Grants for Metaphysics Writing

Metaphysics is an academic field related to physics and philosophy that focuses on the state of being in the physical world. Compared to other related sciences, both research projects and writing projects in metaphysics are typically underfunded by mainstream sources of funding. Grant funding for metaphysics writing is available from a few independent nonprofit sources, although some projects in metaphysics writing may be eligible for federal funding for the humanities.

Foundational Questions Institute

The Foundational Questions Institute is a nonprofit organization that supports research in the foundations of physics, metaphysics and cosmology which is unlikely to receive mainstream support. Grants awarded by this organization encourage research in the field of metaphysics and helps pay for publication of related works and essays created by grant recipients. Foundational Question Institute's Mini-Grant program offers up to $15,000 for smaller projects, including the development of lectures, workshop programs or metaphysics writing projects.

The Ammonius Foundation

Metaphysics writers can benefit from grant programs available through the Ammonius Foundation, an organization that promotes research and writing in both metaphysics and philosophical theology. The Ammonius Foundation's Younger Scholars Prize for Metaphysics awards $8,000 to a student of metaphysics who is within 10 years of receiving his doctorate degree. Scholarship applicants must submit an essay related to metaphysics; winning essays are printed in the Oxford Studies in Metaphysics trade journal. The Ammonius Foundation also sponsors foundational grants and smaller target grants for larger metaphysics writing projects.

American Philosophical Society

Although not a mainstream topic in philosophy, metaphysics writing projects may be eligible for grant funding or fellowships through the American Philosophical Society. Philosophical writing projects in metaphysics may qualify for the APS/British Academy Fellowship for Research, which funds a one- to two-month research project at the British Academy in London, or a Franklin Research Grant, which awards from $1,000 to $6,000 for research writing in any area of knowledge which is intended for publication. The American Philosophical Society awarded more than $700,000 in grants to 150 different scholars during the 2010-11 fiscal year.

National Endowment for the Humanities

The National Endowment for the Humanities is a government agency offering grant and fellowship programs for writing projects in the humanities, including metaphysics. The NEH's fellowship program supports advanced research in the humanities, allowing an individual to perform full-time research for anywhere from six to 12 months. Fellowship stipends offer an approved fellow $4,200 per night, up to $50,400 for a twelve-month period. This fellowship program was awarded to two scholars involved in metaphysics writing projects in December 2010.

References

• Foundational Questions Institute: 2010 Request for Proposals
• The Ammonius Foundation: About Us: Mission Statement
• The Ammonius Foundation: Younger Scholars Prize for Metaphysics
• American Philosophical Society: Fellowships & Grants
• National Endowment for the Humanities: Fellowships
• National Endowment for the Humanities: NEH Fellowships; Dec. 2010

Resources

• Foundational Questions Institute: Contact
• The Ammonius Foundation: Contact Us
• National Endowment for the Humanities: Contact NEH