Edward M. Gramlich Fellowship in Community and Economic Development (for Harvard Graduate Students)
The Edward M. Gramlich Fellowship in Community and Economic Development gives returning graduate students at Harvard the opportunity to conduct, publish, and present original research on challenges for community-based organizations (CBOs) in the NeighborWorks® America network. Fellows receive an $8,000 stipend for summer and an hourly wage during the fall and winter while they are working to finish their paper. They receive an additional $1,000 when the Center accepts the paper for publication. Funding is also available to cover travel and other expenses associated with research projects.
Working full-time in the summer, Gramlich Fellows, in consultation with mentors from the Center and NeighborWorks, design and carry out their research and prepare a first draft of a working paper about their work. They also present their preliminary findings to a gathering of NeighborWorks practitioners and then at a Washington, DC briefing for policymakers, advocates, and researchers.
Working part-time in the fall and early winter, Gramlich Fellows complete their research and prepare final versions of their working papers. The papers are published by both the Center and NeighborWorks America. In addition, fellows present their work in the Center’s bi-weekly Housing Research Seminar and prepare a blog about their work, which is jointly published by the Center and NeighborWorks.
In recent years, fellows have researched a variety of topics including: responses to increased insurance costs for affordable housing; creating limited equity cooperatives to address housing needs; using off-site construction to build affordable housing on urban infill sites; and fostering health equity in underserved neighborhoods.
The fellowship is funded by NeighborWorks America, a congressionally chartered and funded nonpartisan organization that supports about 250 community-based organizations in the US. Edward “Ned” Gramlich, the fellowship’s namesake, was an economist who chaired NeighborWorks’ Board of Directors, served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and was a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan, where he also served as the School of Public Policy’s first dean.
Who Should Apply
The fellowship is open to any Harvard graduate student not in their graduating year who has a demonstrated interest in and commitment to housing, community development, economic development, or a related field. Previous fellows have been enrolled in graduate programs in such subjects as urban planning, public policy, urban design, architecture, public administration, public health, education, law, business, sociology, economics, and other related fields. Applicants should also have a demonstrated record of successfully carrying out independent research or large projects in a timely manner.
Potential Research Topics
While applicants can propose research on topics of interest to them, NeighborWorks America and the Center are especially interested in projects that focus on how community-based organizations (CBOs) in the NeighborWorks network can launch, expand, or improve efforts focused on such opportunities and challenges as:
- Deploying innovative strategies to better manage the balance sheets of community-based organizations
- Enhancing organizational effectiveness via peer-learning and network models
- Exploring engagement and relationship-building strategies that can help community-based organizations partner with banks, particularly around the Community Reinvestment Act
- Identifying effective impact measurement strategies for community change initiatives
- Leveraging resident and community ownership models to improve community conditions
- Making buildings, communities, and neighborhoods more resilient
- Offering effective resident leadership training programs
- Partnering with public-sector entities to create affordable housing on underutilized publicly owned sites
- Reducing energy consumption (and energy costs) via weatherization programs and energy retrofits
- Rehabbing and renovating older affordable housing units in effective, efficient, and equitable ways
- Tapping the potential of community development finance institutions (CDFIs) to increase access to capital for underserved communities
- Using strategic communications and storytelling to advance the mission of community-based organizations
Variations on these themes, as well as other topics related to housing and community development, economic development and nonprofit organizational strategy and management, are also welcome. Our expectation is that after they are selected, Gramlich Fellows will work with JCHS and NeighborWorks mentors to hone and define their research question and their process for answering it.
What Former Fellows Have to Say
The Gramlich Fellowship was a highlight of my time at Harvard. It enabled me to explore my potential as a researcher and meaningfully collaborate with community development practitioners as well as JCHS staff. The mentorship that I received and the connections that I made continue to guide my career.
– Susanna Pho, 2018 Gramlich Fellow, Co-Founder & COO, Forerunner
The Gramlich Fellowship was an unparalleled opportunity to explore the world of academic research while making meaningful professional connections with practitioners. I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to engage with community based organizations, hone my writing skills, and build a collaborative relationship with my mentor, who continued to be a major source of support long after finishing the fellowship.
– Caroline Lauer, 2017 Gramlich Fellow, Climate Resilience Coordinator, Missoula County
An unparalleled opportunity that connects curious researchers to a network of experienced practitioners and renowned experts. The support and guidance provided by the staff of JCHS and NeighborWorks ensured that my research findings would be relevant to a broad audience of policymakers and industry professionals.
– Matthew Schreiber, 2017 Gramlich Fellow, Associate Director, Eden Housing
