Apply for Research Funding from SAW
We invite proposals from graduate students and non-tenure-track scholars for two grants intended to support individual or engaged research.
The Society for the Anthropology of Work (SAW) invites proposals for two small grants intended to support research on the anthropology of work, broadly defined. Applicants may submit a proposal for only one of the two grant opportunities in a given funding cycle. The maximum amount to be disbursed across both grant programs in 2026 is $4000.
SAW Research Grants
Established in 2020, this grant supports individual research related to the anthropology of work. Many of our previous recipients have used the grant to support dissertation research. The maximum amount for each SAW Research Grant is $1500. These funds will be disbursed directly to the grant recipient and can be used for research expenses such as transportation (including mileage reimbursement), housing, meals, child care, and incidentals.
A SAW Research Grant proposal consists of: 1) a proposal narrative of no more than 1000 words, including an overview of the project and its relevance to the anthropology of work, as well as a description of the proposed research activities, and 2) an itemized budget. Please email both documents as attachments with your last name in the filenames and the subject line “SAW Research Grant Application” to cwalley@mit.edu.
SAW Engaged Research Grants
Introduced in 2024, this grant supports engaged research related to the anthropology of work. Applicants should be explicit about how they define engaged research, and reflexive with regard to axes of power, privilege, and positionality in describing their approach. Examples include but are not limited to community-based participatory action research, projects contributing to decolonizing the anthropology of work, and accompaniment, advocacy, or activist anthropology approaches. Applicants should also make clear what roles partners or collaborators will play in the research, from inception to execution to analysis and dissemination.
The maximum amount for each SAW Engaged Research Grant is $2500. These funds will be disbursed directly to the grant recipient and can be used for recipient research expenses such as transportation (including mileage reimbursement), housing, meals, child care, and incidentals, as well as expenses that build capacity among collaborators, which may include but are not limited to gift cards, honoraria, or stipends for individuals or community-based organizations, groups, collectives, and/or movements.
A SAW Engaged Research Grant proposal consists of: 1) a proposal narrative of no more than 1500 words, including a) an overview of the project and its relevance to the anthropology of work, as well as a description and timeline of proposed research activities, b) a statement explaining how the project’s conception, design, methods, and/or goals pursue an engaged approach and what roles research collaborators will play, and 2) an itemized budget. Please email both documents as attachments with your last name in the filenames and the subject line “SAW Engaged Research Grant Application” to cwalley@mit.edu.
Timeline and Eligibility
The deadline for submitting a proposal to this year’s SAW Research Grant and SAW Engaged Research Grant programs is July 15, 2026. Awards can be disbursed as early as September 1, 2026.
Both grant opportunities are open to current graduate students and post-PhD scholars who do not hold a tenure-track faculty position. Members of the Society for the Anthropology of Work will be prioritized for funding (join here; student memberships are free). Members should include evidence of SAW membership when submitting the application. Current members of the SAW Executive Board are not eligible to apply.
Recipients will be expected to write a blog-length post about the research that the grant supported for Exertions, SAW’s short-form web publication, within three months of completing the research.
