Maintaining the Al-Babtain Leiden University Centre for Arabic Culture and all related activities.

The Anna Croiset van der Kop Fund originated from the former Stichting Beheer Croiset van der Kop Fund, which was managed by the Slavic languages ​​program of the Faculty of Humanities of Leiden University. Anna Croiset van der Kop (1859-1914) was the first female Slavist in the Netherlands. At the age of 43 she started studying Slavic Studies with Professor Aleksander Brückner at the Friedrich-Wilhelm-University in Berlin, from which she obtained her doctorate cum laude in 1907. Much to her regret and dissatisfaction, she missed an appointment as professor for the chair of Slavic philology at Leiden University in 1913, while as an advocate of such a chair she had made such an effort to establish it. She died in Frankfurt in 1914.

Purpose

The aim of the fund is to promote Slavic language and literature, in particular the BA and MA courses Russian Studies / Russian and Eurasian Studies at Leiden University.

This fund is the successor of the Austrian Studies Foundation and will continue and expand the program of activities of the Central European Studies chair at Leiden University, which was established in 1992.

Purpose

The purpose of this fund is the conducting of scientific research and disseminating knowledge about history, science, literature, art, morals and customs of Central Europe in general and Austria in particular. The fund tries to achieve its goal, among other things, by establishing and maintaining an endowed chair at Leiden University and all that may be conducive to the goal.

The purpose of the fund is to preserve all the books and letters of Prof. G.J.P. Bolland in the Leiden University Library. The fund also supports the study of Bolland’s life and work by giving access to the archives and promoting the publication of a complete edition of Bolland’s works.

The fund's purpose is to finance scientific research or doctoral research, possibly including publications by/for starting researchers from the Faculty of Humanities of Leiden University, more specifically the field of art history preferably with attention to the interdisciplinary relationship with history, cultures and religions and where possible in relation to the Spanish-speaking area, all this in the broadest sense of the word.

This named fund was established with the estate of Mr. Jan-Paul Dirkse.

Purpose

The purpose of the named fund is to support students, PhD students and researchers, who conduct historical or cultural anthropological research into or publish about Indonesia, all in the broadest sense of the word.

The Fund A.E. Cohen was established by Prof. Adolf Emile Cohen, a Dutch historian, professor and Rector Magnificus of Leiden University.

Purpose

The fund supports research on the history of Leiden University, and publications on this topic.

The Fund for South and Southeast Asian Art was established to promote the study of art, antiquities and material culture of South and Southeast Asia, particularly in the Netherlands. Studying South and Southeast Asian Art is a long-standing Dutch tradition, which reached its height during the colonial period, especially in the first half of the 20th century.

This has resulted in exceptionally rich collections of artworks, antiquities and objects of material culture from these regions being held in the Netherlands, together with a wide range of documentation and publications in Dutch in this field. Academic study must therefore be carried out by specialists who understand Dutch and are familiar with the Dutch source materials and research traditions.

The Fund for Religious Studies was established in 2014, when the management foundation of the Theological Funds transferred this fund to the LUF. A distinction is made within the Fund between a ‘General Fund’, the ‘Marinus de Jonge Fund’ and the ‘Posthumus Meyjes Fund.’

Purpose

The Fund’s purpose is to promote the study of religion and religions at Leiden University. 

• The Marinus de Jonge Fund supports students and PhD candidates of Leiden University who engage in research on Ancient Judaism or Early Christianity in the context of the classical Mediterranean world.
• The Posthumus Meyjes Fund supports purchases by Leiden University Library aimed at creating the most complete possible collection of theses defended at the Faculty of Theology in the period 1575 – 1750 and the purchase of related titles.

This named fund was established in 2023 based on the assets of the dissolved Foundation for the Promotion of the Study of China at Leiden University.

Purpose

The objective of the fund is to promote the study of China at Leiden University in the broadest sense. The fund aims to achieve this goal by providing financial contributions for research projects and for scientific conferences, symposia, workshops and other scientific meetings and by providing financial contributions to lecturers, PhD candidates and students in the field of China Studies.

The Han-Crebolder Fund was set up in 2018 by Mr W.L. Han and Ms H.S.C. Crebolder. Both donors were active members of the board of the Leiden University Fund.

Purpose

The fund aims to encourage and support students of three faculties at Leiden University (Law, Humanities and Governance and Global Affairs) to gain experience outside the Netherlands for research, teaching, an internship or a conference.

