The number of grants we support each year is dependent upon the quality of proposals received. Have an alternative plan in case your proposal is not funded.
Our mission is to promote an understanding of the historic relationships between the United States and Austria. Therefore, funding proposals should be transatlantic in scope. We rarely fund projects that do not involve both countries or, at least, link the Habsburg Empire and the United States.
BIAAS funding can be used for research anywhere necessary for the project, even if it is not physically in the United States or Austria. Several former grantees have utilized archives in other Habsburg successor states and the archives of international organizations in other European countries and elsewhere.
Projects pertaining to the Habsburg Empire’s successor states and their relationship to the United States are eligible, but the ties between countries formerly part of the empire and post-1918 Austria were less relevant by the outbreak of World War II. For projects on Central and Eastern Europe that do not engage with Austria itself, you must make a compelling case that Austro-Hungarian legacies are significant in this later time period.
We accept applications until March 31 for projects that start and end during the grant year, from September 1 to August 31. You are welcome to apply for research you will do during the summer next year, but it would be too late to apply for funding for the forthcoming summer.
Because expenses vary greatly depending on where one is doing research (as well as other factors), we do not have default numbers. Instead, we prefer customized estimates. Most applicants do an internet search using the likely dates and locations of their research travel to determine an appropriate estimate for airfare and lodging expenses. Unreasonable estimates (luxury accommodations, first class or business class travel, exorbitant food budgets) are not well received by the selection committee.
The maximum award period for a Botstiber grant is one year, beginning on September 1 and concluding August 31. Please write your budget and application such that the proposed work does not start before September 1 and that you are not requesting funding beyond August 31 of the following year.
Yes, but it must be clear exactly which expenses you plan to pay with Botstiber funds versus what you would pay from other sources. Having Botstiber fund those elements that are the most in line with our mission increases the chances for a successful application.
All expenses included in your grant budget should be directly related to the study of and production of information about Austrian-American studies. We do not fund salary replacement or an institution’s general operating expenses.
No. While you can use funds for consumable research supplies like photocopies, you may not use Botstiber funds to purchase durable items like a computer, printer, office furniture, recording equipment, etc.
You may reserve a limited portion of your BIAAS funds for an assistant. The necessity and role of the assistant must be thoroughly detailed in your proposal, and travel funding for research assistants is not eligible.
No. BIAAS funds may not be used to pay indirect overhead expenses to your institution.
BIAAS grants do not support salary replacement. Living expenses, however, may be funded for research-related travel only.
Former recipients of any BIAAS grant must submit and have their final report approved, documenting how a grant has been used, before becoming eligible to apply again for any BIAAS grant.
If you are a former grantee and you have not submitted your reports as required or you misused funds, you may be deemed ineligible to reapply.
No, BIAAS does not acquire intellectual or publishing rights for products of work supported by our grants.
Individuals who have received a grant award are not restricted from applying in the future. If an applicant has received funding in the past three years, preference will be placed on proposals from applicants who have not yet received a grant.
Research and project proposals may include financial support for no more than two research trips, except in cases where the proposed work could not be completed without the inclusion of an additional trip.