Application Process

Step 1: Application Preparation

Submissions should be single-spaced, use conventional margins, and be in 11-point font or larger.

Materials Needed

100-word project abstract
For travel awards, a one to two-page travel proposal: Upload a PDF that provides details on topics of interest, travel locations, any potential contacts, etc.
For exploratory awards, a proposal of no more than three pages and for advanced awards a proposal of no more than five pages: Upload a PDF that provides a cogent summary of the proposed research written in a manner clear to non-specialists. The selection committee is composed of a range of scholars and may not include specialists in the applicant's field. In the proposal, please address the following questions:
- What is the global development issue you are hoping to address?
- What is the study context?
- How will you organize the research effort so as to answer your question with a high level of confidence? Research design elements to consider include (but may not be limited to) sampling strategy, kinds of comparisons you plan to make, data sources and methods, timing of data collection, and how you propose to deal with potential threats to sound inference (e.g., confounding and bias).
- How will the project contribute to the academic literature? What is the potential for policy impact?
- What is the anticipated timeline (provide both the optimistic and pessimistic scenario)?
Detailed budget submitted using the King Center budget template and a budget justification. See more in step 2.
Faculty letters of nomination (one letter for travel and exploratory awards; two letters for advanced awards). These letters have the same deadline as the application and must be submitted by the faculty member through SOLO.
PDF of the applicant’s CV or resume
PDF of the applicant’s transcripts

Step 2: Budget with Justification

Applications must include detailed budgets justifying the funding requested. The selection process will emphasize “value for money,” and partial awards may also be made.

Please upload one PDF containing the budget and justification using the King Center budget template.
- Itemize budget with all research-related expenses.
  - List anticipated sources of funding. Indicate which items would be supported by these funds and which are covered by other sources. Note any other funding and whether other applications for funding have been submitted and/or awarded.

Appropriate Expense Categories

Travel costs (either domestic or international) associated with the proposed research
Other special project costs such as purchase of datasets, production of questionnaires and surveys, or human subject costs
Data entry or transcription costs
Hiring locally-based research assistants
Other activities directly related to the research (please give details)

Inappropriate Expense Categories

Payments to undergraduate students
Equipment purchase(s)
Travel costs for dependents and/or spouses
Childcare costs
Travel costs for job interviews
Travel costs to attend or present at professional conferences
Dissertation write-up grants
Health insurance
Course registration
Stanford tuition
Language training

Contracts and Purchase Orders

The budget template requests you to separate your expenses into travel and contract expenses.

For most non-travel expenses, award funds must be disbursed via the university procurement process, and a contract can and should be established—allowing funding to flow directly to the payee. Contracts should be used when:

Hiring non-Stanford-student RA(s) in an international location
Hiring an international consultant
Setting up a survey in international/domestic location
Paying for data set(s)

Contact the Programs Team Finance Associate (kingcenter_programs@stanford.edu) to discuss your project needs and next steps. You may be referred to Global Business Services to schedule a consultation prior to engaging with outside providers.

Learn more about the GSRF Contracts Roadmap, or watch the recording of Research Roadmap: Contracts Workshop.

Step 3: Request Recommendation Letters

Please provide the following instructions to your faculty recommendation letter writer(s), who should have reviewed your application materials prior to submission: Recommendation letters need not be long (one page is fine), but should include your assessment of the proposed research, how likely it is to lead to a successful dissertation chapter, and whether you are prepared to support the work as a faculty mentor.

Faculty recommendation letters have the same deadline as the graduate student application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their letter(s) of recommendation are submitted by the application deadline.

Students request recommendation letters within the application on the SOLO platform. A link is immediately sent to the faculty member, who can then upload the letter via SOLO. Letters should be submitted as PDF files.

Faculty may submit letters of recommendation at any time after receiving the link and do NOT have to wait for the student to complete and submit the application. This means that students, out of courtesy to the faculty, should initiate their application early enough to give advance notice to their recommenders, even if students plan to finalize the application closer to the deadline. We recommend inputting letter writer names at least two weeks before the deadline.

Please note:

One letter of recommendation is required for travel and exploratory awards.
Two letters of recommendation are required for advanced awards.

Step 4: Submitting Your Application

Contact Information and Support

If you have questions, reach out to kingcenter_programs@stanford.edu.