Grant Schemes

The Australian Population Association (APA) administers three grant schemes.

To apply for a grant, please download and complete the grant application form. Send the completed form to secretary@apa.org.au.

J.C. Caldwell Student Grant

The J.C. Caldwell Student Grant provides up to $2,500 to students studying population in Australian Universities to undertake research projects at Honours, Masters or PhD level.

The J.C. Caldwell Student Grant Scheme was established by the Australian Population Association (APA) in 1998 to encourage and support student research in the field of population. The Scheme is open to students enrolled at an Australian tertiary institution. It is envisaged that grants will mainly be applied to support students undertaking research by thesis at Honours, Masters or PhD level, but other student research projects will also be considered. Priority in funding will be given to projects that focus on some aspect of Australia’s population.

Professor Jack Caldwell (1928 – 2016) was Head of the Department of Demography at the Australian National University (ANU), 1970–88, Associate Director of the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at ANU, 1988–93, and then an Emeritus Professor of Demography at ANU. Since the 1950s Professor Caldwell has published hundreds of articles and books on topics including demographic transition theory, wealth flows theory, HIV/AIDS in Africa, mortality in developing countries, family planning and fertility decline. An international survey of demographers in 2012 found that he was the most respected demographer of all time.

Alan Gray Student Grant

The Alan Gray Student Grant provides up to $2,500 to students studying the indigenous population in Australian Universities to undertake research projects at Honours, Masters or PhD level.

The Alan Gray Student Grant Scheme was established in 2003 to encourage and support student research in the field of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population studies. The Scheme is open to students enrolled at an Australian tertiary institution. It is envisaged that grants will mainly be applied to support students undertaking research by thesis at Honours, Masters or PhD level, but other student research projects will also be considered. Projects must focus on some aspect of Australia’s Indigenous population.

Dr Alan Gray completed undergraduate studies at ANU before working at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Department of Immigration, and Department of Aboriginal Affairs. In the 1980s he undertook a PhD in Demography at ANU. Dr Gray’s research interests included Aboriginal family formation, health and mortality, data deficiencies and incomplete-data methods. Among his many achievements, Dr Gray was the first researcher to identify high Aboriginal adult mortality and the fall in Aboriginal fertility. He worked closely with Aboriginal communities and was passionate about issues of social justice.

Christabel Young Research Grant

The Christabel Young Research Grant provides up to $2,500 to APA members affiliated with an Australian tertiary institution. Priority in funding will be given to projects that focus on some aspect of Australia’s population.

The Australian Population Association established the Christabel Young Research Grant Scheme in 2006 to encourage and support academic research in population studies. The scheme is open to all members of the Australian Population Association. Priority in funding will be given to projects that focus on some aspect of Australia’s population.

Dr Christabel Young worked at the ABS in Adelaide and Canberra before her PhD in Demography at ANU on the mortality of Australian birth cohorts. She was a demographer at ANU for almost 30 years, and has been a Member of the ACT Electoral Commission since 1992, and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia since 1994. Dr Young's research has focused on Australian demography, including differential mortality, immigrant populations, the family life cycle, children leaving home, population ageing, and women's labour force participation. Her work has been extremely influential both in Australia and internationally and is still widely cited today.

University Awards

The APA University Awards are presented to the best performed student in an unit with a demographic or population studies focus. Lecturers, tutors and course convenors are encouraged to email secretary@apa.org.au to set up a University Award for your course.