Grants & Prizes
Redekop Family Environmental Research Grants for Undergraduates
CEGU offers financial support for undergraduate research that engages with CEGU themes, including socio-environmental studies, urban environmental studies, energy histories and geographies, environmental humanities, and more. Grants can be used to cover field work related expenses including travel costs, lodging expenses, software expenses, access to archival or digital materials, and other research-related expenses. Grants cannot be used to fund interview compensation for human subjects, tuition expenses, or research assistants.
Eligibility is restricted to CEGU majors and minors, and to students who have not previously received funding from CEGU. The proposed projects must fall within the general themes and topics covered by the CEGU curriculum. Students can apply for grants up to a maximum of $2,500 per person. Awards will be announced in week nine. Please bear in mind that our pool of money is limited and that applying to a CEGU grant does not preclude you from applying for funding from other sources at the University and beyond. Instructions for applicants can be found here↗. Applications are due May 9th, 2025.
Below is a timeline of important dates related to funding opportunities, all of which take place during Spring Quarter:
- Week 2 (4/4): Grants/funding information session for undergraduates
- Week 6 (5/9): Grant application due
- Week 9 (5/28): Notification of award
Charles M. Gray Research Fellowship for Undergraduates
Third-year students in the CEGU undergraduate program may apply for research support from the Charles M. Gray Research Fellowship fund, which is administered through a competitive application process by the Social Sciences Collegiate Division.
Gray Fellows are expected to pursue original, faculty-mentored research. The research could be tied to a BA Thesis or Capstone project, or be an independent, faculty-mentored project. Fellowship applicants should seek to answer a research question of their own design by supplementing the knowledge that they gain from secondary sources with their own analysis of primary sources. These primary sources might include, but are not limited to, historical or contemporary texts, government documents, court decisions, data sets, interviews, letters, speeches, films, and the contents of archival collections.
All applicants must secure a faculty supervisor for their research before the application deadline, and they are strongly encouraged to prepare their application in consultation with this supervisor. Instructions for applicants can be found here↗. The application deadline is April 25, 2025.
CEGU Undergraduate Conference Travel Fund
CEGU offers funding awards for conference travel for which an ENST/CEGU student’s paper, poster, or other scholarly work has been accepted for presentation. ENST/CEGU majors and minors are eligible to apply for funding up to $1,000 per person. Students may only receive this funding for conference participation once during their College career. Note that graduating fourth-years whose conference is scheduled for the summer after graduation may NOT apply, as funds cannot be distributed once the student graduates. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and must be submitted one month before conference travel.
Apply for CEGU Undergraduate Conference Travel Funding↗ (Note: You must be signed into your UChicago Google account to access this form.)
CEGU Undergraduate BA Thesis and Capstone Prizes
The CEGU BA Thesis and BA Capstone awards are given to exceptional thesis and capstone projects conducted by a fourth-year student in the ENST/CEGU major. The decisions will be made in the Spring and announced at the BA Symposium on May 24, 2024. No application is necessary.
For grants and opportunities beyond CEGU’s own offerings, please see our Opportunities for Students page.