Carter Manny Award Grant

Carter Manny Award Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts
Amount: Up to US $25,000
Last Updated: March 03, 2026

Summary

The Carter Manny Award, established by the Graham Foundation in 1996, supports outstanding doctoral dissertation projects focusing on architecture and its impact on arts and culture. Each year, two awards are granted: a Research Award of up to $20,000 for students in the research phase and a Writing Award of up to $25,000 for those in the writing phase. This initiative fosters innovative scholarship, encouraging emerging scholars to contribute meaningful insights to the field of architecture.

Overview

Mission Founded in 1956, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts fosters the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society. The Graham realizes this vision through making project-based grants to individuals and organizations and producing exhibitions, events, and publications. Background Established in 1996 by the Graham Foundation, the Carter Manny Award supports the completion of outstanding doctoral dissertations on architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society. As a predoctoral award program dedicated exclusively to architectural scholarship, the Carter Manny Award recognizes emerging scholars whose work promises to challenge and reshape contemporary discourse and impact the field at large. Eligible dissertation projects must focus on architecture, though scholarly investigations may be grounded in a range of academic disciplines and fields of inquiry that align with the mission of the Graham Foundation. These include: architecture and architectural history; art and art history; design; engineering; landscape architecture; urbanism; and other related fields.  The award assists students enrolled in graduate programs in architecture, art history, the fine arts, humanities, and the social sciences working on architecture topics. Each year, the Graham Foundation offers two Carter Manny Awards: one Research Award for a student at the research stage of the doctoral dissertation and one Writing Award for a student at writing stage of the doctoral dissertation. The Research Award is acknowledged with up to $20,000 and the Writing Award is acknowledged with up to $25,000. The Carter Manny Award applications are reviewed by a diverse panel of recognized scholars in the fields of inquiry represented by the award. The Graham Foundation offers this prestigious annual award in honor of Carter H. Manny (1918–2017) and his long and distinguished service to the Graham Foundation. Manny served the Foundation since its inception in 1956, first as a trustee, then as the director from 1971–93, and after his retirement, as director emeritus. Criteria for Evaluation Given the foundation’s interest in identifying the most promising dissertation projects, the following criteria are taken into consideration during the application review. We are primarily interested in projects that are original and have the potential to impact the field of architecture: Originality: the dissertation demonstrates an innovative, challenging idea; critical, independent thinking; advanced scholarship; a new approach or methodologyPotential for impact: the dissertation makes a meaningful contribution to discourse and/or to the field; expands knowledge; is a catalyst for future inquiry; raises awareness of an understudied issue We also look for the project’s feasibility and the applicant’s capacity: Feasibility: the dissertation project has a sound methodology and clear, realistic goals; a reasonable timeframe for research or writing; available and accessible sourcesCapacity: applicant possesses strong qualifications and/or knowledge and demonstrates ability to complete the dissertation successfully Award Types The Graham Foundation offers two Carter Manny Awards: one for a student at the research stage of the doctoral dissertation and one for a student at the writing stage of the doctoral dissertation. Research award The Research Award assists students with research that is essential to the doctoral project. The Research Award can be used for travel, documentation, materials, supplies, and other research and development costs. Applicants for a Research Award must articulate research goals through a clearly defined work plan that outlines travel, archival visits, and research methods. The Research Award is acknowledged with up to $20,000. Writing award The Writing Award supports the timely completion of the PhD by assisting advanced doctoral students during the final stages of dissertation writing. While some of the award funds may be used to conclude research, the award is primarily intended to support and facilitate a period of uninterrupted writing. Applicants for a Writing Award must submit a writing sample (excerpt from a dissertation chapter), a dissertation table of contents, and a writing schedule. The Writing Award is acknowledged with up to $25,000. Citations of Special Recognition A limited number of Citations of Special Recognition may be determined in some years in recognition of outstanding projects.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Ph.D. students who are presently candidates for a doctoral degree are eligible to apply.

Students must be nominated by their department to apply for the Carter Manny Award. A department may nominate up to two candidates: one for the Research Award and one for the Writing Award.
At the time of application, students must have completed all requirements for the Ph.D. except the dissertation and have had their dissertation proposals formally approved by their academic departments.
A student may reapply for the Carter Manny Award if a previous application was not successful. Due to limited funds, a student who received a Research Award or a Writing Award is not eligible to apply for another Carter Manny Award in subsequent years.
The award is open to students officially enrolled in schools in the U.S. and Canada, regardless of citizenship.