Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship

The Muslim Philanthropy Initiative (MPI) at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy will offer a yearly doctoral dissertation fellowship of $5,000. The goals of this fellowship are to contribute to building the field and supporting early scholars in their study of Muslim philanthropy and/or civil society.

The fellowship is intended to support any phase upon completion of your Ph.D. coursework. Once a scholar receives the Fellowship, they will not be eligible to receive the fellowship again.

Application information

Applications will open in September. Applications, along with all requested documents, are due by February 1, 2024. Notification of the award will be made in late spring.

Apply

Required criteria for applicants

Applicants for the MPI Dissertation Fellowship must:

• Be a candidate for a Ph.D. degree at a graduate school in the United States.
• Have completed all Ph.D. coursework

What to submit

• Application form
  • Including a dissertation abstract no longer than 200 words summarizing your topic and its relevance to Muslim philanthropy and civil society
• A summary of the dissertation project (around 5 pages), which includes:
  • A brief description of the project
  • The main research questions to be addressed
  • A description of how the research will contribute to the understanding of Muslim philanthropy and civil society
  • A description of the conceptual or theoretical framework that will guide the research
  • A short review of relevant literature indicating how the research will build upon existing work in the field, or how the research will pioneer a neglected area
  • A selected bibliography no longer than two pages, double spaced
  • A statement indicating how the $5,000 award will be used
• Transcript from the graduate school which will award the Ph.D. degree.
• One letter of recommendation from your dissertation advisor (share this link with your advisor to upload his or her letter)