About this opportunity
The Franklin program is one of the oldest research support schemes in the United States and it is deliberately unfashionable about what it funds: the practical cost of getting to a source and reading it. The Society states that the grants are designed to help meet the costs of travel to libraries and archives for research, the purchase of microfilm, photocopies or equivalent research materials, the costs associated with fieldwork, or laboratory research expenses. The work must be noncommercial research, and awards are made to the individual rather than to a university.
The test for acceptance is achievement rather than nationality. Applicants are expected to hold a doctorate or to have published work of doctoral character and quality, and PhD candidates are not eligible, although the Society says it is particularly interested in supporting young scholars who have recently received the doctorate. Independent scholars and faculty members at both four year and two year institutions are welcome to apply provided every guideline is met. On geography the position is set out in the Society’s own FAQ: applicants may be residents of the United States, whether American citizens or foreign nationals or permanent residents affiliated with a US institution, or American citizens resident abroad, and they may apply to carry out projects anywhere in the world. Foreign nationals not affiliated with a US institution are eligible to apply for projects to be carried out in the United States. That is the route that matters for a Nigerian or other African researcher: you may apply in your own right, and the funded work takes place in US libraries, archives or field sites. Anyone who has held a Franklin grant before may reapply after an interval of two years.
Awards reach a maximum of USD 7,000 and are not retroactive. The Society is explicit about what the money will not do. It will not pay for attending conferences, cover publication costs, provide overhead or indirect costs to any institution, or pay income tax on the award, which the Society notes is taxable income. Grants may not replace salary during a leave of absence or earnings from summer teaching, may not cover living expenses while working at home, may not pay consultants or research assistants and may not buy permanent equipment such as computers, cameras, tape recorders or laboratory apparatus. The application itself is written to fixed character limits, including 5500 characters for the project description, 1500 for the bibliography, 3000 for the reasons behind the requested budget and 5500 for each letter of support.
Two rounds run each year and the first has already closed. Applications and two letters of support were due on 1 October 2026 for a January 2027 decision covering work from February 2027 through January 2028. The live round closes on 1 December 2026 for a March 2027 decision, with funded work running from April 2027 through January 2028. Everything goes in through the Society’s online application portal, and awarded researchers must file project and financial reports one month after completing the funded portion of the work.
What you receive
- Up to USD 7,000 paid directly to the individual researcher
- Travel to libraries and archives for research is a funded cost
- Microfilm, photocopies and equivalent research materials can be bought with the grant
- Fieldwork costs and laboratory research expenses are covered
- The award is made to you rather than to your institution, so no overhead is taken
- A decision in March 2027 supports work running from April 2027 through January 2028
- One application also carries your request for the APS British Academy Fellowship exchange in London, subject to that programme’s own dates
Who can apply
- Applicant holds a doctorate or has published work of doctoral character and quality
- Applicant may be an independent scholar or a faculty member at a four year or two year research or non research institution
- US residents, whether American citizens or foreign nationals or permanent residents affiliated with a US institution, and American citizens living abroad may apply for projects anywhere in the world
- Foreign nationals not affiliated with a US institution may apply for projects to be carried out in the United States
- Previous Franklin grant holders may reapply after an interval of two years
- The research must be noncommercial
- Two letters of support must be submitted with the application by the closing date
Who should not apply
- PhD candidates are not eligible to apply
- Grants are not retroactive, so work already finished cannot be funded
- The award will not meet the expenses of attending conferences or the costs of publication
- No overhead or indirect costs are paid to any institution, and the grant is not to be used to pay income tax on the award
- Funds may not replace salary during a leave of absence or earnings from summer teaching
- Funds may not cover living expenses while working at home, or pay consultants or research assistants
- Funds may not purchase permanent equipment such as computers, cameras, tape recorders or laboratory apparatus
- Applications received after 1 December 2026 fall into a later round rather than this one
Documents to prepare
- A project description of up to 5500 characters
- A bibliography of up to 1500 characters
- A list of publications pertinent to the project, up to 2000 characters, and unrelated publications up to 1500 characters
- A statement of the reasons for the requested budget, up to 3000 characters
- Two letters of support that address the specific project rather than the applicant in general
- Details of foreign languages relevant to the work, up to 500 characters, and any additional relevant information, up to 500 characters
How to apply
- Read the full programme page at https://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/franklin-research-grants, including the Scope section that lists what the grant will and will not pay for.
- Confirm which geographic route you are applying under. If you are a foreign national with no affiliation to a US institution, the project must be carried out in the United States.
- Open an account and complete the Franklin application in the Society’s online portal at https://aps.onlineapplicationportal.com/.
- Write the project description to the published character limits and build a budget that only claims travel, copying, fieldwork and laboratory costs.
- Ask two referees to submit letters that speak directly to the project you have described, since the Society warns that generic or overlong letters are truncated.
- Submit the application and both letters by 1 December 2026 to be considered in the March 2027 round.
- If you are awarded the grant, plan to file the project and financial reports one month after finishing the funded portion of the work.
Selection process
- Applications and the two letters of support are considered together by the Society’s committees
- The 1 December 2026 closing produces a March 2027 decision for work beginning in April 2027 and running through January 2028
- Instructions for reporting are provided with the notification of an award
Sources and verification
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Questions applicants ask
Do I need to be a US citizen?
No. The Society states that US residents of any nationality, American citizens living abroad, and foreign nationals not affiliated with a US institution may all apply. The last group must carry out the funded research in the United States.
Can a PhD candidate apply?
No. Candidates still working on the doctorate are not eligible, but the Society says it is particularly interested in supporting young scholars who have recently received the doctorate.
What can the money be spent on?
Travel to libraries and archives for research, microfilm, photocopies or equivalent research materials, fieldwork costs and laboratory research expenses. It cannot pay for conferences, publication, overheads, consultants, assistants, living expenses at home or permanent equipment.
When does the round close?
Applications and two letters of support are due by 1 December 2026 for a March 2027 decision covering work from April 2027 through January 2028.
Can I apply again if I have had a Franklin grant before?
Yes, after an interval of two years from the previous award.
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