Description

Application Deadline: April 30, 2026

ABA’s Office of the Chief Economist is accepting applications for its 2026-2027 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 whrung@aba.com 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.

Eligible research topics on the US banking system:

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, stablecoins, fin-tech or alternate payment offerings)

Financial stability

Requirements

Application Requirements

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 whrung@aba.com.

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.