhD students
      2. Those conducting pre-dissertation work, or at the final stage of dissertation completion
      3. Projects working in areas or topics underrepresented in the field of human rights
      4. Projects designed in collaboration with communities who are directly affected by rights violations, or employing participatory action research
      5. Projects that engage centrally with human rights practices and literatures

Any proposed expenditure permitted under the terms of the endowment agreement is valid; we do not prioritize those needing to cover certain types of costs over others.

Still have questions? Email us at uwchr (at) uw.edu.