Tinker Funding

Stanford Graduate students can apply for the following two funding opportunities: 

Tinker Graduate Field Research Grants

Tinker Disseration Completion Fellowship

Tinker Graduate Field Research Grants (TGFR) 

Tinker Graduate Field Research Grants support graduate students with their first experience in developing an independent research project and conducting preliminary field research in Latin America.  These grants are meant for students to acquire a comprehensive knowledge of language and culture; to familiarize themselves with information sources relevant to their studies; to conduct pilot studies and preliminary investigations; and to develop contacts with scholars and institutions in their fields. CLAS will distribute grants of up to $3,500 for approved proposals.

Eligibility
Stanford graduate student in any department that will conduct preliminary field research in Latin America during the academic year 2024-25, including summer 2025.  Past TGFR recipients are not eligible to apply for a second award. Funds may be used for travel and field-related expenses for pre-dissertation or thesis field research in the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries of Latin America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela). Please note that funding will not be provided for non-travel related expenses.

Application Requirements

  • Cover sheet must include name, SUNet ID, Student ID Number, email, department, research title, location, dates of travel, and amount requested.
  • CV
  • Brief research proposal narrative (3 page max)

  • Complete itemized budget ( i.e. airfare, lodging, local transportation) 

    Budget Template (5.11 KB)
  • Graduate transcript
  • Letter of recommendation from your advisor

Please submit a complete application and materials via the online form available here.

Advisors must submit their letter of recommendation via the online form available here.

Deadlines

Funds for the 2024-25 academic year are available only for research taking place December 1, 2024 - August 31, 2025.

Applications for winter break/quarter are due by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time) on November 15, 2024.

Applications for spring break/quarter are due by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time) on February 1, 2025.

Applications for summer quarter are due by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time) on April 1, 2025.

Reporting

Awardees are expected to:

  • Submit a one-page report of the research conducted ready to be posted in our website AND a complete budget report within 30 days after the completion of their travel.
  • Present and discuss preliminary summer research project in the Autumn quarter
  • Acknowledgement of the Tinker Foundation in any publication and/or mentioning of the research
 
Logo of the TInker Chronicles - Episode 1

Tinker Chronicles Podcast: The Tinker Foundation created a Tinker Field Research Collaborative, which is composed of several universities that are currently administering Tinker Graduate Field Research Grants in their respective institutions.The collaborative is developing a series of podcasts, called Tinker Chronicles, aiming to highlight the research conducted by former TGFR awardees. Click here to listen to the first podcast on Climate and Environment , which features Arjuna Dibley, a past recipient of the TGFR. 

Contact us with any questions by email at latinamerica [at] stanford.edu (mailto:latinamerica[at]stanford[dot]edu)

 

Tinker Dissertation Completion Fellowship

The Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) invites applications for a dissertation completion fellowship to support Stanford doctoral students in year 6 or above whose work in any discipline demonstrates the promise of future achievement in Latin American Studies, and whose commitment and tangible contributions to the advancement of Latin American Studies on campus are sustained and well-documented. Up to two Tinker Fellowships are awarded each year.  

The Tinker Fellowship includes a stipend in Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters and TGR tuition. Stipend rates for 2024-25 are $13,350 per quarter ($40,050 total). Fellows may not hold additional, comparable fellowships during the award period. They may, however, hold a concurrent assistantship appointment up to a maximum of 25%, or hourly employment of up to 8 hours per week, but not both. See Administrative Guide 10.2.1 and 10.2.2 for more details. 

Fellows are invited to be active members of a vibrant, interdisciplinary scholarly community at CLAS. They will have the opportunity to participate in Friday lecture series and Center events, as well as other professional development opportunities. For example, Fellows may apply to be hired as a peer mentor to CLAS MA students. To facilitate this participation, Fellows will receive shared office space at Bolívar House. Fellows are generally expected to have a regular physical presence in the Center throughout the tenure of the fellowship. 

ELIGIBILITY

Doctoral students in any discipline in year 5 or beyond, who have:

  • Active candidacy;
  • completed all requirements for the doctoral degree with the exception of the dissertation and the University Oral Examination (when there is a defense of the dissertation);
  • an approved dissertation reading committee;
  • a dissertation proposal approved by their committee;
  • a strong likelihood of completing the degree within the tenure of the fellowship; and
  • reached TGR status by the beginning of autumn quarter of the fellowship year.

APPLICATION 

The deadline for applications is April 1, 2025, 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time.

The following materials are required for the application:

  • Contact information about the applicant
  • A curriculum vitae (C.V.)
  • Current unofficial transcript (downloaded from AXESS)
  • Approved timeline for completion of the doctoral degree, detailing how the dissertation would be completed by the end of the award period (e.g. dissertation outline detailing status of each chapter).
  • Summary of the dissertation and its scholarly significance. Provide a concise explanation of the ways in which the project is a significant contribution to its area of study; the statement should assume the audience to be academics who are not specialists in the field. (250 word maximum)
  • A brief statement describing how your academic work and personal experiences and interests intersect with Latin America (250 word maximum)
  • A brief description (no more than 1,000 words) of the dissertation
  • Letter of recommendation from the dissertation advisor
  • Letter of recommendation from a second faculty member who is knowledgeable about the research and dissertation (e.g., member of the Reading Committee)

All  application materials should be collated into a single PDF and submitted HERE. 

Recommendation letters should be submitted by faculty HERE by the application deadline.  

Please note that incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Applicants will receive confirmation when their applications have been received, and will be notified of the fellowship outcomes on or before May 15, 2025.

This fellowship is funded by the Tinker Foundation endowment and administered by the Center for Latin American Studies.