How to Apply

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General instructions

To apply for funding through any of SSHRC’s grant, fellowship or scholarship funding opportunities:

  1. Determine if your research falls under SSHRC’s mandate by reviewing the subject matter eligibility and selecting a funding agency guidelines.
  2. Select a SSHRC funding opportunity to which you will apply.
  3. Carefully read the description for your selected funding opportunity to determine:
    • your personal eligibility;
    • the context, requirements and deadlines;
    • the value and duration of funding offered;
    • details of the evaluation and adjudication process; and
    • any additional information.
  4. Once your funding opportunity is opened to applications (for most funding opportunities, approximately two months before the application deadline), review the application instructions by selecting “Instructions” from the “Apply” column in the overview atop the description.
  5. According to your instructions, click on the appropriate application forms, also found in the “Apply” section of the same overview.
  6. Carefully review your application as you fill it out, and ensure that you have provided any additional information requested in the appropriate formats, and contacted any required resources as outlined in the instructions.

Check the “Results announced” section of the overview atop your funding opportunity description to learn when funding decisions will be announced.

Eligibility

Anyone participating in SSHRC-funded research activities must not be under SSHRC sanction for financial or research misconduct.

Grants

For most funding opportunities, applicants (principal investigators) must be affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution. Researchers not affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution are eligible to apply as co-applicants to selected SSHRC funding opportunities and as research collaborators to any SSHRC-supported project. Eligibility criteria specific to each funding opportunity are detailed in the individual descriptions.

Scholarships and fellowships

For all scholarship and fellowship funding opportunities, other than the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships program and the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program, applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of Canada. For detailed eligibility criteria, please refer to the individual descriptions.

Adjudication of applications

SSHRC grants and fellowships are awarded through independent, national, merit review processes. View the adjudication and evaluation section of the funding opportunity description to learn more.

Accommodations and accessibility

SSHRC is currently working on a comprehensive accessibility plan in response to the Accessible Canada Act. We will be making updates to the website once this work has been complete in December 2022.

If you need help completing online application forms due to circumstances arising from a disability, contact your institution (scholarship liaison officer, research grant office or other applicant support office) as early in the application process as possible to investigate available supports. If your institution cannot provide help, or needs SSHRC to collaborate on a solution, contact accessibility-accessibilite@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca. You can also contact SSHRC if you have questions or are seeking specific adaptation arrangements. You do not need to share your medical or sensitive personal information, and, to protect your privacy, should avoid doing so.

Frequently requested accommodations include, but are not limited to:

  • one-on-one phone or video appointments to clarify funding program information or the application process, or receive technical support;
  • alternative formats of online materials to enable access using assistive technology;
  • submission of the application (in full or part) through alternate means or format (e.g., hard copy, voice recording, or data entry by SSHRC staff on the applicant’s behalf).
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