The Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation: Exploratory Travel Award

Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited PhD program. This funding is intended only for early career PhD students; for example, in Europe this generally refers to students in their first year of study and in the United States this means pre-candidacy. Students whose institutions offer similar preliminary travel funding are not eligible for the award. Individuals in Europe and Latin America, where comparable sources of external funding are less available, are strongly encouraged to apply.

As with other Thoma Foundation awards and fellowships for individuals, the Exploratory Travel Award is intended for projects that will contribute to the study of the Art of the Spanish Americas. Projects will be considered from all areas of Latin America and the Caribbean; however, the Foundation will give preference to projects that make specific contributions to the history of painting and sculpture in viceregal South America.

The Exploratory Travel Awards will be awarded twice per year:

First cycle
Application deadline: 15 October
Notification: 15 November

Second cycle
Application deadline: 15 March
Notification: 15 April

Funds will be disbursed within six weeks of application deadline.  Travel must commence within six months of award, but due to the evolving difficulties of global travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, this deadline can be extended.  Awardees are encouraged to work with Foundation staff to arrange flexible travel plans that prioritize safety.

Travel must commence within six months of award and can take place at any point throughout the academic year or during the summer break. Due to the evolving difficulties of global travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, this deadline can be extended. Awardees are encouraged to work with Foundation staff to arrange flexible travel plans that prioritize safety.

Upon returning from travel, winners will submit a final budget and report detailing their activities.

Application Materials

• CV
• Letter of recommendation from PhD supervisor
• Project description of up to 1200 words plus a 1-page bibliography. Project description should:
  • Briefly introduce the applicant’s prospective dissertation topic with reference to existing scholarship. Recognizing that the Exploratory Travel Award is designed to help students develop and focus their dissertation proposals, this synopsis might be framed as a research question rather than as a firm thesis statement. Where possible, however, students are encouraged to outline the proposed intervention and speculative scope of the dissertation.
  • Detail the applicant’s research plan during their stay in Latin America, noting the collections, archives, or other institutions the applicant intends to visit, as well as listing the names of scholars whom the applicant will contact in advance of travel.
  • Explain how the travel grant will help develop this project and what aspects of its feasibility or planning will be addressed during travel
• Travel budget (1 page max)
  • Budget should note the total amount requested (maximum $5,000) and include airfare and ground travel, estimated accommodation costs, and a project allowance. The project allowance may be used to cover archival access fees, reproduction costs (e.g., photocopying), and book purchases.
  • The award may not be used for equipment purchases (such as cameras and laptops) nor for expenses like conference attendance or travel within the United States.

Application Guidelines

• Applications will be evaluated by an anonymous jury of experts in the field according to the originality of the proposed research, the anticipated contribution it will make to the field, and the ability of the applicant to carry out the project.
• Proposals and letters of recommendation can be in English or Spanish. For a Spanish language version of the above instructions, please click here. 
• Proposals should be submitted through the Foundation’s application portal
• For any questions please reach out to kathryn@thomafoundation.org.