Law, Ethics and Animals Program (LEAP) Student Grant
Yale University
The Law, Ethics & Animals Program (LEAP) at Yale seeks to support Yale University student-led research and creative projects during the academic year and/or the summer, focused on advancing understanding of, drawing attention to, and/or developing strategies to address the urgent threats facing non-human animals. We invite all current Yale students to submit proposals for funding for projects.
Research and scholarly projects are encouraged, but so too are projects in other mediums (i.e. podcasts, exhibits, documentaries, building tools or platforms, etc.) that seek to advance a more humane and sustainable world in new ways. Proposals for project funding can range from $250 to $2000. Please contact Laurie Sellars (laurie.sellars@yale.edu) with questions.
The funding is intended to pay for expenses needed to advance the project, such as costs associated with conducting interviews or research, purchasing access to datasets, paying for web hosting or materials, etc. Funding is not available to pay salaries for applicants or for conference attendance (unless the conference attendance is part of a research project). We encourage applicants working on larger projects to seek additional sources of funding.
Proposals will be evaluated by a committee of LEAP faculty and staff. Projects will be evaluated based on the thoughtfulness, creativity, and originality of the proposed project; the clarity and quality of the application; the potential of the project to have a meaningful impact; the potential of the project to advance the applicant’s personal and professional development; and the feasibility of the project’s timeline, goals, and budget.
Restrictions to Use of Award: Recipients of the LEAP Student Grant Program will be required to submit a summary of approximately 1000 words of their projects by December . (Projects should be completed by December 1, though we’re happy to be flexible on the length of this summary and the due date for projects that require more time or space if provided with advance notice.) Students may also be asked to present their project at a LEAP event during the academic year, and the project summaries and/or interviews with grant recipients will be featured on the LEAP website. Depending on the format and availability of the final project work product, we may ask permission from grant recipients to also post or link to the full project itself.
Payments will be made in advance, based on the budget submitted with the application. Please note: The University will not withhold federal or state income tax, but the grant payment is tax reportable. For grant amounts over $600 the University will issue a 1099-MISC form for the amount of your grant. Since the Law School is not and cannot be a tax adviser, it is solely recipients' responsibility to check applicable state and local tax regulations, or to consult a tax adviser to ensure compliance with such requirements.
Current Yale students at any level (professional, doctoral, master’s degree, undergraduate) are invited to apply. Applicants may work individually or in teams. Projects may have a faculty advisor or collaborator, but are not required to.
The funding is intended to pay for expenses needed to advance the project, such as costs associated with conducting interviews or research, purchasing access to datasets, paying for web hosting or materials, etc. Funding is not available to pay salaries for applicants or for conference attendance (unless the conference attendance is part of a research project). We encourage applicants working on larger projects to seek additional sources of funding.
Proposals will be evaluated by a committee of LEAP faculty and staff. Projects will be evaluated based on the thoughtfulness, creativity, and originality of the proposed project; the clarity and quality of the application; the potential of the project to have a meaningful impact; the potential of the project to advance the applicant’s personal and professional development; and the feasibility of the project’s timeline, goals, and budget.