Donating to the WPSA

Several of the association’s programs are funded from member donations rather than from our general fund. This includes the Elsa Favila Travel Award, which provides much-needed financial support to help graduate students and less well-off faculty to attend the annual meeting. Donations also provide support for the best paper awards and the other award prizes given out each year by the association. Large donations are great, but even small contributions help keep these programs alive! Donations to the Association can be made on a one-time-only basis or spread out over
multiple months or years. The WPSA is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization; as such, your contributions are fully tax-deductible, as permitted by law.

Click here now to donate online

If you prefer to donate through the mail, send your check or credit card information to:

Western Political Science Association
5505 SW Illinois St.
Portland, OR 97221

Here are our funds to which we are accepting donations:

Elsa Favila Travel Award Fund

The Elsa Favila Travel Award Fund was created to help underwrite the cost for graduate students and less well-off faculty to attend the annual meeting. The award fund was named to honor Elsa Favila, who retired in 2022 after working for the association for 38 years.

The WPSA Endowment Fund

The WPSA Endowment was created to provide a financial reservoir to help protect the long-term security of the Association and to fund special projects. Your generous contribution to this fund enables the WPSA to better handle unanticipated challenges and to launch new projects and programs that benefit the association and its members.

Betty Moulds Lifetime Service Award

The Betty Moulds Lifetime Service Award is given to individuals who have made a long history of service and an extraordinary contribution to the WPSA. The award is named in honor of Betty Moulds, who served for 25 years as the chief administrator for the WPSA.

The Fund for Asian Pacific Americans

The Fund for Asian Pacific Americans is used to support Asian Pacific American Caucus (APAC) research and education efforts broadly, to serve as awards for scholarship and service, and to subsidize meetings, events and publicity.

Joel Olson Award Endowment

This endowment was created to fund an award honoring Joel Olson, an associate professor of political theory at Northern Arizona University and a long-time WPSA member. The award is for activist-scholars whose work is at the creative intersection of radical political theory and practice. The Joel Olson Award is funded entirely through an endowment. The award will not be given until the endowment reaches its funding goal.

Award Funds

Historically, the association has funded most of its annual awards out of its general operating budget. However, the association has begun to accept donations that will be set aside for underwriting the cost of these awards. The association hopes to eventually raise a sufficient amount of money so that these awards can be funded entirely through the interest generated through contributions. Your generous support for these awards helps ensure that there will be adequate funding in future years. Donations can be directed to the following awards:

Betty Nesvold Award (Women and Politics)

This award is for the best paper on women and politics presented at the previous annual meeting of the WPSA. The award is named in honor of Betty Nesvold, a long-term member of the association who played an important leadership role in improving the status and treatment of women political scientists.

Blacks and Politics Award

The Blacks and Politics Award is given to an outstanding paper that focuses on issues and problems that concern Black Americans.

Dissertation Award

The Dissertation Award is given to the best doctoral dissertation completed at a university within the regional groupings of the WPSA between July 1 and June 30 of the previous academic year.

Don T. Nakanishi Award for Distinguished Scholarship and Service in Asian Pacific American Politics

This annual award will recognize outstanding scholarship or service advancing the understanding or practice of Asian Pacific American politics. The recipient will be someone who has made a significant contribution to the understanding of Asian Pacific American politics (scholarship that examines more than one ethnoracial group is also eligible), or whose professional work has made a substantial contribution to the practice of Asian Pacific American politics.

Environmental Political Theory Award

This award is presented to the best paper in environmental political theory presented at the annual WPSA meeting.

Latina/Latino Politics Award

This award is for an outstanding paper on Latina/Latino politics that is presented at the annual meeting.

William E. Connolly Award

This annual award is for the best political theory paper in contemporary democratic thought, whether recognizing daring and innovative work by a young scholar or a bold new line of inquiry by an established scholar. It is named after William E. Connolly, world-renowned political theorist, revered teacher and mentor, and long-time WPSA member.