Support for Student Projects

Awarded in the Fall and Spring Semesters
Support is available from the Academic Fund for Seniors to support students in the completion of their senior projects. Expenses for materials, travel, attendance at conferences, and similar items can be supported by these funds. Requests to cover photocopying or printing needs are not typically supported.

Awarded in the Fall and Spring Semesters
The annual income generated by this fund is awarded to deserving juniors or seniors who are pursuing either an independent study or a senior project. Funded expenses may include visits to major research libraries and purchases of special materials or equipment. Award recipients will be designated “Casstevens Research Scholars,” and the final research reports will be catalogued and placed permanently in the Burke Library for the benefit of the entire College community, but particularly for other Hamilton students who aspire to do excellent independent work. Preference will be given to members of the junior class to help them prepare for senior projects in their concentrations. Awards vary in size depending on the number of requests received (typically in the amount of a few hundred dollars).

Awarded for summer projects 

Students are invited to apply for summer stipends under The Ingis Family Fund. Awards provide support for student expenses associated with independent study and senior projects across the disciplines, including relevant internships, and exploring questions and benefits and challenges, including but not limited to those related to the ethical, social, human and political impact of the Internet and artificial intelligence, data and privacy. Funded expenses may include visits to major research libraries; attendance at conferences; support for relevant internship and research opportunities; equipment, software, technologies and other consumables.

The Kirkland Endowment Advisory Committee was established at the time of the merger of Hamilton and Kirkland Colleges; Kirkland was an innovative women’s college, and the Committee disburses funds from the unrestricted portion of the Endowment of Kirkland College, in “the needs and interests of women at Hamilton College.”

If a student or student group has a project in mind (speaker, artistic performance, research, travel, etc.) that supports the “needs and interests of women at Hamilton,” you may apply to the Kirkland Endowment Advisory Committee for financial support. We define this mission broadly, and support work by and about women and gender. We are especially interested in interdisciplinary and innovative programming.

There are four funding rounds throughout the year; the Committee sends out an all-campus email announcement preceding each round, with instructions for the application process.

Awarded in the Fall and Spring Semester
This fund was established in 1993 by Ann and David Smallen in memory of their son, Steven Daniel Smallen. Steven was valedictorian of the 1990 graduating class at Clinton Central School, winning numerous awards for his work in the arts and sciences. He attended Hamilton College for one year while receiving treatments for leukemia and then continued his studies at Haverford College prior to losing his battle with cancer in 1992. He was an avid reader, with strong interests in conservation, science, ornithology, the arts, and gardening.

This fund is designed to encourage student creativity among Hamilton students by providing support for projects displaying originality, expressiveness, and imagination.  The proposed project must lead to something that can be exhibited to the College community, perhaps becoming a permanent part of it. Examples of projects might include sculpture, paintings, a research project, a short story, a published book of poetry, or a campus beautification project.