Suggested terms
LIRA
The State of the Nation’s Housing 2025
Accessory Dwelling Units

Grants

Student Research Support Program (for Harvard Faculty and Graduate Students)

The Joint Center for Housing Studies offers grants of up to $7,000 for Harvard graduate students working with faculty members on research, courses, and other projects related to housing, community development, or related urban issues both domestically and abroad.

Faculty members can use the funds to pay graduate students who are working on faculty research projects, on independent research projects supervised by faculty members, or on new courses, labs, studios or other projects. While the money primarily should be used for compensation, up to 20 percent can be used for other expenses such as data acquisition 

Recipients are expected to produce a final product, which could be a short paper, case study, course syllabus, planning framework, design portfolio, or multi-media presentation. In general, this work should be completed within a year of spending the money. If appropriate, the work also will be shared with the broader community in a variety of ways, through publication, public presentation, blog posting, or online presentation.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted by a faculty member via Harvard's Centralized Application for Research and Travel (CARAT) system. A complete list of application materials can be found on the CARAT page. The 2026 application deadline has passed.

The application should include a brief description of the work the funding will support, a brief description of the work product, a short project schedule, and a project budget, which should include other sources of funding or other funding needs. At least 80% of the requested funds should be used for student salaries and fringes. The application should also include a short faculty biography as well as CVs and transcripts for any students who will be working on the project.

Members of the Joint Center for Housing Studies Faculty Advisory Committee will review the applications to assess the project’s relevance, clarity, and feasibility. Awards will also be made with the goal of funding a diversity of topics, methodologies, and academic disciplines. Preference will be given to faculty who have not previously received this award.

For more information, please contact David Luberoff, Director of Fellowships and Events, at [email protected].

Links

List of previous SRSP recipients and their projects

Our Mission

The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies strives to improve equitable access to decent, affordable homes in thriving communities. We conduct rigorous research to advance policy and practice, and we bring together diverse stakeholders to spark new ideas for addressing housing challenges. Through teaching and fellowships, we mentor and inspire the next generation of housing leaders.

About Us
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