American Bankers Association Banking Research Dissertation Grant Program

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 [email protected] 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

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
   

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.
• ABA requires a signed W-9 form and a direct deposit form before any payments will be made. Payments made to you related to this grant will be reported on Form 1099 to the IRS and your state, if required. ABA will not be withholding any taxes. You are advised to consult with your tax professional to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local income tax regulations.

About the American Bankers Association

The American Bankers Association is the voice of the nation’s $24.5 trillion banking industry, which is composed of small, regional and large banks that together employ approximately 2.1 million people, safeguard $19.5 trillion in deposits and extend $12.8 trillion in loans.