Arnold Arboretum Research Scholar Award 2027 - Up to $10,000

The Arnold Arboretum Research Scholar Award supports scholars whose projects make meaningful use of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. The award provides up to $10,000 for research expenses and/or travel expenses connected to the proposed work. It is intended to help a scholar start or strengthen a research program, while creating a working connection with the Arboretum and its collections, facilities, staff, and archives.

The 2026 award round has concluded: the Arboretum’s official recipients page lists 2026 Research Scholar Award recipients. The award page describes a recurring application window from November 5 through February 1, making February 1, 2027 the next deadline for applicants preparing for the upcoming round. Check the official page before submitting, since the online application link and any instructions are controlled by the Arnold Arboretum.

At a glance

What the award is designed to do

This is a focused research award rather than a general scholarship or an unrestricted personal stipend. The official program describes it as a way to jump-start a research program and help guide future research. A strong proposal will therefore connect a defined project to a specific need that the Arnold Arboretum can meet.

The award page identifies several resources that may be relevant. The living collections contain broad species and genetic diversity, including multiple individuals of some species collected from different biogeographic regions. That makes the collections useful for comparative work conducted under shared growing conditions. A project might examine variation among individuals, compare traits across species, or use the collections as a carefully documented source of biological material, subject to the Arboretum’s permissions and research procedures.

Scholars in residence may also use the Weld Hill Research Facilities and work in an environment with laboratories, expert staff, and opportunities for collaboration. The Arboretum’s library and archives provide documentation of accessioned plants, historical photographs, library holdings, herbarium specimens, and climate data collected since 1918. The grounds themselves include a large naturalized urban setting with woody plants, meadows, wildflowers, other organisms, and urban ecological conditions. These resources make the award relevant to biological, ecological, horticultural, historical, and other scholarly projects that depend on direct access to the Arboretum.

The maximum amount is $10,000. The official guidance says the funds may support research and travel expenses associated with the proposed research. It also says that the award is not intended to supplement or replace departmental salaries or stipends. Funds may, however, be used for the stipend or salary of an undergraduate intern appointed through the applicant’s home institution. Build the budget around identifiable project costs and explain how each cost advances the work.

Who can apply

Applications are sought from all scholars. The program gives preference to early-career individuals and visiting scholars, and the award page separately notes a preference for scholars who will visit the Arboretum and be in residence for part of their research. These are selection preferences, not a statement that only one career stage or one nationality may apply.

The most important eligibility question is practical fit: can the proposed project use the Arnold Arboretum’s resources in a clear and necessary way? An applicant should be able to name the collection, facility, archive, specimen group, data source, staff expertise, or research setting that matters to the work. A proposal that requests ordinary research or travel costs without explaining the Arboretum connection will be weaker than a proposal with the same dollar request and a precise resource plan.

Applicants who cannot spend part of the project in residence should not claim access they do not have. Instead, describe the resources that can genuinely be used, explain any remote or collaborative arrangement, and contact the selection committee if the proposed work depends on a permission or facility that is not explained on the public page. Because the award page states a preference for visiting and in-residence scholars, applicants should address the residence question directly rather than leaving reviewers to infer the plan.

How applications are evaluated

The award is made through a competitive review process. The official criteria identify three areas: the applicant’s educational background and readiness to conduct the proposed research; the quality of the proposed research; and the relevance of that research to Arnold Arboretum resources.

Those criteria point to a compact proposal structure. First, establish that you have the training, experience, or preparation needed to carry out the work. Second, state a research question that can be advanced with the requested funds and within the proposed timeline. Third, show exactly how the Arboretum will contribute. A project may be scientifically ambitious, but the application should still make its immediate work plan easy to understand.

The resource connection should be concrete. Instead of writing that the Arboretum offers an excellent setting, identify what you will examine, where the work will happen, which materials or data you need, and what access or collaboration is required. If the project uses the living collections, explain the sampling or observation plan. If it uses the library, archives, herbarium, or historical data, describe the records or specimens that matter. If the project needs laboratory work, connect the methods to the Weld Hill facilities or relevant staff expertise.

