The next application deadline is November 15, 2026.
The Barr Ferree Publication Fund is administered by a Committee of Advisors whose members serve at the discretion of the Provost. It is presided over by the chair of the Department of Art and Archaeology and includes additional members from other academic units as well as a representative from the Office of the Provost.
According to the original trust documents from 1925, income from this endowed fund “is to be used in meeting the publication expense of books of merit on architecture and related topics in the fine arts,” including but not limited to, sculpture, painting, engraving, music, drawing, landscape design, city planning, and industrial arts. The fund is to “be used for manufacturing and publication expenses only.” The deed prohibits funding for “books on poetry, the drama, athletics, sports, dancing”; it does not cover the cost of administrative, editorial, or other “overhead” expenses. Journal articles are not eligible per the deed.
The Barr Ferree Publication Fund conducts a call for applications twice a year. The deadlines for these application periods are November 15 and April 15 (regardless of the day of the week these dates fall on). The committee meeting is held a few weeks later, and application notifications are usually sent within two months of the application deadline.
The Committee will consider no more than one book/music project per faculty member per application cycle (November and April). A second request within a single academic year may be granted lower priority.
Applicants are expected to explore fully other sources of support, both inside and outside the University, before requesting a grant from the Committee, particularly in connection with projects requiring sizable expenditures. The committee is favorably disposed to match departmental support, and grants to complement other support will be made whenever possible.
Who Is Eligible to Apply
Projects must be the product of primary research by current Princeton faculty members, librarians, curators or other academic professionals, or based on doctoral research, and former Princeton Ph.D.s (ordinarily only up to fifteen years after the Ph.D. defense date). Former graduate students may apply for a second book subvention if it falls within fifteen years of their Ph.D. defense date.
Subventions
The Committee is favorably disposed toward the subvention of the initial publication of the product of primary research. In addition to books, other academic publications such as CDs, DVDs, and ebooks are eligible for support with the subvention limited to the design and manufacture and not for other expenses such as distribution. Funds take the form of a subvention for enhancements to the publication – for example, a subsidy to a publisher which allows for the inclusion of color images. If funding allows, the committee will consider additional enhancements.
Reproduction Fees
The fund also supports the cost of reproduction fees charged by image collections. For these costs, the author must submit an application separate from the press’s subvention request. This application must include a list of images, the institutions that hold the rights, and the cost of the image. An author may request reimbursement for the cost of copies of the book if organizations granting the image reproduction permissions request a copy.
Reproduction fees are distributed through a reimbursement process. For former graduate students, payment is reimbursed after images have been paid for. Receipts are required for reimbursement. Current Princeton University staff and faculty utilize Concur for their payment system.
Translations
Publishers may apply for subvention awards for translations of books by current faculty members, as long as the translation is into languages where the language is appropriate to the book. The subvention is for the production of the book, not for the translation costs themselves.
Collaborations
In cases of collaborative research with colleagues at other institutions, it is recommended that the current Princeton University employee or alumnus apply for the Barr Ferree fund to avoid confusion. These projects may include co-edited volumes, co-written books, or musical collaborations.
The Committee will request clarification of the use of funds. A definition of the respective responsibilities and support available for the applicant must be indicated in the grant proposal. Such projects will be evaluated carefully to see that resources are available to the collaborator to support portions of the project. In general, lower priority will be assigned to costs associated with faculty research collaboration.
What is not covered
- Royalty costs
- Shipping Costs
- Non-manufacturing Costs including Production Supervision, Marketing/Advertising, Order Fulfillment, Warehousing, and Administration
- Editorial Costs including Copy Editing and Proofreading
- Indexing is limited to a maximum of $1,000