Leakey Foundation Research Grants

The Leakey Foundation is the leading nonprofit funder of research dedicated to understanding human origins. Leakey Foundation Research Grants support both PhD dissertation research and post-PhD research across multiple disciplines related to human origins, evolution, and behavior. The Foundation prioritizes funding for the exploratory phases of promising new research projects and innovative, multidisciplinary approaches that expand the boundaries of current understanding. Each year, the Foundation awards approximately $1,000,000 in grants and scholarships. The program welcomes proposals from researchers at all stages of their careers, especially PhD candidates. The disciplines supported include archaeology, biological anthropology, paleoanthropology, primate behavioral ecology, genetics, geology, anatomy, morphology, paleobotany, and paleoclimatology. Current funding focus areas include paleoanthropology of the Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene; primates evolution, behavior, morphology, ecology, endocrinology, genetics, and isotope studies; and modern hunter-gatherer groups.