Required application materials

The official page says an online application should include the following materials:

• A cover letter.
• A one- to two-page research statement describing the project, explaining how additional funding from the award will further the research aims and support the applicant’s career, and showing how Arnold Arboretum resources will be used. References may be included and do not count toward the page limit.
• A simple, one-page research budget itemizing the research and travel costs associated with the proposed project. The budget should follow the program’s restriction on replacing departmental salaries or stipends and should identify any undergraduate intern support accurately.
• A project timeline with anticipated start and end dates.
• A curriculum vitae.
• Two letters of recommendation for applicants who are not faculty or senior scientists/principal investigators. These applicants request the letters through the online submission system; each referee receives an email with a link to upload a letter.

The page recommends contacting referees before sending the online request. It also says referees should expect instructions from Admin@communityforce.com and that each letter must be uploaded through the provided link by February 1. Treat the recommendation process as part of the deadline, not as a separate task that can be completed later.

How to prepare a strong research statement

Use the first paragraph to state the research problem and the specific work the award will make possible. The reader should know what you want to learn, examine, document, or test. Follow with enough background to show why the question matters, but keep the emphasis on the proposed project rather than on a broad literature review.

Next, describe the work plan. Identify the materials, specimens, records, data, observations, or laboratory methods involved. Explain which activities will take place at the Arnold Arboretum and which will happen at the home institution or elsewhere. If you propose a visit, give a realistic reason for the length and timing of the residence. A sentence such as “I will use the collections” is not enough; name the work that access enables.

Then connect the project to the award’s career purpose. State what the work will produce: a completed analysis, a manuscript, a dataset, a dissertation chapter, a conservation report, a new collaboration, or another specific outcome. The program is interested in readiness and future research direction, so show how the proposed work is a manageable next step rather than an unfunded wish list.

Close with feasibility. Briefly identify prior preparation, access arrangements, permits if relevant, and a response to foreseeable obstacles. A modest project with a clear fallback plan is more persuasive than a large project whose completion depends on several uncertain conditions.

Building the budget

Start with the activities in the timeline and price only the costs needed to carry them out. Travel may include transportation and other directly related costs. Research expenses may include supplies, processing, project materials, or other costs that are tied to the proposed work. If you request support for an undergraduate intern, identify the home-institution appointment, rate, and expected work rather than describing it as general help.

Keep the one-page budget readable. Use a short justification beside or below the figures so the reviewers can see why each line is necessary. Make sure the total does not exceed $10,000. Do not use the award to replace a departmental salary or stipend, since the official guidance expressly excludes that purpose. If another grant, department, or institution will cover part of the project, state that clearly and show which expenses this award would cover.

The budget should also match the proposed residence plan. If travel to the Arboretum is central to the project, the application should explain the timing and purpose of the visit. If the work is based on records, specimens, facilities, or data that can be used without a long visit, the budget and timeline should reflect that instead. Consistency among the research statement, budget, and timeline is a simple way to demonstrate readiness.

Suggested preparation schedule

Work backward from February 1, 2027. Begin by identifying the Arnold Arboretum resources that your project needs and confirming any access questions with the selection committee. Draft the research statement and budget early enough to receive feedback from someone who understands the project and someone who can test whether the explanation is clear to a non-specialist.

Contact referees before starting the recommendation requests in the online system. Give them the project statement, CV, deadline, and a concise explanation of the qualities their letters should address. Leave time for them to upload their letters through the system and for you to resolve a missing or misdirected request.

Before submission, check that the research statement fits the one- to two-page limit, references are handled correctly, the budget is one page, the timeline includes anticipated start and end dates, and every requested dollar has a matching activity. Submit before the final day when possible, but remember that the official deadline applies to the application and the recommendation uploads described on the award page.

Application checklist

• Confirm that the project uses a named Arnold Arboretum resource.
• Decide whether a visit or partial residence is necessary and describe it honestly.
• Prepare the cover letter, research statement, one-page budget, project timeline, and CV.
• Ask two referees for letters if you are not faculty or a senior scientist/principal investigator.
• Start the online recommendation requests early and tell referees to watch for the CommunityForce email.
• Check the budget against the $10,000 maximum and the restriction on replacing salaries or stipends.
• Review the final application for consistency among aims, Arboretum resources, costs, timeline, and expected results.
• Submit through the official Arnold Arboretum award page by February 1, 2027.

Official application page

Read the Arnold Arboretum Research Scholar Award page for the current instructions and online application link. For questions about the award, Arboretum resources, the research proposal, or the submission process, use the selection committee contact linked on that page. The official page is the appropriate place to confirm any change to the recurring application window before you submit.