Foundation for Community Association Research Byron Hanke Fellowship

The Foundation for Community Association Research (FCAR) awards its Byron Hanke Fellowship to selected graduate students to implement research projects related to the development, management and governance of common interest communities and their community associations.

Applicants must be enrolled, at time of application and through the research period, in a graduate level program (masters, doctoral, legal) at an accredited higher education institution in the United States or Canada. Students from any relevant discipline may apply for the Hanke Fellowship, provided their research project relates to community associations and/or common interest communities.

Projects may focus on applied or theoretical research and must be done in conjunction with the fellow’s graduate studies. The application should clearly explain the purpose and anticipated outcomes of the project and show how it will expand or enhance existing theory, knowledge, or data collection and help to advance the Foundation’s mission. Before applying, please review the definition of a community association/common interest community.

Within the field of community associations and common-interest communities, Hanke Fellowship projects are accepted for the following topics:

• Preparing for the Next Financial Crisis: Community Associations in Lien Priority, Insolvency or Foreclosure
• How Community Associations respond to aging infrastructure and aging residents
• Quantifying how Community Associations impact home values and resale activity
• How Community Associations manage risks related to technology use and data collection
• Trends in Community Association efforts to conserve resources and protect the environment

Applicants may submit proposals on other relevant topics with the understanding that preference will be given to proposals that address priority topics.

Projects may focus on either applied or theoretical research. The Foundation is especially interested in substantive papers from the social sciences, which place community association housing within political or economic organizational models. In all cases, the topic must have the approval of the graduate student’s general academic adviser, or of another full-time faculty member who will supervise the Hanke Fellow’s project. The project topic must have potential of furthering understanding of residential community associations.

The Hanke Fellowship stipends range from $3,000-$5,000 over one year, or as determined by the Foundation. The Foundation Executive Committee maintains the right to determine the amount of the stipend.