Can't you find some 'used small scale case studies' (usscs)?
I don't know. People are trying to eat right now. I am sorry to crash your party but good luck.

I like the part when you say,
"I'll even give you a shout-out in my final jury."

Try a part-time job.

My part time job isn't even giving me enough to cover rent and food let alone steel and ceder...

After few hidden links I've found the tuition for your school: $16,000 per semester. Can't you ask your school to fund your project?
If you have already invested 150-300K into your education, what's additional couple of thousand burning a hole in your or parents' pocket?
Anybody who affords those kind of fees, shouldn't cry so poor.

2 part time jobs?

Relatives (though that could get sticky).

Love the craigslist suggestion!
Orhan- already met with the dean- he doesn't want to "set any precedents." I can only afford those fees through loans and the aforementioned part-time job with crap wages. I assure you I am only crying as poor as I actually am.
I hear where you're coming from though- you would think that a school would be a bit more willing to support their students, especially since good work can only reflect well on the school (not bragging - only speaking in generalities).

This is going to sound lame...

But you could do this for like almost free in a MMORPG. Have you considered that?

I'm not sure how you could work it out... BUT... it might be a possibility.

I would consider it but one of the things I want to look at is the sensory interaction between person and material. Unless virtual reality has gotten a lot better, I think I'm limited to the real thing.

private schools that are over $12,000 per semester could have a couple grand cashback deals for thesis students. i know some those thesis work can cost arm and a leg.
i think it is also big part of your responsibility to develop a thesis that you can deliver with the means you have.
maybe you can post actual break down of your expenses and people here can help you with some value engineering. maybe some people have parts and materials they can donate or loan to you.
couple of years ago i had a lot of t-6 aluminum i could no longer store and i've found an art student who wanted to use them for his projects. they varied from pipes to sheets and plates. i also had some titanium.
do you have a material list?
i don't know what you are doing but it sounds interesting coming from a religious university.
do you want to talk about your project a little? i am interested.
what are you doing?
your initial post is so touch and go to be taken with due sincerety specially asking money in this economy.
you haven't presented it very well and there is an element of self importance to it.
i am trying to give you some feedback on how it reads.

I would be happy to talk about it, but first I just want to point out that I wasn't trying to ask for hand-outs from anyone- the last sentence was mostly in jest. I know times are tight and I really wouldn't expect anyone to shell out money just because I need some; we all need some. What I was really hoping for was some advice on foundations or organizations which provide research grants to students or individuals that I could look into. This project is my first experience with looking for funding and I haven't made much progress sorting through the Google results. My only goal with this whole thread was some suggestions from those who've been there before.

Anyway- now that the air has been cleared:
The idea for my thesis really came out of this disconnect that I saw between Architecture and society. Somewhere in the last century the running joke became "if you hire an architect the project will be over-budget and behind schedule" and I see the blame for this mainly falling on our shoulders. Between the modernists and the postmodernists the practice turned intellectual to the point of fetish and forgot, or just ignored, the importance of the people who ultimately experience the space. What I felt was; if we, as designers, can get back in touch with the raw act of experiencing we could reconnect with our clients and with society in general.
In my opinion, the best way to try to understand the Experience was through Heidegger. I think what he describes as Dasein is the same thing that Zumthor is describing in Atmospheres or "The Magic of the Real." The is something in these authors, and others, that is resonating at the same frequency.
Without going into all the details, I'll say that from that research I've begun laying out some basic conceptual ideas that I think could help bridge the gap between architects and the average member of society in such a way that people have a real connection to a building or space.
What I need to do, if I want the thesis to have any value, is test my ideas by building something and putting it out there to see what the reaction is. I've cleared it with my committee that if I'm unable to build the designs - which are benches - I can still present the designs in addition to my written work so it isn't life-threatening that I get them built. I just won't feel that I've really accomplished anything other than words until I see how people react.

I realize that I've gone way off topic from the original intent of this thread and into full-blown ramble so I'm cutting it off here. The idea of trying to summarize my whole thesis and post it for everyone to read is pretty intimidating and I don't quite feel as up to it as I thought at the beginning. I'll answer questions/defend accusations through email if anyone's interested though.