Georgetown Democracy Initiative Democracy Research Grants

Georgetown Democracy Initiative (GDI) Democracy Research Grants support research-related expenses. These grants aim to encourage Georgetown University faculty and students to conduct research focused on democracy in the United States and around the world. GDI administers one research grant competition each year in the fall semester.

Please email democracy@georgetown.edu with any questions.

General Information

Research activities eligible for funding include travel to conduct research, field research (e.g., supporting the fielding of a survey), the purchase of datasets, research assistance, and translation services.

Preference is given to proposals for collaborative research that connects faculty and students across Georgetown centers and programs.

For faculty, preference is given to proposals that involve students as research assistants, to proposals that raise Georgetown’s research profile among a broader public, and to proposals that indicate plans to leverage GDI support in pursuit of future funding.

The research proposed by student applicants must be associated with a specific curricular requirement (specifically, a dissertation, required M.A. project, or undergraduate thesis).

Eligibility

All Georgetown University full-time faculty (tenure-line and non-tenure line), and all Georgetown University full-time undergraduate and graduate students, are eligible to submit a proposal for a Democracy Research Grant.

Proposal Requirements

Proposals should not exceed 8 pages (excluding bibliography and addenda) for faculty, and 5 pages for students, single spaced with 12pt. font and one-inch margins. Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

Proposals should include:

CV, including name and contact information of proposer (3 pages max for faculty; 2 pages max for student applicants)

For student applicants: Unofficial Georgetown University transcript (does not count towards page count)

List of any collaborators, including names, affiliations, and brief bios (1 page)

Project description that includes (5 pages max for faculty; 2 pages max for student applicants):

Statement of project goals
Statement of project contribution to applicant’s intellectual trajectory: For faculty applicants: how project contributes to proposer's scholarly trajectory; For student applicants: how project contributes to student’s academic trajectory
Clear description of the research activities to be undertaken
Timeline for the research activities
Description of the academic merit and contributions of the project
Discussion of expected results and deliverables
Discussion of when and where findings will be presented
Bibliography (does not count towards page count)

Project Budget that includes (1 page):

A detailed, itemized budget
A clear discussion and justification of how and when all funds will be used; each budget item should be clearly addressed.
An indication of the source and amount of other funding the applicant has to support the research

Student applicants should also arrange for the faculty advisor of the research being proposed to submit a letter of recommendation, by the proposal deadline noted below, to this email address: GDI_Res.94jiwb4m0a0gb8zc@u.box.com

This email account is not associated with a person and will not respond to messages. Nothing written in the body of emails sent to this address will be seen or read by the evaluation committee.

Amount and Use of Funds

Proposals may request up to $2,500. We encourage and welcome proposals requesting less than $2,500. The evaluation committee will pay particular attention to how the proposer has justified the use of funds.

Funds must be used for the purposes outlined in the grant proposal. Grantees who wish to re-purpose funds may request to do so; such requests must include a clear justification. The Georgetown Democracy Initiative will consider such requests on a case-by-case basis.

Proposed work must be completed by September 1, 2026.

Funds that are not spent during the grant period are forfeited and should be returned to GDI.

Submission and Selection Process

Proposals should be submitted as one continuous PDF to this email address: GDI_Res.94jiwb4m0a0gb8zc@u.box.com

This email address is not associated with a person, and will not respond to messages. Nothing written in the body of emails sent to this address will be seen or read by the evaluation committee.

Proposals are due on Monday, October 20, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. ET.

All proposals will undergo rigorous review by an interdisciplinary evaluation committee.

Evaluation criteria include:

Academic merit and contributions of the project: Successful proposals will clearly reference and describe the theoretical, empirical, and/or methodological contribution of the project being proposed.
Clarity of description of how research will be conducted and how it will lead to the asserted academic merit and contributions.
Feasibility of research with available resources and in identified time period.
Quality of the written proposal itself.
Soundness and appropriateness of budget given proposed activities.

Preference will be given to proposals that:

Connect faculty across Georgetown centers and programs.
Involve students as research assistants.
Raise Georgetown's research profile among a broader public.
Indicate plans to leverage GDI support to seek future funding.

Decisions will be announced by November 15, 2025.

Funds Disbursal Process

For Faculty

If your project entails international travel, please be sure that you abide by Georgetown’s international travel policy.

If your project entails human subjects research, in order for funds to be disbursed you will need to provide confirmation from Georgetown’s Institutional Review Board that your project has been approved. Information on securing approval for a research project is available on Georgetown’s Institutional Review Board website.

For Students

Student awardees will need to provide three forms of documentation prior to funds disbursement:

Confirmation from Georgetown that you are registered as a supplier with the university, including your supplier registration number. If you have not yet completed the process to become a supplier with Georgetown University, you can do so by following these instructions: Georgetown University Supplier Registration

If your project entails international travel, proof that you have secured International Travel Authorization from Georgetown. Please find information on Georgetown’s international travel policy here: International Travel Policy and Compliance

If your project entails human subjects research, a confirmation letter from Georgetown’s Institutional Review Board that your project has been approved. Please find information on securing approval for a research project from Georgetown’s Institutional Review Board here: Institutional Review Board

Deliverables and Presentation

During the fall 2026 semester, grantees will be offered the opportunity to present their research on a panel that will form part of the GDI Speaker Series.

By December 31, 2026, grantees should submit to GDI:

All research products discussed in the proposal and any others created.
A 250-word description of the research summarizing the results to be posted on the GDI website.