Requirements

College/School Eligibility:

  • Arts and Sciences

Class Year Eligibility:

  • First Year (undergrad)
  • Second Year (undergrad)
  • Third Year (undergrad)

Open to:

  • Cornell Undergraduate Students

How to Apply

To apply, please submit the following materials via email to Jewish Studies by February 15. Supporting documents should be sent as email attachments in one of the following file formats: .pdf; .doc; .docx; .xls; or .xlsx. Please use subject heading: Jewish Studies Travel Grant.

  • Application form signed by the applicant
  • Project description (Maximum: 700 words)
    Please describe the planned research or study, location and dates, supervisors' names if relevant, and number of course credits you will receive, if any. How will participating in this project contribute to your development in the field of Jewish Studies? What skills will you acquire, and how will these aid your educational goals? Why is this the best program for your academic development?
  • Budget (Maximum: 1 page)
    Please provide a breakdown of funds requested, and a justification for expenses. Budgets should be broken down into the following categories, as needed: Transportation, Lodging, Meals, Class/Project Expenses, and Research Expenses. If you are requesting tuition, be sure to indicate which institution, if any, will be awarding course credit. Please list any additional sources and amounts of funding (other than from Jewish Studies) that you have received or to which you have applied or intend to apply. Be clear about the amount you are requesting from Jewish Studies.
  • Cornell transcript including most recent Fall semester grades (unofficial transcript is acceptable)
  • Letter of Support (300-word maximum) from the student’s academic advisor or another faculty member should be emailed directly to Jason Mokhtarian by February 15

Please direct any questions to Jason Sion Mokhtarian, Director of the Jewish Studies Program.

Information for Recipients

Final Report

Upon completion of the funded research, recipients must provide a written report, and 1-2 images of themselves in the field or involved in research activities. Reports (250-500 words) must be submitted no later than October 1 to Jewish Studies.

Promotion of the Grant Program

By accepting the grant, recipients give permission to the Jewish Studies program to share news about the award. Jewish Studies may include recipient photograph(s) and/or text from the final report on the Jewish Studies website, across its social media platforms, and in its promotion of the grant program.

Reporting Expenses

Funds received through the Jewish Studies Program may be received as an advance through the student’s Bursar Account (with receipts submitted after research is complete), as reimbursement for submitted receipts, through direct purchase of equipment and supplies, or as a combination of these methods. Successful applicants should meet with Tracy Gavich to make the necessary arrangements.

The Cornell University Accounting Office Requires Documentation for All Awards. Documentation accounting for all expenditures related to the award MUST be filed with Jewish Studies upon completion of fieldwork and return to Cornell University. For Summer 2023 projects, a full account of the funds spent must be submitted no later than October 1 to Jewish Studies. Any awardee who fails to provide adequate documentation, will be financially responsible for repaying all award amounts to the university.

Jewish Studies requires that awardees provide proof that Jewish Studies funds were used for approved academic purposes. For equipment, services, big-ticket transportation items, and lodging, individual receipts are necessary. For per diem meal and incidental expenses, Jewish Studies will need a statement about which days were spent on location; for personal vehicle use, we will need a list of days driven and daily mileage amounts. Awardees should not submit individual meal receipts, or receipts for gasoline purchases.

For expenses incurred outside the United States, should such travel be approved, awardees will need to provide a document with conversions to U.S. dollars for each individual receipt (using daily exchange rates). It may be easiest to provide Jewish Studies with a spreadsheet indicating dates, individual expenses, and U.S. dollar equivalents. An English translation must be provided for each receipt in a foreign language.

Please note that research and travel funds students receive as advances or reimbursement may be reported as taxable income.