"The Foundation supports a wide range of initiatives to strengthen selective research universities in the United States, with particular emphasis on the humanities and "humanistic" social sciences. The Foundation's interests in this area include (but are not limited to) doctoral education, post-doctoral fellowships, faculty research support, and discipline-related projects. Grants have also supported research on the economics, sociology, and history of higher education, and improving access to resources for the study of science and society."

"The purpose of the prize is to encourage the presentation of high quality papers at conferences sponsored by the Haskins Society and in Haskins sponsored sessions at other conferences and then subsequent publication of these papers."