Council Grants: East and Inner Asia Council Small Grants ( formerly China and Inner Asia Council (CIAC))

Council Grants: East and Inner Asia Council Small Grants ( formerly China and Inner Asia Council (CIAC))

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Association for Asian Studies
Amount: Up to US $2,000
Last Updated: November 27, 2025

Summary

The East and Inner Asia Council of the AAS offers small grants up to $2,000 for dissertation-level students and scholars focusing on China, Taiwan, or Inner Asia. Eligible projects include short research trips and conference organization. Preference is given to junior scholars and projects that enhance communication and curriculum development. Successful applications will clearly outline research questions and significance, and demonstrate the project's broader impact within the field. For further guidelines, visit the AAS FAQ page.

Overview

The East and Inner Asia Council of the AAS (EIAC; formerly the China and Inner Asia Council [CIAC]) makes small grant awards of up to $2,000. Dissertation-level graduate students and scholars with special interests in China, Taiwan, or Inner Asia are invited to submit proposals. Types of Grants Short research trips for dissertation-level graduate students, and for scholars at non-research institutions, to travel to major libraries and collections or other research sites. If your project involves interviewing human subjects. Short research trips for translators of scholarly books and articles to travel to major libraries and collections or other research sites directly related to the translation project; funding is not intended to compensate grant applicants for actual time spent translating. Organization of conferences and seminars—particularly for the organization of small conferences and seminars away from major centers of Chinese studies. Specialist or regional newsletters or websites disseminating important information to their respective fields Successful grant applications for Research Travel funding will have the following features; they will: At the outset, state the nature of the question(s) being posed; Demonstrate the contribution(s) to the larger field (beyond the immediate, narrower subfield of the project) that the project aims to make; explain the project’s significance to the more specific subfield in which the project will be situated; this may entail very briefly displaying awareness of previous work on the topic; Make explicit what you are hoping to achieve; Describe briefly the methods and/or materials that will be used to address the questions posed; and Justify the research site(s) or archive(s) being selected for the project. Note about indirect costs: The AAS is a membership organization rather than a funding agency, and conducts its grant programs as a service to the field through the voluntary help of its members. Funds for all grant programs originate from outside agencies, and individual awards are quite modest. We therefore require applicants’ home institutions to waive their normal indirect cost requirements. Please see FAQ for additional guidelines.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Eligible expenses:For research and translator travel applicants/awards, only airfare, ground transportation (train, airport shuttle, bus, subway, etc.), lodging, and personal meal expenses are eligible for reimbursement.There are no citizenship requirements.Dissertation-level graduate students, junior and independent scholars (including language pedagogues and librarians), and adjunct faculty are especially encouraged to apply, but scholars of all levels are eligible. Any applicant’s research project that requires Institutional Review Board (IRB) or similar approval by law or institutional practice should receive this approval from the applicant’s institution or sponsoring organization prior to conducting the research for which this EIAC grant application is made. EIAC (or the AAS by extension) bears no responsibility or liability for awarding any EIAC Research Travel Grant for projects where this IRB approval should have been secured. Applicants must not have received a EIAC Small Grant within the past three years. Only one application per individual will be accepted in any one grant application round. NOTE: AAS grants take the form of reimbursement rather than payment in advance, and only after project completion and grant report/form submission. Original receipts need to be retained and reimbursement is only for eligible expenses incurred up to the amount of the grant awarded. You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member. Applicants must be current AAS members. Since current AAS membership is required for your grant application, please be sure to purchase or renew your membership before the grant application deadline, especially when a deadline falls on the weekend.

Ineligibility

The AAS is unable to support funding requests for indirect costs from applicants to its small grant programs. EIAC grant funds cannot be used to pay for human subjects. The following items are NOT eligible for funding:Passport/visa application fees, insurance, book or equipment purchases, shipping expenses, gifts, research assistants, translation costs, photocopying expenses or supplies, and survey costs.Tuition or class fees of any kind, or any other expenses associated with participation in summer classes, institutes, or related activities.Travel to conferences, including the AAS annual conference.Translation of an applicant’s own work or to pay professional translators to translate materials.Book subventions and publication costs.Repeat applications for previously funded projects and organizations.