Latin American and Caribbean Studies Scholarships: A Comprehensive Guide

For students passionate about exploring the diverse cultures, politics, and societies of Latin America and the Caribbean, numerous scholarships and funding opportunities exist to support their academic pursuits. This article provides a detailed overview of various scholarships, fellowships, grants, and awards available to both undergraduate and graduate students, with a focus on opportunities offered by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) and other institutions.

Funding Opportunities for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) actively collaborates with universities to offer students various funding avenues for their education. CLACS also assists students in locating grants, fellowships, assistantships, awards, and scholarships from external sources.

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, FLAS fellowships encourage students to learn "less commonly taught languages" (LCTLs), encompassing all languages except Spanish, French, German, and Italian. CLACS, having secured FLAS funding from the U.S. Department of Education for 2022-2026, annually grants 4 undergraduate and 4 graduate FLAS awards per academic year and 3 awards per summer for LCTL and area studies instruction.

Academic Year FLAS: This includes \$10,000/year for tuition and \$5,000 as a living stipend for undergraduates, and \$18,000/year for tuition and \$20,000 as a living stipend for graduate students.
Summer FLAS: This includes \$7,500 for tuition, travel, and living stipend, with a potential \$1000 supplement for travel-related expenses.

For detailed information, limitations, and application procedures, refer to FLAS Funding guidelines.

The Anita Herzfeld Award

Named in honor of Anita Herzfeld, professor emerita of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, former director of the Office of Study Abroad, and a distinguished linguist, this award supports study in any Latin American country.

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Stansifer Fellowship

Endowed by Professor Emeritus Charles Stansifer, this award provides up to \$6000 to support graduate students pursuing a doctorate in Middle American studies (Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean). Priority is given to students focusing on Central America, followed by Mexico, the Caribbean, and finally, the relations between the United States and any Middle American country. Eligible graduate students can be from any department within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. An interdisciplinary committee from Latin American and Caribbean Studies will oversee the selection process. Previous Stansifer awardees are welcome to apply, but might be considered at a lower priority.

Past awardees include:

Luisa Garces Sierra (PhD Student in Spanish & Portuguese), Nicaragua

Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Scholarship

Established to honor Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, a former professor of Latin American history, this award supports graduate students in History and Latin American & Caribbean Studies. CLACS and the Department of History alternate in selecting the awardee(s) annually. The maximum award is \$3000, and multiple awards may be granted each year. Selection criteria include the proposal narrative, grade point average, letters of recommendation, and budget, detailing research-related travel expenses. Recipients of other awards, such as FLAS, are eligible.

Tinker Field Research Grants

The Tinker Foundation supports universities to conduct exploratory research in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries of Latin America. Through its funding, matched by universities, the Foundation has supported more than 9,000 individuals to conduct field research in Latin America. CLACS directors have won several cycles of funding for graduate students.

Tinker Foundation funds encourage graduate students to specialize in Latin America, targeting master’s degree students, pre-ADB (pre-candidacy) PhD students, and post-baccalaureate students in professional schools. Awards range from \$1,000-\$3,500, with CLACS granting at least 9 awards per academic year. Funding is reimbursed upon submission of receipts directly related to research-related travel expenses, except for flights, which CLACS can purchase pre-trip.

Past awardees include:

Adesoji Adedipe (PhD Student in History), Brazil
Nathaniel Blum (MA Student in Geography), Guatemala
Gabriel Castro (PhD Student in Political Sciences), Brazil
Elizabeth Chunda (MA Student in African & African-American Studies), Brazil
Kiera Eckhardt (PhD Student in Anthropology), Ecuador
Juan David Martinez Zayas (PhD Student in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies), Paraguay
Cap McLiney (MA Student in Geography), Peru
Christa Osarczuk (MA Student in Anthropology), Guatemala
Claudia Salas-Forero (PhD Student in Spanish & Portuguese), Brazil
Laryssa Rodrigues (MA Student in Spanish & Portuguese), Brazil
Emily Tummons (PhD Student in Curriculum & Instruction), Guatemala

CLACS Graduate Student Field Research Grants

Funded by generous donors, this grant supports students ineligible for Tinker grants due to being ABD (PhD candidates) or researching in non-Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries. CLACS can award up to \$1000 per academic year, with competitiveness based on proposal quality, budget, two letters of recommendation, academic record, and demonstrated economic need. Applicants should use the Tinker submission link and identify this grant at the top of their application.

Teaching Assistantship for Latin American & Caribbean Studies MA Students

CLACS offers one teaching assistantship per academic year for graduate students in the Latin American & Caribbean (LAC) Track of the Global & International Studies (GIST) master’s degree program. It includes a full tuition waiver plus roughly \$18,000 for a living stipend in exchange for assisting in the instruction of LAC 100 “Latin American Culture & Society” or teaching the same course online. Applicants to the GIST LAC Track should specify their interest in competing for the assistantship.

Additional KU Funding for Graduate Students

KU provides strong support for Study Abroad and intensive language opportunities for Graduates. The Chancellor has a fund of \$46,000 yearly for Costa Rican fellowships and exchanges, which are critical for developing advanced language abilities.

Title VI National Resource Center Funding

The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) designated CLACS as a Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from 2022-2026. Initiatives focus on "Strengthening Communities" within KU, between KU and the region, and between these and Latin American and Caribbean communities and institutions. High priority is given to activities that include Minority Serving Institutions and community colleges.

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Available opportunities include:

Faculty Research International Travel Awards: For conducting research (up to \$1,250).
Partner Projects Faculty Travel Awards: For building international partnerships, designing exchange programs, arranging joint study abroad trips, and conducting collaborative research with Latin American / Caribbean partners (up to \$5,000). Projects involving area Community Colleges or Minority Serving Institutions will be favored. Application requires a CV, a 300-word narrative about the collaborative project, and a detailed budget.
Collaborative Online International Learning (COILs): To enhance student-to-student transnational course engagement. Students in a KU course would meet regularly online with students or others in Latin America and the Caribbean at least 8 times in a semester. The Center can provide up to \$1000 as compensation for establishing a COIL project and can help find a partner in Latin America.
Curriculum Internationalization STEM Faculty Development Program: For KU STEM faculty travel to Latin America or the Caribbean to gain cultural and linguistic training to enhance their research and/or teaching. The maximum award is \$2000.

External Funding Opportunities

Lemann Graduate Fellowships

The Institute of Latin American Studies at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences receives funding from the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies Endowment Fund, the Tannenbaum Endowment Fund, and other sources to provide grants, scholarships, and fellowships to Columbia students.

Department of State: Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program

This program enables U.S. undergraduate students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, gaining skills critical to national security and economic prosperity.

Examples of Student Experiences

Several students have benefited from these opportunities, gaining valuable international experience:

Natalie Harmon: A Spanish and comparative cultures and politics double major, participated in the "Politics, Culture and Society in Brazil" education abroad program over the summer.
A Global & International Studies major, studied in Santiago Chile for the summer, taking classes on student movements for democracy and native cultures of Chile, and participated in a field study in the Atacama Desert.
A Comparative Culture and Politics major, studied Spanish and interned for three months in Buenos Aires, Argentina, working at Instituto Latinamericano para la Paz y la Ciudadanía to create a network of peace NGOs across Argentina and Latin America.
A Spanish and Pre-Physician Assistant double major, spent the summer in Oaxaca, Mexico, learning Spanish for healthcare professions and shadowing Mexican physicians in hospitals and rural clinics.
A Comparative Cultures & Politics major, will participate in the MSU program to Huamachuco Peru to conduct community research and intern.
A Social Relations & Policy major, interned and took classes in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

How to Apply

To access scholarship opportunities, you may need to complete an application document. Applications are typically due on the last day of February each year. Applicants do not need to be enrolled in the LACS minor or the GLIS major at the time of application.

The scholarship may be used for semester-long, year-long, or short-term study abroad, and for other approved academic opportunities, such as field research, related to Latin American/Caribbean that can be accepted for UWM credit. Applications are to be completed on Academic Works. You must complete your general profile on Academic Works first, to be considered for this opportunity as well as all future scholarships. Your profile is a one-time set up that will match you with all available scholarships and awards. All materials, including your letters of recommendation, must be received by 11:59pm the day of the deadline.

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