The jmb fund for the study of tolerance was established by Jan Maarten Boll. He studied Dutch law at Leiden University.

Purpose

The aim of the fund is to study tolerance through education and research at both the Faculty of Humanities and Law. Preferably in the context of the Uytenbogaert Chair with the appointment of a professor and/or doctoral candidate who will be engaged in teaching and research within the objective.

The Jobje van den Bergh-Simons Fund was established in 2018 by R.F. van den Bergh.

Purpose

The fund was established for a period of 5 years to help 2nd year BA Classics (GLTC) students pay for the annual study trip to Greece or Italy. This trip is part of the Material Culture of the Classical World course. The fund aims to support the students in this way because visiting archaeological and historical sites enables them to learn about the material culture of classical antiquity and gives them insight into the locations that played an important part in the history, literature and reception of the classical world.

The purpose of the fund is to facilitate a research stay abroad for Master's students of History, in particular Master's students of Ancient History, by means of a stipend, all this in the broadest sense of the word. In the event that there are no suitable candidates for Ancient History available, Master's students from another field of study within the History studies can apply.

The Legatum Perizonianum Fund was established in 2024 with a donation from the Legatum Perizonianum Foundation.

Purpose

The goal of the fund is to finance the annual Robert Fruin Thesis Prize of the MA History.

The Legatum Stolpianum, the legacy of Jan Stolp (1671-1753), is possibly the oldest academic prize in the Netherlands. In mid-2014, the Legatum Stolpianum became a named fund within the LUF.

Purpose

The prize began in the context of the Enlightenment as an annual competition in the field of ‘natural theology’, in which Christian faith and ethics were confronted with new scientific knowledge and systematic philosophical reflection. In the mid-20th century, the procedure changed to awarding the prize retrospectively every five years for work in the field of the philosophy of religion, ethics and religious studies. 

Winners since 2001

• 2024: Yara Al Salman, Sharing in Common: A Republican Defence of Group Ownership, en Ype de Boer, Happy Life: Agamben’s Poetico-Philosophical Experiment (in Dutch)
• 2019: Sem de Maagt, Constructing Morality: Transcendental Arguments in Ethics
• 2014: Tazuko van Berkel, The Economics of Friendship: Changing conceptions of Reciprocity in Classical Athens, en Egil Asprem, The Problem of Disenchantment: Scientific Naturalism and Esoteric Discourse, 1900-1939
• 2009: E.P. (Petruschka) Schaafsma, Reconsidering Evil: Confronting Reflections with Confessions
• 2004: J.J. (Jos) Kole, Moral Autonomy and Christian Faith: A Discussion with William K. Frankena
• 2001 (1994-1998): Palmyre M.F. Oomen, Does God matter? An interpretation of Whitehead as a Contribution to a Theology of God’s Agency.

More information

The minutes book of the Legatum Stolpianum, titled Acta in conventibus Clarissimorum Virorum, qui Legato Stolpiano curando, administrando praesunt, is held in the Special Collections of Leiden University Library. Information about the history and archives of the fund is presented in Legatum Stolpianum: History and Archives of the Leiden Prize Competitions in Natural Theology and Moral Philosophy, 1754-2004 (J.J. Fehr and A. Bouwman).

De Numata Chair in Buddhist Studies is funded by Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai (BDK; Society for the Promotion of Buddhism). This organisation was the initiative of Dr Yehan Numata (1897-1994), a successful businessman with a lifelong dedication to promoting the study of Buddhism.

The BDK established the first Numata Chair in Buddhist Studies at the University of California, Berkeley in January 1984. Since then, a further 15 Numata Chairs have been created in North America and Europe. The Numata Chair at Leiden was established in 1987 and the first professor was appointed in 1991.

Purpose

The Numata Chair in Buddhist Studies Fund provides the necessary funding to invite a guest lecturer to Leiden University every two years. Guest lecturers are invited by Jonathan Silk, Professor of Buddhist Studies in the Leiden Institute for Area Studies (Southeast Asian Studies, South Asian and Tibetan Studies).

The Oomen Family Fund was established in 2022 by Mr C.A.C.M. Oomen. He studied pharmacy and law at Leiden University.

Purpose

The first purpose of the fund is to provide advanced, new teaching facilities for the Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy programmes. These facilities will enable the programmes to carve out a unique position in the Netherlands and train a new generation of biopharmaceutical scientists who are prepared for current and future developments in biopharmacy.

