About First-step Funds

First-step Funds are designed to facilitate Harvard-Brazil collaboration by reducing barriers to Harvard faculty members’ initial travel to and engagement with Brazil. In addition to serving as a source of funding for Harvard professors to travel to Brazil, First-step Funds may be awarded to Brazilian professors and researchers to visit Harvard for the first time as part of a nascent collaboration with Harvard faculty. Requests for funding, regardless of whether the traveler is a Harvard professor going to Brazil or a Brazilian collaborator coming to Harvard, must be submitted by a current Harvard professor.

First-step Funds, which were made possible through a donation of the Coolidge Family Fund of the Boston Foundation, are complementary to David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) grants, may not exceed US$7,000 per award, and are targeted to support trips of approximately one week in length. Faculty who receive First-step support are eligible to apply for DRCLAS grants during the regular DRCLAS grants cycle.

Application Process

>> Rolling application process (year-round);
>> Applications will be reviewed by a committee of the Brazil Studies Program;
>> Responses will be given within two weeks of application submission

Application Submission

Please submit all of the following information electronically (via e-mail) to hbrazil@fas.harvard.edu [1]

>> Name of Harvard professor:
>> Department/School at Harvard:
>> Mailing address:
>> Phone/Fax/E-mail:
>> Dates of travel:
>> Dollar amount requested:
>> List any other sources of funding (co-sponsorships, grants, etc.) or write “none”:
>> Attach CV of Harvard professor and Brazilian collaborator (if travel is to Harvard):
>> Name of traveler (if different from above):
>> Institution/department of traveler:
>> Have you ever been to Brazil or has your collaborator ever been to Harvard: ["yes" or "no"]
>> Brief description (500 words or less) describing the purpose and goals of the travel: