Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Grants for Critical Editions and Scholarly Translations in Buddhist Studies

Critical editions are of crucial importance to the expanding field of Buddhist studies. Translation has been at the core of Buddhism since the Buddha’s instruction to his monks to teach the dharma in many languages. 

These grants support a broad range of endeavor, from the creation of critical editions (with full scholarly apparatus), to translation of canonical texts into modern vernaculars, to the translation of scholarly works on Buddhism from one modern language into another.

Collaborative projects will receive priority. Ideally, they will involve scholars who are native speakers of the relevant source and target languages, and/or scholars experienced in research and study in those languages. 

Award funds can be used as stipends for work performed (e.g., to secure release time), for travel, and for related office costs, including reproduction or digitization of images, according to a proposed budget.

There are no restrictions as to the language of the final product prepared for publication.

ACLS offers publication subventions to recipients of these grants who complete manuscripts. If you have a completed manuscript, based on your work during the grant period, please email us at BuddhistStudies@acls.org. Publication subvention requests from grantees will be considered in a separate competition.

Grant Details

• Grant amount: Up to $80,000 for twelve months
• No university overhead is permitted.
• Completed applications must be submitted through the ACLS online fellowship and grant administration system (ofa.acls.org) no later than 9 pm Eastern Standard Time, November 13, 2019. 

Eligibility

• Individual applicants and leaders of collaborative teams must have PhD degrees conferred by an accredited university. (An established scholar who can demonstrate the equivalent of the PhD in publications and professional experience may also qualify.)
• The application must be written in English by the applicant.
• There are no restrictions as to residence or citizenship of applicants, or as to location of work.

Selection Criteria

• Significance of the text to be edited or translated
• The potential contribution to Buddhist studies of the critical edition and/or translation, especially the potential benefit to scholarly communities using the target language
• Feasibility of the plan of work and the budget proposed
• Record of applicants’ accomplishment in scholarship and editing/translation