John Cage Research Grant

The McCormick Library of Special Collections and University Archives at Northwestern stewards the John Cage Collection, an extensive archive of primary sources documenting the life and work of one of the most revolutionary composers of the 20th-century.

Established by Cage in the early 1970s, the collection grew considerably over the following decades as Cage placed additional materials at Northwestern until his death in 1992. Since then, the archive has grown further with acquisitions obtained through donation and purchase. As a major repository of original Cage materials—correspondence, clippings, photographs, tapes, musical scores, and visual art —the collection supports the work of scholars worldwide and has been a source for many books, articles, and dissertations.

Specific questions about the John Cage Collection can be directed to Greg MacAyeal, Curator of Music Collections, at g-macayeal@northwestern.edu. 

Established in 2013 to promote further use of the John Cage Collection, the John Cage Research Grant is a competitive award for one or more scholars whose research requires substantial on-site use of the Cage Collection.

Funding

• Each year we will award one or more grants, up to a total of $3,000, open to all fields of study supported by the John Cage Collection. We reserve the right to award only a portion of the requested amount.
• Grants will be awarded to reimburse expenses for transportation, accommodations, and meals for one or more on-site visits to Northwestern University Libraries.

Eligibility

• Open to academic and independent researchers. We encourage applications by those working in traditional academic practice as well as those whose research is interdisciplinary, or oriented towards creative arts and practices.
• There are no restrictions as to the applicant’s nationality or academic status.
• Research may be in any field (e.g., musicology, art history, philosophy, literature, cultural studies), but projects must concern an aspect of Cage’s life and work and must clearly demonstrate a need for extensive use of the Cage Collection.
• At the discretion of the selection committee and Northwestern University Libraries, the grant may be awarded to an individual applicant, a team, or divided among multiple applicants and or teams. Further, if a suitable awardee is not identified among the applications received, we reserve the right to withhold the grant for that particular year.
• Applicants who are not awarded the grant in a specific year may resubmit proposals in following years without prejudice.
• An applicant may receive only one award for any one project as determined by the selection committee and Northwestern Libraries.
• Researchers affiliated with Northwestern University will not be considered for this travel grant.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit the following:

1. A project proposal containing:

   1. Proposal title
   2. Proposal description (700 words or less)
   3. A list of collection materials that you intend to consult and their significance to the project
   4. A brief description of the specific outcomes (e.g. dissertation, article, book, creative or artistic work) to which this research will contribute (50 words or less)
   5. Acknowledgment of other funding sources
2. A curriculum vitae

3. A detailed budget indicating the total amount requested with itemized list of projected expenses for transportation, accommodations and meals. For meals and incidentals, applicants should use the U.S. General Services Administration Per Diem Rates for Meals & Incidentals (M&IE) for Chicago. Applicants should indicate any other sources of funding that will be applied to the project, if applicable. For additional information on planning a budget, see allowable expenses and out-of-town visitor resources.

Applicants should submit the research description, curriculum vitae, and budget to the application form linked.

Apply here now

Please note: The selection committee is unable to provide feedback with regard to unsuccessful applications.

Expectations

• All grant awardees will be required to submit receipts for expenses incurred and will be reimbursed, in accordance with Northwestern University policies. For meals and incidentals, we require that recipients use the U.S. General Services Administration Per Diem Rates for Meals & Incidentals (M&IE) instead of itemized receipts. Reimbursement requests must be made within 30 days of last day of visit.
• Grant awardees must conduct their research visit within the academic year following the grant being awarded (between September 1st and August 1st).
• Upon completion of the research, grant awardees will be required to submit a brief report [1-2 pages] summarizing the use of the collection(s) and how the visit benefited their research to librarygrants@northwestern.edu.