The second purpose of the fund is to combat fake news by investing in fact-checking, knowledge sharing and disinformation research. The fund is contributing to the Nieuwscheckers Knowledge Centre, a unique fact-checking initiative in the Netherlands. Thanks in part to the Oomen Family Fund, researchers from Leiden will be able to create a high-quality fact-checking centre where independent journalism, teaching and research supplement one another, thus making it possible to fight disinformation and fake news on multiple fronts.

The purpose of this fund is to establish a rotating chair with the learning assignment International Law and Geopolitics. The chair will be annually assigned to a renowned international scientist alternately at the Tokyo University and Leiden University.

The Professor A.W. Byvanck Fund is a special LUF fund to promote archaeological and art history research in the field of classical archaeology within and outside of the Netherlands. More information about the fund can be found on this page. 

In 1992, Prof. R.A.V. Baron van Haersolte (1919-2002), an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, established a fund within the Leiden University Fund to promote the study of philosophy at Leiden University. Successful applicants can receive up to 1,000 euros in the form of a financial security (garantie) grant.

Purpose

Students and staff of the Philosophy study programme at Leiden University can apply for a grant from the Van Haersolte Fund. Students may wish to apply for a period of study abroad, for instance, while staff of the Philosophy study programme can submit an application for attending a symposium or conference, organising a symposium or conference, or inviting a guest speaker. 

The Rijke-Hamaker Fund provides financial support to PhD candidates in the field of the Arts and in particular the non-Western Arts, by providing grants.

The R.M.R. Korthals Altes-Bakker Fund was created with a donation from R.M.R. Bakker. 

Purpose

The fund aims to promote the study of classical languages, for example by increasing young people’s enthusiasm for this discipline and supporting them in the progress and deepening of their studies.

The Robert Fruin Fund for Study Travel Foundation was created in 1886 for the purpose of enabling impoverished students to make study trips. Robert Fruin (1823-1899), a historian and professor, was the first scholar in the Netherlands to study history as an academic discipline and he bequeathed his estate to set up a fund for study travel. In his own words, his intention in 1885 was ‘to establish a fund to enable particularly deserving but impecunious students of Leiden University, at present only historians and literature scholars, who have finished their period of studies, to complete their education with an academic journey.’ What he had in mind were the tours made by students in the second half of the sixteenth century and the seventeenth century through western Europe, visiting the famous universities there. The Foundation was dissolved in 2021 and its capital transferred to the LUF’s Robert Fruin Fund for Study Travel.

Purpose

The fund’s purpose is to pay for study trips, often related to research interests, for master’s students, PhD candidates and researchers who obtained their PhD less than two years previously, who are studying or working in Leiden University’s Faculty of Humanities, especially in the academic fields of Linguistics, Literature, History and/or Art History. 

The Rombouts Fund for Chinese Studies was established in 2010 by P.A. Rombouts, M.A. 

Purpose

The fund’s purpose is to provide grants to students, PhD candidates or teaching staff of the Chinese Languages and Cultures study programme, for conducting research, organising conferences, enabling study trips for PhD candidates, and other activities that are useful and/or necessary for raising the standard of excellence of the study programme and/or the researchers.

The Netherlands Near East Institute Fund was established in 2024 with a grant from The Netherlands Institute for the Near East (NINO).

Purpose

This fund aims to promote the study of the ancient Near East by staff and students of Leiden University. The fund seeks to achieve this goal by providing financial support for fieldwork, travel grants, scientific conferences and public meetings in the field of Ancient Near Eastern studies, all in the broadest sense.

Grant awards from the fund are made through the NINO.  

The Vaes-Elias Foundation is the estate of Mrs Elias-Vaes (1908-2002). The capital of the Vaes-Elias Foundation is managed by the LUF in the Vaes-Elias Fund, which was established on 4 July 2013. The autumn 2014 issue of the Leidraad alumni magazine included an article on the new fund [in Dutch].

Purpose

The money available in the fund is to be used by the Leiden Asia Centre (LAC), which is part of the Faculty of Humanities. As the leading centre of expertise for modern Asia in the Netherlands, the Leiden Asia Centre focuses primarily on East Asia: China (including Taiwan), Japan, Korea and Singapore. The LAC can use the Vaes-Elias Fund for the purpose of achieving its objectives.