Request for Proposals – Harry Estill Moore and Bernice Milburn Moore Fellowship

Key Dates
Submission Deadline 1 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST) on Thursday, April 25, 2024
Notification of Award Selection
May 2024
Fellowship Year June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025
Fluxx Application Portal https://hogg.fluxx.io/

The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health invites eligible students from The University of Texas at Austin, pursuing a doctorate, to submit a proposal for the 2024 Harry Estill Moore and Bernice Milburn Moore Fellowship.

To be eligible for the fellowship, candidates should be completing a dissertation on the human experience in crises, including those resulting from natural or other major disasters or, more broadly, stress and adversity. Candidates should have a primary research interest in the mental health impact of crises, stress, and adversity. Proposals related to SARS-CoV-2/ COVID-19 are eligible and encouraged. This fellowship reflects Dr. Harry Estill Moore’s concern for and contributions to the sociological study of the human experience in crisis.  

The Moore Fellowship award is unrestricted. The fellow is not required to work as a condition of the award. However, in the fall of 2024, the fellow is invited and expected to participate in a Hogg Foundation-hosted seminar related to their dissertation topic. Upon completion of the dissertation, the fellow is asked to submit a copy of the dissertation with an abstract and/or summary. There are no restrictions on other awards or employment that the fellow may obtain.

The fellowship was established in 1995 by the estate of Bernice Milburn Moore in memory of her husband, Dr. Harry Estill Moore, a professor and sociologist at the University of Texas at Austin. Moore specialized in disaster studies, including tornadoes and hurricanes that affected the state of Texas.

 

Eligibility

Applicants should have successfully defended their dissertation proposal by the time of their submission. Applicants should have a strong research background with a primary interest in the mental health impact of crises, stress, and adversity. Only doctoral candidates in nursing, psychiatry, psychology, social work, sociology, and other fields relevant to mental health at The University of Texas at Austin may apply. The dissertation design may be qualitative, quantitative, or a mixed methods approach.

Award

The fellow will receive a one-time unrestricted award of $20,000.

Submission Process

Applicants should submit the required materials online by 1 p.m. CST on Thursday, April 25, 2024, to be eligible for review. All other application materials must be submitted through Fluxx, the foundation’s online grant portal. Instructions on using Fluxx can be found in this helpful video.

When applying online through Fluxx, applicants will enter their contact information, as well as the names and email addresses of the three individuals providing letters of reference (one of which must be the applicant’s dissertation committee chair or advisor).

Applicants will also upload the following documents:

  • Cover letter, which must include an explanation of the dissertation project’s fit with the fellowship’s focus on the human experience in crises (no page limit),
  • Summary of the dissertation’s rationale, research questions, and methods (maximum 10 double-spaced pages in 12-point font),
  • Current curriculum vitae (no page limit),
  • Timeline for the dissertation project’s completion (use template provided),
  • A list of three references who will be submitting references through the applicant or directly to the foundation (at least one must be the applicant’s dissertation chair).

The three signed letters of reference should be emailed to Hogg-Grants@austin.utexas.edu to the attention of the Moore Fellowship Committee by 1 p.m. CST on Thursday, April 25, 2024.

The foundation will announce the fellowship awardee in May 2024. The fellowship year is June 1, 2024, through May 31, 2025.

Review and Selection Process

Foundation staff will use a rating instrument to evaluate the merits of the proposals and select the fellow. The foundation may partner with an external reviewer to evaluate the proposals.

Factors that will be used to evaluate proposals for this RFP include:

  • The fit between the dissertation project and the fellowship’s focus on the human experience in crisis,
  • Demonstration of applicant’s strong research background with a primary interest in the mental health impact of crises, stress, and adversity,
  • Compelling case made for the research significance to the field of mental health. If research is being conducted outside of Texas, applicants should explain the significance to the people of Texas,
  • The amount of time remaining to complete the dissertation is reasonably in line with the fellowship period of June 1, 2024–May 31, 2025.

With preference given to:

  • Research which focuses on natural or other major disasters.
  • Important implications for underserved communities/ historically excluded groups in the area of mental health,
  • Including the participation of recipients of mental health services and their families in designing and implementing the project.

Inquiries

Questions about the fellowship or submission process may be directed to Hogg-Grants@austin.utexas.edu.