Kelly-Douglas Fund: Travel
About the Kelly-Douglas Fund: Travel Fellowships
The Kelly-Douglas Fund supports and encourages undergraduate education in the humanities, arts and social sciences. We believe that travel outside MIT to pursue an independent project or to collaborate in a humanitarian project, can have a powerful and lasting effect on students. To this end, a portion of the Fund is reserved for Traveling Fellowships for MIT students pursuing an endeavor of their own devising either during IAP or the Summer.
Applying for the Fund
How to apply
Proposal
You’ll apply online with a proposal that is no more than two single-spaced typed pages in length (with the possible exception of brief appendices). The proposal should describe:
- The nature of the travel proposed.
- Your goals for travel.
- A summary of the planned itinerary.
- The relation of this travel to a field in the humanities, arts and social sciences, or — in the case of travel for humanitarian reasons — the desired impact upon the community you intend to aid.
During the application window, submit your application here. See Important Dates for when the online application opens and closes.
Note on the application: after you create an account and log in, you’ll see a generic listing of ‘SHASS Awards’. Don’t worry, you’re in the right place. Click ‘Start New Application’ and when it comes time to select the fund that you are applying for, choose “Kelly-Douglas Travel Fellowship” in the dropdown list.
Letter of support
Contact an instructor at MIT who is familiar with your work and can speak to the merits and feasibility of your proposed project and ask them to write you a letter of support. Once they agree, fill out their contact info in the application platform. The application platform will contact your recommender to write a letter of support for you.
In the application platform, you will be able to check the status of the support letter and if need be, send your recommender a reminder to submit their letter of support.
Applications will not be considered until the supporting letter has been received.
Eligibility criteria
All MIT sophomores, juniors, and seniors wishing to travel during IAP or Summer are eligible to apply. Students need not belong to SHASS, though majors and minors in the school will be given preference.
First-year students are not eligible to apply unless they have already been granted sophomore status at the time of application.
Seniors may only apply to travel in the IAP of their final year, and are not eligible for grants for the summer following graduation.
Important dates
There are two competitions each year, one for travel during IAP and the other for travel during the Summer. The deadline for travel in IAP is Nov. 18, 2024. The deadline for travel during Summer is in April 2025.
Once your application is submitted, your request will be reviewed and you will receive a response as swiftly as possible.
We update this page when the application window opens and when deadlines approach.
Additional guidelines and resources
How much support does the Fund provide?
The maximum level of support offered by the Fund is $1,500. However, since the Board seeks to assist as many students as possible, grants are often for smaller amounts. The grants are competitively awarded: decisions on funding are reached based upon an assessment both of the proposal’s intrinsic merit, and the demonstrated financial need. It is expected that students will also seek supplementary funds — either personal or from some other source. All other potential sources need to be disclosed on the application. In the event that a student receives substantial funding from an outside source (such as the Eloranta), they will not be considered for a financial award from the Kelly-Douglas Fund.
What sorts of activities does the Fund support?
The Kelly-Douglas Fund has assisted a range of efforts. Students have been awarded grants to carry out archival and library research, or to conduct interviews and gather data for independent projects. Others have applied for and received some support to travel abroad to study intensively a language that will be of use in their future careers.
The Fund has further supported travel to take courses not available at MIT or to develop skills in the performing arts and music. It has also helped realize humanitarian projects in small communities. This list is by no means exhaustive.
How does reimbursement work?
All travel and research grants are paid out upon completion of the proposed project. Recipients are asked to fill out the Reimbursement Form, provide receipts, and offer evidence of completion before funds are released. Always keep copies of any receipts you submit.
For more information
If you have questions about the fund, please contact us.