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The H. Robert Cohen/RIPM Fund for research based on the musical press is named after H. Robert Cohen, founder and director of Répertoire international de la presse musicale (RIPM). He has overseen the publication of some three hundred volumes and the creation of several databases providing the full text of, and access to, hundreds of rare music periodicals. His many publications deal with music criticism, the musical press, musical iconography, and the staging of opera. H. Robert Cohen studied at New York University and taught at the Université de Paris VIII, Université Laval, the University of British Columbia, the University of Amsterdam, and the University of Maryland, where he was named Professor Emeritus by his colleagues. For his contribution to French culture he was named Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government. The title of Honorary Member was conferred on him by the International Musicological Society, as well as the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centers. Grants are given annually to one or more members of the AMS. Grants from the fund support research and travel related to the goals of RIPM (Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals), a long-standing publication internationally recognized as one of the primary tools in research in music and musicology. The average award amount is typically between $500 and $1,500. Applicants may request up to $5,000.
Application
Please see the application form for additional details regarding allowable formatting, required content and allowable submission file types for each document. Applications to the Cohen/RIPM Fund must include:
- A brief summary of your proposal (150 words)
- A description of the overall project explaining the basic ideas, problems, or questions to be explored (500 words)
- A statement regarding the significance of the overall project and the anticipated contribution of the project to the existing body of research and writing on the topic or question (250 words)
- A description of the expected results of research done during the grant period, and plans for further research on the project (200 words)
- A more detailed plan of work (500 words)
- A project budget (use this budget template)
- If working with foreign language materials, your level of fluency
- One letter of support to be submitted by a scholar familiar with your work
Note: If you are applying for more than one AMS Travel and Research Grant, you may use the same form and materials for multiple applications.
Eligibility
The H. Robert Cohen/RIPM Fund accepts applications from any members of the AMS. The fund supports studies based in large part upon eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century periodical literature dealing with music, including those focusing on one or more journals, music critics and criticism, reception history and issues related to access and preservation.
Eight of the AMS travel/research grants, including the Cohen/RIPM Fund, use a common application and are reviewed by the Travel/Research Grant Committee. Since the terms for these grants have overlapping areas of emphasis, applicants may request to be considered for more than one, if appropriate.
No individual may receive a travel/research grant more than once in a three-year period. Applicants may apply for multiple awards using the same form submission.
Funds awarded in 2026 must be applied to travel/research undertaken between 1 May 2026 and 30 April 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The AMS Travel and Research Grant Application allows you to submit a single proposal for consideration for the following awards: Elliott Antokoletz Fund, M. Elizabeth C. Bartlet Fund, Virginia and George Bozarth Fund, H. Robert Cohen/RIPM Fund, Jan LaRue Travel Fund, Harold Powers World Travel Fund, Ora Frischberg Saloman Fund, Eugene K. Wolf Travel Fund.
You should indicate the funds you would like your application to be considered for on the application form. Please note that each grant has different topical and geographic focuses. You should ensure your project meets each individual grant’s requirements.
Please use the letter request tool within the application form to send a request to the scholar writing the letter. This will send them a form to upload your letter.
Please use the AMS Budget Template to create your project budget.
In this section of the application, you should provide a detailed work plan for your project. You should include details regarding: 1) preliminary work already completed, 2) present state of the proposed research, and 3) stages (if any) to be completed following the grant period. If publication or another form of acceptance of the results of the proposed research has already been arranged, please provide this information in this section of the application.
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