How to Apply

The next deadline for grant applications is January 21, 2025.

Results of the 2024 grant applications will be sent out via email in March of 2024.
 
PLEASE NOTE: If you are applying for a grant that involves travel to or work or research performed in a country subject to sanctions from the US government, please contact us as far in advance as possible to determine the ability of the White Levy program to accommodate your project proposal.


To apply for a White Levy Program grant:


Application is open to archaeologists holding a doctorate degree on the condition that the applicant has secured the legal right to access and to prepare the materials for publication. The grantee is responsible for reporting annually to the Board on the project's progress towards publication.

Email whitelev@fas.harvard.edu with your .pdf application attached. See below for details on what to include in your PDF application. You shall then receive an email acknowledgement and a request for further contact and project information.

  • The order of the elements of the application should be as follows: abstract, statement of purpose, outline, schedule, Data Management Plan, list of additional funding sources (if any), bibliography, Curricula Vitae, any images (maps/photos/graphs) not included in the main body of the application and/or or a proposed "table of contents," and documentation of permissions to access and publish the materials. The budget proposal is to be sent as a separate document.
     
  • The length of your application is not to exceed 12 pages, although the documentation of permission to access and publish the material(s) is considered an addition to the 12-page limit. A proposed "table of contents" that lists the various contributors to the final publication could be included at the end of the application and would be considered an addendum to the 12-page limit.
     
  • Applications should be in .pdf format and titled "YOUR LAST NAME_application_2023" (or "1st LAST NAME_2nd LAST NAME application_2024" if there are co-applicants). All applications and subsequent reports to the board must be in English. The Final Report may be in another language, subject to approval by the reviewing board.
     
  • The budget proposal for the duration of your requested funding is to be delivered as a separate document from the primary application. Although .pdf format is preferred, we are able to accept Excel or Word documents. The budget document should be titled "YOUR LAST NAME_budget proposal_2024."
     
  • Please use 12 pt. type, double-spaced, for the abstract, statement of purpose, outline, schedule, Data Management Plan, and list of additional funding sources.
     
  • Although the program encourages single applicants, project proposals may include an additional researcher as a co-applicant. In this case, please identify the Primary Investigator and be aware that only one applicant may be designated as the financial recipient (following approval of the application). When multiple applicants are involved, their specific roles in the project and the recognition or credit that each is to receive in the final publication should be made clear. 


Abstract and Related Information

ABSTRACT of 1/2 to 1 page describing your project. Include the precise name(s) and location(s) of the site(s), along with the latitude and longitude coordinates (WGS/84). Click here to see a sample of an abstract. Do not include a cover letter. At the top of the Abstract page create a heading with your name, legal address, telephone/fax, and e-mail. Click here to see a sample of the heading.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE and significance of your project.

OUTLINE your Research Methodology, explaining in detail how you will organize and formulate your project. State specifically who will be the lead researcher and the amount of time to be spent on the project.

SCHEDULE toward publication, explaining your timetable for publication. Indicate when the document will be ready to submit to the publisher and will the final manuscript will be submitted to the Board. All copy editing and arrangements for peer review are the responsibility of the grantee. You must provide the name, address, telephone/fax numbers, and e-mail address of your intended publisher.

DATA MANAGEMENT PLAN which describes how you plan to disseminate digital products of your research, and how you intend to document, archive, and make available these digital resources for the future. Proposals must address the plans for long-term storage and the institutional support of the storage, the copyright that will be applied to the data, and details of the standards which will be applied to the organization of the information. Read more about the Data Management Plan. Please contact us if you have any questions or if you need help gaining access to a suitable repository, as this is a critical element of your application.

LIST of other funding sources supporting the proposed project, including other (non-financial) supporters.

BIBLIOGRAPHY of publications that have already come out from all the excavations conducted at the site the applicant wants to work on, regardless of whether they were written by the applicant or by others. For older excavations, the major publications will suffice, but for excavations the applicant was involved with, every publication should be included. The bibliography shall be considered to be one page of the twelve-page limit even if additional pages are required to complete the bibliography.

