Dean's Fund for Colloquia and Symposia

The Dean’s Fund for Student-Organized Colloquia encourages ongoing dialogues among students and faculty regarding their scholarship and research by offering financial support to cover costs associated with organizing graduate student-led seminars and workshops.

Colloquia can take a variety of forms. Some focus on a particular field of study or research question; others address the intersection of multiple disciplines and provide a forum for scholars who might otherwise never interact. The Dean’s Fund currently supports more than 30 student-led colloquia, many of which renew their funding annually and are an integral part of Yale’s intellectual life. You are welcome to participate in an existing colloquium or to create a new one. Organizing a workshop, seminar, or colloquium is an excellent professional development opportunity to organize and administer a series of academic events.

Eligibility: 

PhD students currently registered in residence are eligible to apply for a Dean's Fund award.

To qualify for support, student-organized research workshops, seminars, and colloquia must hold at least four meetings per term. Please note that reading groups and departmental activities formally related to degree requirements are not eligible for the Dean’s Fund.

Note: The maximum honorarium for a non-Yale speaker you can offer through this fund is $200. 

Deadlines:

•    Fall Term Award Deadline: September 15 (up to $500)
•    Spring Term Award Deadline: January 15 (up to $500)
•    Full Academic Year Award Deadline: September 15 (up to $1,000)

Application instructions:

Calls for applications will be sent by email approximately one month prior to these deadlines with instructions on how to apply. Note: the application form is only open to submission one month prior to the deadline. If you are planning to apply for colloquium funding, you will need to prepare the following materials to include with your application form: 

• A detailed proposal describing the event, with a preliminary schedule of sessions, a list of potential participants (students and faculty), and information about any outside speakers to be invited (if applicable)
• An itemized budget of expenses for which you are seeking funding
• An emailed note of support from a Yale faculty member (this could be your adviser, DGS, or a faculty member who will be participating in the proposed event) 

Incomplete and/or late applications will not be considered. 

The Dean’s Fund for Student-Organized Symposia provides financial support to PhD students to organize an academic conference in their field of study. By organizing a symposium, you will forge connections with peers at Yale and other institutions and gain valuable professional development experience in administering an academic event.

The Graduate School offers awards of up to $1,000 for student-organized symposia.

Eligibility: 

PhD students currently registered in residence are eligible to apply for a Dean's Fund award.

Note: The maximum honorarium for a non-Yale speaker through this fund is $200.

Deadlines:

•    For symposia held in the fall term: September 15
•    For symposia held in the spring term: January 15

Application instructions:

Calls for applications will be sent by email approximately one month prior to these deadlines with instructions on how to apply. Note: the application form is only open to submission one month prior to the deadline. If you are planning to apply for colloquium funding, you will need to prepare the following materials to include with your application form: 

• A detailed proposal describing the event, with a preliminary schedule of sessions, a list of potential participants (students and faculty), and information about any outside speakers to be invited (if applicable)
• An itemized budget of expenses for which you are seeking funding
• An emailed note of support from a Yale faculty member (this could be your adviser, DGS, or a faculty member who will be participating in the proposed event) 

Incomplete and/or late applications will not be considered.