Banking Research PhD Dissertation Grant

Overview

Final date to receive applications:
April 30, 2026

ABA’s Office of the Chief Economist is accepting applications for its  academic year dissertation grant (beginning September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027).

The grant will provide $40,000 for one academic year, released monthly in 12 equal payments, for a Ph.D. graduate student conducting research on the US banking industry.

Applications should be sent to Warren Hrung (ABA Head of Quantitative Research) at  by April 30, 2026.

Applications will be evaluated by ABA staff and the recipient will be notified via email and will be announced in late May.

• General Business of Banking
• Central bank liquidity facilities
• Interconnections with non-bank financial institutions
• Small business lending
• Consumer banking, including residential mortgages
• Agricultural lending
• Interbank/wholesale funding
• Payments (e.g., debit & credit cards, stable coins, fin-tech or alternate payment offerings)
• Financial stability

• Must be enrolled in a PhD economics (including business economics and agricultural economics) or finance program at an accredited college or university, and have completed required preliminary graduate coursework
• Conducting independent research, with a preference for quantitative work
• Submission of a research prospectus (5 pages maximum), transcript and a letter of endorsement from the student’s dissertation advisor
• First degree relatives or household members of current ABA employees are not eligible for this grant
• Any questions can be directed to

Note:

ABA does not place any restrictions on the ultimate results of the funded research or any publication outlet.

ABA does not assert any intellectual property rights on the supported research and will also not be providing any other resources in support of the research conducted.