Please read the following before applying:
The Friends of the Princeton University Library Research Grants are monetary awards to support personal research in the Library’s Special Collections. This is a competitive grant program. We highly recommend that you take time to review the Finding Aids Database and Library Catalog to determine if a research visit is necessary. Applications are considered less competitive when they indicate an interest solely in materials that are available digitally, or when we can easily create digital files of the material for you. Similarly, applications that only indicate a need to use the Library’s general collections will not be considered.
You will be asked to write a personal narrative as part of your application. This is your opportunity to explain to the committee why you need to use the special and distinct collections held at Princeton University specifically. You may wish to reach out to the relevant curator or department to determine if your project and the materials of interest fall within the scope of the grant program.
New for 2026-2027: We are accepting applications for two different grants through the same application system. While all of the application materials are the same, you can only apply for one grant per grant application cycle.
1. Friends of the Princeton University Research Grants: The bulk of the research grants are funded through the Friends of the Princeton University Library. Funding for grants may also be supplemented by:
- The Program in Hellenic Studies, with assistance from the Stanley J. Seeger Fund supports a limited number of Library grants in Hellenic studies.
- The Elmer Adler Fund supports Research Grants in Graphic Arts, and the Cotsen Children’s Library supports grants in its collection on aspects of children’s books.
- The Maxwell Fund supports research on materials regarding Portuguese-speaking cultures.
- The Sid Lapidus '59 Research Fund for Studies of the Age of Revolution and the Enlightenment in the Atlantic World and covers work using materials pertinent to this topic donated by Mr. Lapidus as well as other also relevant materials in the collections.
2. Will Noel Innovative Cultural Heritage Research Grant
Will Noel advocated for the democratization of access to cultural heritage materials, as well as employing new and cutting-edge technologies to understand them, most notably with the Archimedes Palimpsest. This fund aims to support work in line with Noel’s vision. Specifically, it is intended for cultural heritage professionals to work with Princeton University Library’s Special and Distinctive Collections and the Library IT Digital Studio’s specialized photographic equipment to gain new insights into our collective past.
Successful applicants will be awarded a grant to visit Princeton to conduct research within our holdings with an emphasis on identifying materials for special photographic investigation. The Library’s Digital Studio tools include a Selene photometric system, multispectral imaging (MSI), Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), and photogrammetry. These tools have allowed the recovery of lost, obscured, or invisible text, and rendered low-relief surfaces legible.
We will not accept applications for a FPUL Research Grant and a Will Noel Innovative Cultural Heritage Grant in the same cycle.
Application Process
We recommend that you prepare your grant materials prior to starting the application. This sample application will give you an idea of what to expect. When you are ready to begin the application process, please click the Apply button to the right. You will be asked to create a login. Please only create a login when you are ready to complete your application. If you have already created an account, click Log In from the upper right corner to return to your portal.
There will be 4 tasks to complete before submission:
Fill out the application
Upload a project narrative (1000 words max)
Upload your CV or resume
Have 2 letters of recommendation attached to your application through the system
All of these tasks must be completed before you can submit your application.
You will be able to save as you go and return to the application if needed. Once an application is submitted, no changes can be made. We will not accept submissions after the January 14, 2026, 12:00PM (NOON) EST deadline.
Recommendation letters will only be accepted via institutional or professional email addresses to ensure validity. Please do not have your recommenders email the letters to us directly. Recommenders must submit their letters through the application portal, or via Interfolio directed to pulgrant@princeton.edu. If recommendation letters are submitted via Interfolio, we will contact you once they have been uploaded to your application so you may proceed with submission. Applications are not automatically submitted. You must click the green Submit button once all four components of the application have been uploaded in order to be considered for the FPUL Research Grant.
More information about the Princeton University Library Research Grants can be found on our Research Grants page.
Please note: this application is for a grant to conduct research in the Princeton University Library. This is not a fellowship, and you will not be considered an employee of Princeton University. This is also not an application for a job at Princeton University or funding for a Ph.D. program at Princeton. If you submit an application that is not for the research grant, it will be removed from the system. If you believe that your application has been removed in error, please let us know. You can write to us by choosing Contact the Site Administrator from the drop-down menu in the toolbar in the upper right-hand corner of this page by clicking on the i button.
