The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation awards grants of up to $2,000 each in support of research in the holdings of the Gerald R. Ford Library. A grant defrays travel, living, and photocopy expenses of a research trip to the Ford Library. Overseas applicants are welcome to apply, but they will be responsible for the costs of travel between their home country and North America. The grants only cover travel within North America.

Library collections focus on Federal policies, U.S. foreign relations, and national politics in the 1960s and 1970s. There are earlier and later materials depending upon your topic

How do I apply?
You may download the application in Microsoft Word format. Before you apply, please contact the Library for information about holdings related to your project. To apply, please send the application form, a vita, and a two or three-page project proposal to the Library by mail, fax, or e-mail. The proposal should provide both a description of the project and the ways in which Ford Library resources can advance the research. Ask three professional references to send supporting letters of recommendation by mail, fax, or e-mail. As long as your application is received by the deadline (see below), letters of recommendation will be accepted at any point before the meeting of the Grants Screening Committee (usually several weeks after the deadline).

Contact information: William H. McNitt Grants Coordinator Gerald R. Ford Library 1000 Beal Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Telephone: (734) 205-0557 Fax: (734) 205-0571 E-mail

When are the application deadlines?
Awards are made twice yearly. Application deadlines are MARCH 15 and SEPTEMBER 15. If you submit your application by mail, it must be postmarked by the deadline. You may submit applications at any time, and those received too late for one round will automatically be considered in the next.

How and when are grants awarded?
Selection criteria are pertinence of "open" Library holdings, project significance, appropriateness of project design, and applicant qualifications. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation typically authorizes $30,000-$35,000 for grants each year.

The Grants Coordinator will notify grant recipients about two months after the deadline. Grants must support research conducted after the awards are announced and will not be awarded retroactively for research already conducted. The Library staff presents the grant check when the recipient arrives to begin research.

Grant recipients must begin Ford Library research within one year of receiving an award notice, acknowledge Foundation support in the resulting publication(s), and donate to the Library a copy of the publication(s).

What other grants are available through the Gerald R. Ford Library?
The "Gerald R. Ford Scholar Award (Dissertation Award) in Honor of Robert Teeter" in the amount of $5,000 is given annually to one individual to support dissertation research on an aspect of the U.S. political process during the latter part of the twentieth century. See details about the award.