Graduate Funding Opportunities

Racial Equity in the Economy

We are interested in work with both an historical and contemporary focus, examining a broad range of policies and racial/ethnic groups, including, for example, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, and focused on racial/ethnic disparities as well as labor markets outside the US.

Inequality in Labor Markets

We are interested in work analyzing a broad range of labor market institutions (including unions, minimum wages, and unemployment insurance, among others) and wage-setting practices for their impact on wage inequality and low wage workers, in particular.

Through this round of funding, research grants up to $10,000 will be awarded to students working in the areas described above. Grant support can be used to cover activities such as: data purchasing costs, research-related travel (subject to the University’s permissible travel guidelines), and other activities to support research. Awards are intended to support activities taking place during Spring and Summer 2026. If you have any questions on how to apply, please contact Laura Hedden (lhedden@princeton.edu).

Requirements and expectations:

• Students will be expected to provide occasional updates and presentations related to their work.
• Students may be asked to produce a short (2-5 page) report on their work at the end of the grant period (Summer 2026), detailing how the funds were used, any findings emerging from the work, policy implications, outstanding questions, etc. A template for these reports will be distributed closer to the end of the grant period.

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be actively enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Economics and not on leave or in absentia during the grant period

To apply, please go to this application form and submit the following materials:

1. Title of your project
2. Name of your advisor or faculty mentor on the project
3. Amount you are requesting
4. Short (1-paragraph) description of your project
5. Timeline for your research (remember that all activities must take place before August 31, 2026)
6. Two-page Letter of Interest describing your proposed research project; the question or problem addressed by your research project; expected contribution to the literature; your proposed methodological approach (including data sources and research design); and what you hope to achieve with the funding by August 2026 (benchmarks along the way to a longer-term goal here are fine)
7. CV
8. Current transcript (can be unofficial)

Deadlines:

• All materials must be submitted by December 15, 2025. Decisions will be communicated by January 9, 2026.