Friends of the Princeton University Library Research Grant
Please read the following before applying:
The Friends of the Princeton University Library Research Grants are monetary awards to support personal research in the Library’s Special Collections. This is a competitive grant program. We highly recommend that you take time to review the Finding Aids Database and Library Catalog to determine if a research visit is necessary. Applications are considered less competitive when they indicate an interest solely in materials that are available digitally, or when we can easily create digital files of the material for you. Similarly, applications that only indicate a need to use the Library’s general collections will not be considered.
You will be asked to write a personal narrative as part of your application. This is your opportunity to explain to the committee why you need to use the special and distinct collections held at Princeton University specifically. You may wish to reach out to the relevant curator or department to determine if your project and the materials of interest fall within the scope of the grant program.
New for 2026-2027: We are accepting applications for two different grants through the same application system. While all of the application materials are the same, you can only apply for one grant per grant application cycle.
1. Friends of the Princeton University Research Grants: The bulk of the research grants are funded through the Friends of the Princeton University Library. Funding for grants may also be supplemented by:
- The Program in Hellenic Studies, with assistance from the Stanley J. Seeger Fund supports a limited number of Library grants in Hellenic studies.
- The Elmer Adler Fund supports Research Grants in Graphic Arts, and the Cotsen Children’s Library supports grants in its collection on aspects of children’s books.
- The Maxwell Fund supports research on materials regarding Portuguese-speaking cultures.
- The Sid Lapidus '59 Research Fund for Studies of the Age of Revolution and the Enlightenment in the Atlantic World and covers work using materials pertinent to this topic donated by Mr. Lapidus as well as other also relevant materials in the collections.
2. Will Noel Innovative Cultural Heritage Research Grant
Will Noel advocated for the democratization of access to cultural heritage materials, as well as employing new and cutting-edge technologies to understand them, most notably with the Archimedes Palimpsest. This fund aims to support work in line with Noel’s vision. Specifically, it is intended for cultural heritage professionals to work with Princeton University Library’s Special and Distinctive Collections and the Library IT Digital Studio’s specialized photographic equipment to gain new insights into our collective past.
Successful applicants will be awarded a grant to visit Princeton to conduct research within our holdings with an emphasis on identifying materials for special photographic investigation. The Library’s Digital Studio tools include a Selene photometric system, multispectral imaging (MSI), Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), and photogrammetry. These tools have allowed the recovery of lost, obscured, or invisible text, and rendered low-relief surfaces legible.
We will not accept applications for a FPUL Research Grant and a Will Noel Innovative Cultural Heritage Grant in the same cycle.
Application Process
We recommend that you prepare your grant materials prior to starting the application. This sample application will give you an idea of what to expect. When you are ready to begin the application process, please click the Apply button to the right. You will be asked to create a login. Please only create a login when you are ready to complete your application. If you have already created an account, click Log In from the upper right corner to return to your portal.
There will be 4 tasks to complete before submission:
Fill out the application
Upload a project narrative (1000 words max)
Upload your CV or resume
Have 2 letters of recommendation attached to your application through the system
All of these tasks must be completed before you can submit your application.
You will be able to save as you go and return to the application if needed. Once an application is submitted, no changes can be made. We will not accept submissions after the January 14, 2026, 12:00PM (NOON) EST deadline.
Recommendation letters will only be accepted via institutional or professional email addresses to ensure validity. Please do not have your recommenders email the letters to us directly. Recommenders must submit their letters through the application portal, or via Interfolio directed to pulgrant@princeton.edu. If recommendation letters are submitted via Interfolio, we will contact you once they have been uploaded to your application so you may proceed with submission. Applications are not automatically submitted. You must click the green Submit button once all four components of the application have been uploaded in order to be considered for the FPUL Research Grant.
More information about the Princeton University Library Research Grants can be found on our Research Grants page.
Please note: this application is for a grant to conduct research in the Princeton University Library. This is not a fellowship, and you will not be considered an employee of Princeton University. This is also not an application for a job at Princeton University or funding for a Ph.D. program at Princeton. If you submit an application that is not for the research grant, it will be removed from the system. If you believe that your application has been removed in error, please let us know. You can write to us by choosing Contact the Site Administrator from the drop-down menu in the toolbar in the upper right-hand corner of this page by clicking on the i button.