CURRICULA VITAE, in an abbreviated form of no more than one page each, of the applicant and of all other persons acting as directors of aspects of the project must be submitted. The applicant should highlight with bold letters their publications (up to 10) he/she thinks are most relevant for the application; for applicant(s) only, this list may extend onto a second page. Please do not submit general personal bibliographies, articles, journals, offprints or textbooks. CVs for a further 2 or 3 of the most important specialist collaborators could be included -- if the applicant feels this would provide helpful information about the expertise of the project team. The primary CV shall be considered one page of the twelve-page limit; additional CVs shall be considered addenda to this page limit. 

IMAGES (such as maps, charts, or photos) and/or TABLE OF CONTENTS  (both optional, but strongly encouraged) – Applicants may attach up to 6 images (for example maps, graphs and/or charts) with captions. If these images are not included within the main body of your application, make sure to include captions, attributions, and descriptive text with the images on a separate page/pages. Such pages will be considered an addendum to the 12-page limit.

DOCUMENTATION of your legal right to access and to publish the material(s). This may be a permit, confirming that the researcher is conforming to all laws of the country or institution. Applicants are responsible for obtaining correct documentation and must warrant that they are not violating any third party rights to the publication of this material. The text of the application should clarify the location of (and applicant’s access to) archives and artifacts, the completeness of the information/collections, and their state of preservation. Incomplete access will not necessarily exclude projects from being supported, but the precise circumstances must be made clear. All permissions included will be considered addenda to the 12-page limit.

Project Budget

A detailed budget (in US dollars), itemizing costs for the duration of the project (1-3 years). You may include purchases, rentals of equipment, office space, your salary, salary of support staff, and computer equipment. However, funds for publication subventions or overhead fees assessed by instituions are not eligible. Applicants are responsible for purchasing equipment and for paying their own staff. All budget items must be deemed essential to the project. The maximum amount that may be awarded to any grantee is US $30,000 annually. Click here to see a sample of a detailed budget.

Additional Information

The Program's geographical range includes Magna Graecia and related cultures in the Mediterranean, Cyprus, the Iranian plateau, the Levant (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel), Mesopotamia, Egypt, Nubia, Sudan, and the Anatolian peninsula, although projects outside of these areas will be considered if all other application conditions have been met. Preference is given to projects from the Neolithic to the Medieval. The Program accepts applications only for field work terminated for at least five years. Current and/or recent excavations are excluded. The Program does not support dissertation research.

The White Levy Program is primarily designed to fund the research process leading directly to, but not including, publication. The Program does not provide funds to publish final manuscripts. Grantees are expected to arrange with their publishers for peer review of their manuscripts before they submit the final manuscripts to the White Levy Program Board. Both print and digital publications are acceptable. All application materials will become the property of the Program and shall remain confidential. Digital data is expected to be stored with a legacy institution and remain accessible to scholars.

Grantees will be required to sign a legal contract before allocation of funds.

Grants will be awarded for 1, 2, or 3 years, at the discretion of the Board. Applicants awarded a grant may defer inititation of the project for only one year. If after one year the candidate does not accept the grant, she/he must reapply. Applicants must list other grants they are currently receiving in connection with the project for which they are applying.

Grantees whose ongoing projects with the Program are not yet completed will not be considered for funding of new projects until a manuscript for the current project has been accepted by a publisher.

Program awards are given only to individuals, not to institutions. Program funds will not be awarded to institutions or to a third party designated as a replacement.  Fees or deductions for "overhead assessments" by institutions or agencies designated as the financial recipient are not encompassed by the terms of the grant and must be managed by the grant recipient or another source.

Awards will be made up to $30,000.00 USD per grantee, per year. Each grantee has the option either to accept the grant money personally, and thereby to be responsible for the taxes, or to establish an account with an institution or sponsoring agency.

Information on post-award responsibilities may be found HERE