Award Process

Congratulations on receiving Graduate Student Research Funding from the King Center on Global Development! The information below outlines the steps and requirements for managing your award.

Please review this page carefully before requesting funds. Award funds must be used for the approved research activities and within the approved award period.

Step 1: Accept Your Award

Within two weeks of receiving your award letter, complete the Award Agreement Form. You will be asked to provide:

Updated budget: If needed, revise your budget to reflect the amount of funding awarded using the revised/approved budget template.
100-word research abstract: Make any necessary edits to the abstract you submitted in your application.
Short biography: If needed, update your biography, written in third person, for the King Center website.
Headshot: Upload a headshot photograph for the King Center website.
SU-18 Patent and Copyright Agreement: Confirm that you have signed the SU-18 Patent Agreement and Copyright Agreement. You can sign these agreements electronically through the legal section located in the footer of your Axess account page.
Award Terms and Conditions: Review and accept the terms and conditions of the award.

Step 2: Complete Compliance / IRB Requirements

Before beginning research activities that require approval, make sure you have completed all applicable Stanford compliance requirements.

Human Subjects Research

If your project involves human subjects, obtain the required IRB approval before beginning the research.

For more information, review the IRB Workshop video, IRB handout and IRB presentation.

Travel and Field Research

If your project involves travel or field research, complete any required university approvals before beginning your research. See Stanford's research guidance for more information.

Step 3: Use Your Award Funds

Award Period

Award funds are expected to be spent within 12 months of the initial award.
You must be registered at Stanford in the quarter in which you receive funds.
If your research plans change or you need additional time, see Revision Requests and Extension Requests below.

Stipends and Contracts

Depending on the type of expense, award funds may be disbursed through either:

Stipend: Funds will be paid by direct deposit to support eligible research expenses.
Contract: Stanford pays an eligible external vendor or provider directly.

Travel awards are not eligible to be disbursed via contracts and must be disbursed through stipends.

Stipends

You may request up to two stipend disbursements during your award period.

To request funds:

To request funds, complete a Stipend Disbursement Request form (first request and second request).
Attach a completed budget to your disbursement request detailing all the expenses that will be covered by the stipend using the expenditures budget template.
After submitting a stipend request, you can typically expect to receive funds via the Graduate Funding System (GFS) in approximately ten business days. Funds are deposited directly into your bank account; make sure direct deposit is set up in Axess.

Contracts

Some research expenses must be paid directly to an external provider through Stanford's procurement process rather than reimbursed with a stipend.

For information about eligible contract expenses and the contracting process, see the GSRF Contract Process page.

Track Your Spending

Use the Student Budget Tracker to monitor your award balance and track your expenses throughout the award period.

★ Revision Requests

We recognize that your research design may change from your initial application based on feedback from research partners, advisors, and peers, and evolving circumstances at your research site.

If you need to make substantive changes to your approved research design or budget:

Discuss the proposed changes with your faculty advisor.
Obtain your advisor’s approval.
Submit a Research Revision Request form.
Wait for King Center approval before making the proposed changes or requesting funds for the revised activities.

Submitting a revision request does not guarantee approval.

★ Extension Requests

While funds are expected to be spent within 12 months of your initial award, if you need more time to complete your research, you may request a no-cost extension by submitting an Extension Request form.
Submitting an extension request does not guarantee approval.
All research activities, expenditures, and reporting requirements must be completed before you graduate or leave Stanford.

Step 4: Complete Your Award

You are required to submit an update on your research and a final budget. Submit your information via the Final Report and Budget Submission Form. Your submission must include:

Final budget documenting your actual expenses using the final budget template.
Research update, written in non-technical language, including:
- Your Research topic and a brief summary of the activities funded by your award
- The current stage of the research, key findings, and emerging impacts
- How the King Center award contributed to your research
- Next steps and future plans that may be of interest to donors
- Your future academic and/or professional plans
- Several digital photographs highlighting your research, if possible

Step 5: Acknowledge King Center Support

In your dissertation, as well as working papers and any resulting publications, acknowledge that your research was supported by the Stanford King Center on Global Development’s Graduate Student Research Funding. See the acknowledgment guidelines for appropriate language.

You may also be invited to present your work at a workshop or seminar organized by the King Center. In addition, we encourage all funding recipients to present a poster at the annual Global Development Research Symposium.

Frequently Asked Questions

Stipends may be taxable income. Your tax obligations depend on your individual circumstances, including total income, dependency status, and, for international students, tax treaty status.

International students may have taxes withheld before stipend funds are released.
Residents of certain countries may be eligible for reduced federal tax withholding under a tax treaty.
For additional information, Student Services, Student Financial Services, the Bechtel International Center, and Stanford’s Fingate provide additional tax information.
For questions about tax withholding, tax treaties, or tax forms, submit a Support Request.
The King Center cannot provide individual tax advice. Please consult Stanford's tax resources or a qualified tax professional regarding your specific circumstances.

If your award includes research-related travel, review Stanford's travel requirements before making arrangements.

Booking Travel

Using the Stanford Travel Program can simplify travel record-keeping and provide access to Stanford travel support. Available booking channels include:

Travel booked through Stanford Travel is automatically forwarded to the Stanford Travel Registry.

If you book travel outside Stanford Travel channels, you must use Stanford's itinerary-forwarding service to register your itinerary with the university.

See Stanford Travel Updates and Hot Topics for current information.

Travel Planning

When booking research travel:

Hotels: Flexible cancellation policies, even if they cost more, are recommended to avoid potential loss of funds if your plans change. Review Stanford’s lodging policy.
Airfare: Choose a reasonably priced itinerary that meets your research needs. Non-refundable fares are generally preferred when they offer a meaningful cost savings. Selecting the most direct flight route is encouraged, even if it is more expensive, to reduce travel time and environmental impact. See Stanford's airfare policy.

If you have questions about research-related travel—especially if you are inexperienced with university travel or your destination—contact globalrisk@stanford.edu for guidance and consult with your faculty mentor.

You can submit your funding disbursement before you begin incurring expenses if you are ready to begin making plans for the work funded by this award. Using the budget template, please estimate your total expected expenses noting what the requested funds will be used for as well as the timeline of expenditures. Please note that you may only make one request for funding per quarter.

No, we do not need your receipts; a stipend is provided instead of the King Center processing reimbursements. We ask that you request the amount needed using the fund disbursement budget template and share how you will use, or have used, your funds in your final budget.

No funds will be disbursed for a contract until the awardee obtains IRB approval. The King Center on Global Development has no jurisdiction over the IRB process and can not comment on the specifics of your approval or denial. If you have specific questions on the university’s IRB guidelines, please contact the Research Compliance Office directly.

You may choose to use personal funding to book your travel in advance of IRB approval (you can use Stanford Travel channels) and reimburse yourself through a stipend but your King Center research funding will not be processed until your IRB is approved and submitted to the King Center.

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Contact Information and Support

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

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