Eligibility
The Chase Family Grant for Visiting Graduate Scholars provides up to $2000 to defer the travel expenses of conducting research in the P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History at the George A. Smathers Library, University of Florida. Applicants should be enrolled in a graduate program leading to the masters or doctoral degree and actively engaged in research on Florida history or research that incorporates Florida as a major focus. In determining recipients, preference is given to students coming from outside of the State of Florida (or who must travel more than 100 miles) and who require on-site access to library materials.
Study of all topics in Florida history is welcome. Past recipients have focused on agricultural history and the Florida citrus industry, the Civil War and Reconstruction in Florida, indigenous and colonial societies, and environmental history. For a look at what recent visiting scholars have studied, please see the travel grant website at:
The most important consideration in evaluating applications is that researchers demonstrate a strong need for onsite access to the resources of the P.K. Yonge Library in order to fulfill a significant research component of their thesis or dissertation. Applicants should not apply to see sources that are available digitally in the University of Florida Digital Collections or that can be accessed at home institutions through interlibrary loan. It is a good idea to consult with the collection heads James Cusick (jgcusick@ufl.edu) and/or Bridget Bihm-Manuel (bmbm@ufl.edu) about materials relevant to your research.
Application Timeline
Opens Sunday, September 1, 2024
Closes Friday, November 1, 2024 at 5 PM EST
No late applications will be accepted
Announcement of Grant Awardees December 1, 2024
Research Requirements
Research must be conducted during Calendar Year 2025 and grant recipients must spend a minimum of one week (five working days) in Special Collections at the George A. Smathers Library. Awardees are required to submit a report describing their research visit (2-3 pp.) within thirty days of completing their visit. We also ask that awardees write a short note of thanks to the Chase family, funders of the grant, expressing how the grant benefitted research.
Funds will be disbursed following the research visit. Processing of funds usually takes 10 – 14 days
Procedures for Application
Please submit the following –
- a cover letter containing your contact information and the month in which you intend to work at the library at UF
- a letter of recommendation from your major professor
- a three-page proposal describing your research, the working title of the product you intend to create (thesis, book chapter, article, etc.) and the resources at the university library that you intend to use. If you have a lengthy list of resources, you can include them as an appendix and not count the list as part of the three-pages for describing your proposal
- a travel budget to indicate your expenses (transportation, lodging, per diem food, etc.)
- a current CV
Send applications by email to: jgcusick@ufl.edu (Head as “Attn. Chase Family Award”). Please use PDF or Word (Word-compatible) formats (standard margins, 12 point font, double-spaced).
All applications will be reviewed by a judging panel composed of archivists and historians at the University of Florida.
Receipt of applications will be acknowledged by email. If you have NOT received an email confirmation of you application five days after sending, please contact James Cusick at jgcusick@ufl.edu or 352-273-2778 to confirm that it arrived.
Award recipients are expected to acknowledge the Chase Family Grant where appropriate in any published work, thesis, or dissertation.
Other Information
The recipient is expected to spend one week (5 working days) in Gainesville in pursuit of their research and will submit a brief report on how their work at UF Libraries aided their research project. Prior to your research trip we will talk with you about options for hotels and travel arrangements. All materials will be available in the Special Collections Grand Reading Room, second floor, George A. Smathers Library, which is open Monday – Thursday, 9 AM to 6 PM and Friday 9 AM to 5 PM. Special Collections has no weekend hours although the main library is open seven days a week (see Library branch hours: https://libcal.uflib.ufl.edu/hours/).
Funds must be used within Calendar Year 2025. To receive awards, recipients will need to complete paperwork provided by the Libraries’ Business Services. It is recommended that you fill out paperwork in advance so that Library Business Services can issue their grants funds promptly.
If you have questions about the grant of application process, please contact the curator at jgcusick@ufl.edu .
We look forward to reading your proposal.
The University of Florida gratefully acknowledges the Chase family and patrons and donors of the Sydney O. Chase and Joshua C. Chase Endowment for their support in creating and maintaining this travel grant.