RCI Student Support Fund

+ Information for Prospective Applicants

Information for Prospective Applicants 
Eligibility is limited to Rutgers Ph.D. students whose major area of research is on climate change in the natural, social, health or policy sciences. The fund provides support to enable Rutgers Ph.D. students to participate in conferences, workshops, symposia, professional meetings, field activities, and visits to federal or state agencies or universities for educational or research purposes.  Eligible expenses include attendance fees, lodging, meals, and transportation.  The maximum award for any one student will be $500 unless special circumstances can be identified by the student's faculty mentor.   

Application Deadlines 
For travel and related expenses that will occur between November 15 and May 15, applications are due by 11:59 pm October 15. 

For travel and related expenses that will occur between May 16 and November 14, applications are due by 11:59 pm April 1. Note: The Spring 2023 deadline has been extended to April 10th.

To Apply 
To be considered for funding through the RCI Student Support Fund, a complete application package must include the elements as set forth in items 1 and 2 below by the appropriate application deadline.  

1. The applicant shall submit the information in a through f below as one single pdf document via email to Marjorie Kaplan, Associate Director, Rutgers Climate Institute (email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).  

a. Applicants name, email and telephone, major area of study, program year, anticipated date of graduation, advisor, GPA and date(s) of travel. 

b. Funding amount requested and total estimated travel expense. 

c. Up to three paragraphs describing specifically what the student is requesting support for and how such an award is in keeping with the purpose of the RCI student support fund. 

d. Identification of any prior RCI travel funding support. 

e. Acknowledgement that if awarded, upon completion of the student's travel, the student will submit a brief report to RCI on activities during the trip and the benefits of the trip to the student's scholarship. Photographs or images of activities documenting the student's experiences should be included. 

f. A curriculum vitae is optional but encouraged. 

2. The applicant's faculty mentor shall submit a brief statement of support for the student's travel via email directly to Marjorie Kaplan, Associate Director, Rutgers Climate Institute (email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).