Awards For Graduate Center Students

In keeping with the Center’s educational mission and commitment to the strengthening of civil society, the Center offers research/travel awards and graduate assistantships to support Graduate Center students working in philanthropy, civil society, international development and global studies.

William Randolph Hearst Graduate Assistantships

Valued at approximately $2,000–$2,500 per semester, William Randolph Hearst Graduate Assistantships are available for CUNY Graduate Center students doing work related to civil society, philanthropy or nonprofit studies (in the U.S. or internationally) including current or historical research on NGOs, nonprofit organizations, associations, and public-private partnerships.

The assistantships engage students with programs and research at the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society. Hearst Graduate Assistants generally work at the Center 6–9 hours per week; however, project work, hours, and size of award may vary and will be worked out individually.

The Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society currently offers two or three assistantships per annum. Interested GC students should send a resume and a 1-page statement about their work and interest in the field to cpcs@gc.cuny.edu or may stop by the Center (GC, suite 5401) to speak with Associate Director Barbara Leopold. The Center invites CUNY faculty to nominate students for the assistantship.

The Center’s Hearst assistantships were established to advance research and build leadership capacity for women and minorities in the philanthropic sector.

Rockefeller archive center Awards

Through generous funding from the Rockefeller Archive Center, the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society has provided archival research grants to students enrolled in a public history course offered by the Graduate Center's Ph.D. Program in History.  The course is on twentieth-century U.S. foundations. For a list of award recipients, please visit our awardees page.

Joan O. McCarthy Fund Research Awards

The Joan O. McCarthy Fund offers small awards earmarked for Graduate Center doctoral candidates whose research is in the field of civil society.  These awards help with travel or other research costs. For consideration, interested students should forward to  cpcs@gc.cuny.edu a one-page synopsis of their research, paper or presentation, including anticipated costs.

For a list of recipients of awards offered by the Center, please visit our awardees page.