Anderson Grants

For consideration, projects must be related to the field of political science, politics, policy, international relations, or public law and be academic in nature or have an applied component relevant to the student’s major in Politics or UEP. Anderson grants are awarded to Politics and UEP majors only, on a competitive basis via an application process.

What are Anderson Grants?

• An Anderson Grant is awarded in the amount of $2000 or less during the academic year (between September and May), excluding winter break and excluding the summer.
• Students seeking support for internships or academic projects over winter break or the summer should apply for an Anderson Fellowship or a Reath, McKelvey, and Caldwell Fellowship. 
• Graduating seniors are only eligible for Anderson Grants when the project will be fully completed prior to the graduation date. 

What projects and activities does the Anderson Grant support?

• Senior comprehensive research
• Travel to a conference in the field of Politics or UEP
• Independent research in conjunction with a Politics or UEP course
• Independent research supervised by a Politics or UEP professor
• Travel to an internship in the fields of Politics or UEP

What expenses can the Anderson Grant cover?

• The Anderson Grants operate as reimbursements for expenses incurred: they are not cash awards. Students will need to submit a budget with their application. 
• Anderson Grants can cover conference fees; travel (e.g., airfare, train fare) and lodging; and other research-related activities (e.g., admission to a museum, data acquisition, accessing an archive). In exceptional circumstances, the grant may cover purchase of research materials when these materials are definitively unavailable through Interlibrary Loan. 

Are there any restrictions on receiving Anderson support?

• The Anderson Fund does not provide support for volunteer or community service nor does the Fund support donations to non-profit organizations. 
• The Anderson Fund does not provide salary support for internships, but it will cover  expenses.
• Students are limited to a maximum of two Department of Politics awards per academic year (grants and fellowships).
• Students may receive Anderson Fund support only three times in their academic career (grants and fellowships).
• For projects requiring approval from the Human Subjects Research Review Committee (HSRRC), the HSRRC approval process must be initiated at the time of the Anderson application. 

What are the deadlines for Anderson Grant support?

For consideration, all Anderson Grant materials must be received at least 14 days calendar days prior to commencement of project (applications will be accepted 7 calendar days prior if solely seeking support to attend a conference)

What are the components of Anderson Grant Application?  

• All applications require a cover sheet. Download the cover sheet.  
• All applications require a 2-page, double-spaced project statement that: (1) describes the project; (2) explains the project’s clear connection to theoretical and/or empirical questions raised in the fields of political science, politics, policy or public law; and (3) explains the learning goals of the project in relation to these questions. This project statement should be professional, academic and formal in tone, and cite academic and scholarly sources. 
• All applications require a budget using the our budget form. Download the budget form. Please note that budgets that are incompletely researched or justified will be returned for revision. 
• Applications may require supporting materials, such as copies of conference announcements or letters confirming internship placements. 
• For students seeking support in the amount of $500 or less: submit (1) cover sheet; (2) project statement; (3) budget; and (4) any supporting materials. 
• For students seeking support between $501-$2000: submit (1) cover sheet; (2) project statement; (3) budget; (4) a one-page double spaced personal statement; (5) any supporting materials. Students must also ensure that a faculty member submits a recommendation form. Ask your faculty member to download and complete the recommendation form.
  • The one-page double spaced personal statement should explain how the project fits into the student’s academic or professional goals at Occidental College and beyond. 
  • The recommendation form must be submitted on-time for an application to be considered complete. Applications without the recommendation form will not be considered complete and will not be reviewed until the recommendation form is submitted
• Incomplete applications will not be accepted for any reason. 

What is a complete Anderson Grant application?

For projects under $500:

1. Cover sheet
2. Project statement
3. Budget
4. Any supporting materials 

For projects between $501-and $2000:

1. Cover sheet
2. Project statement
3. Personal statement
4. Budget
5. Faculty recommendation
6. Any supporting materials 

How do I submit my application?

• Students should submit a completed application via email.
• The email should contain each component as an attachment. Prepare each component as an individual file in Microsoft Word or PDF, labeled as follows: “Lastname_Component” (for example, “Jones_CoverPage” and “Jones_PersonalStatement”). Only Word (.docx) and PDF are accepted.
• Send all files as attachments in a single email to Romy Corona at rcorona@oxy.edu. 
• All documents should be prepared in a professional manner, with the student’s name appearing on each page.
• For students applying for grants in the amount of $501 or higher, please ask your faculty member to send the recommendation form directly to Romy Corona at rcorona@oxy.edu. This preserves confidentiality.

What do I do after receiving my Anderson Fund support? 

  Before beginning the project:

• Read the document "FAQ for Acceptable Expenditures” and familiarize yourself with the reporting rules and requirements listed below (under “after completing the project”). Specifically, after completing the project, you will be required to return any funds for which (a) you do not have receipts or (b) fall outside the range of acceptable expenditures.  
• If applicable, obtain final HSRRC approval. Funds will not be released until final approval for the project has been obtained from HSRRC.
• If your project requires travel abroad, complete the pre-clearance process with the International Programs Office. Funds will not be released until IPO notifies Romy Corona that pre-clearance was completed. 

After completing the project:

• Submit your receipts and the budget reconciliation worksheet, using our form. Download the budget reconciliation worksheet. Receipts must be presented to support all expenses documented in the Budget Reconciliation Worksheet. Recall that receipts not meeting these guidelines will not be accepted, and may require return of the funds. (Original receipts should be kept by the student for tax purposes; photocopies of receipts must be submitted as part of the final report.) ​
• A failure to submit copies of receipts will disqualify students from consideration of future funding and will require the student to return the funds. Failure to follow the rules and procedures for acceptable expenditures can also cause the student to return the entirety of the Anderson funds. In some cases, these violations can also cause delay in receipt of the diploma.  
• Students who do not utilize their entire Anderson Grant will be required to return unused funds.

​Who can I contact with questions?

• Assistant Professor of Politics Isaac Hale halei@oxy.edu