The Woodson Research Center, with the support of Fondren Library, is pleased to support researchers in the topic of activism and social justice with an annual travel grant of up to $2,500. This grant is in honor of Mr. Reginald Moore, a longtime community activist in the legacy of convict leasing locally in Sugar Land, Texas, as well as nationally. Researchers are welcome regardless of academic status.
Projects typically include historical research in support of papers, exhibits, creative writing, documentaries, dissertations, journalism, or similar creative ventures. Funds may be used to cover the cost of travel (such as airfare, mileage, parking), lodging, and meals. Alternatively, funds may be used as a researcher stipend to support remote or physical work with these collections, with the intention that knowledge gained and resources discovered will be shared publicly.
Applicants should live further than 50 miles from Rice University and should not be current Rice University students or employees.
Applications are open through Friday, March 14, 2025 for the projects in the 2025 calendar year, with notifications being sent out by Friday, March 21, 2025. The next call will be posted in January 2026 for the 2026 calendar year. Submit applications via email to woodson@rice.edu.
The application should include:
- Proposed project description
- Proposed dates of travel
- Research budget
- List of relevant library materials to be consulted, including archival collections from the Woodson Research Center -
- See archives.library.rice.edu to explore archival collections, which can be further refined by exploring “Record Groups” such as African American community, which includes but is not limited to the Reginald Moore Sugar Land Convict Leasing System research collection.
- Copy of your CV as a Word doc or PDF using the naming format: “LastName- FirstName-CV.”
- Letter of reference. Current undergraduate or graduate students should include a letter from a faculty member, independent scholars may provide a letter from a relevant colleague.
Funds for travel requests will be dispersed as reimbursement based on receipts. Stipend-based requests will be paid as a sum based on the research plan and budget.