Gatzert Child Welfare Fellowship

2024-25 application deadline: Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at noon (12 p.m. PT). 

Apply via MyGrad Program through the ‘Request Award’ > ‘Request New Award’ links. 

The Gatzert Child Welfare Fellowship is a one-quarter fellowship awarded for the writing of a doctoral dissertation that contributes to the lives of children with disabilities. The Gatzert Fellowship includes one quarter of UW state tuition and fees, GAIP insurance, and a stipend at the regular Predoctoral TA II rate (currently $3,076 per month). The fellowship was established in the 1930s by the Bailey and Babette Gatzert Foundation for Child Welfare.

Eligibility

Students in any academic discipline whose research focuses on supporting the lives of children with disabilities are eligible. To be considered for this fellowship, the applicant must:

• have achieved doctoral candidate status at the time of application
• have demonstrated progress on the dissertation which indicates completion by the end of spring quarter 2025 or sooner
• Be in a tuition-based program; students in fee-based programs are not eligible
• not have received another dissertation writing award from the Graduate School (e.g., GSEE, Presidential Dissertation, etc.)

Criteria

1. Significance of the dissertation research to supporting the lives of children with disabilities;
   • competitive applications will propose research that is focused on children with disabilities rather than research that has children with disabilities as one possible group for whom the research would apply;
2. Originality of the dissertation research;
3. Potential of the student to make significant scholarly contributions;
4. Student is both ready and in need of a full quarter to work on writing the dissertation.

Application 

No late materials will be accepted; applications will not be considered unless they are complete and submitted by the deadline.

Application Materials:

1. A four page, double-spaced statement that describes the dissertation project and includes its title, relation to current literature, methodology and goals.
   • Footnotes may be 10-point, single-spaced and are included in the four-page statement limit. 
   • Bibliography or endnotes are limited to one, single-spaced page and are not considered part of the four-page statement limit.
2. Timeline of expected dissertation activities and specifically during the planned fellowship quarter (not to exceed one single-spaced page).
3. A letter of recommendation from the dissertation adviser describing their opinion of:
   • The significance of the research;
   • The progress made to-date, including the anticipated completion date;
   • If appropriate, the nature and importance of the candidate’s contribution to a team project;
   • The student’s status and performance in the program in comparison with other recent students
4. Curriculum vitae  
5. An unofficial copy of the current UW transcript

Requirements

The fellowship must be used during the 2024-25 academic year (summer 2024–spring 2025). The choice of the quarter will be left to the discretion of the student.

The purpose of the fellowship is to facilitate full-time work on writing the dissertation. During the tenure of the fellowship, service responsibilities such as teaching and research are typically suspended. Students must enroll in at least ten credits during the quarter in which they receive the fellowship (except for summer quarter when two credits are required). 

Questions?

Contact the Office of Fellowships and Awards: gradappt@uw.edu or 206.543.7152.

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