Carnegie Mellon University
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences  ›  The Humanities Center  ›  Faculty Research Grant

Grant Overview

The Humanities Center seeks to serve as an incubator for original, innovative, cutting-edge, and interdisciplinary humanistic research. To support this mission, the Center has established the Faculty Research Grant, designed to provide support to faculty members across all ranks and tracks. This grant aims to empower faculty to study the human condition and human experience, as well as develop human-centered solutions to real-world challenges in our increasingly technology-driven society. Awards will be granted to faculty members at the beginning, middle and end of their projects.

The objectives of the grant are articulated as follows:

  1. Advance faculty research and creative endeavors from conception to fruition, moving researchers through the stages of their projects and careers..
  2. Embolden and make possible ambitious and/or public-facing research.
  3. Create a supportive and collaborative research community among humanities researchers at CMU.

Apply for funding

Grant Duration: One (1) year.

How we define projects

Projects encompass a broad spectrum of scholarly and creative endeavors, including, but not limited to, academic publications such as books, digital platforms or resources like websites and podcasts, exhibits and artistic works.

Application review process

Each application will be reviewed by the Grant Review Committee, which comprises the members of the Humanities Center Advisory Board (and faculty who were previously awarded grants, in subsequent cycles). Grant applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • the intellectual merits and broader impacts of the project and its deliverables.
  • the impact the grant will have on moving the project to its next stage.
  • the feasibility of the proposed project plan and budget/funding plan to moving your project to the next phase.

Project Stages

Beginning
Identification, experimentation and conceptualization.
Middle
Execution, analysis and revision/refinement.
End
Publication, production and exhibition.

Funding Details

$5,000
Project Stage Beginning
Grant Amount $5,000
Funding slots available 2
$10,000
Project Stage Middle
Grant Amount $10,000
Funding slots available 3
$5,000
Project Stage Completion
Grant Amount $5,000
Funding slots available 3

Eligibility

➞
All essentially humanistic projects —  including the digital, the collaborative, critical archival studies or critical editions — are eligible for consideration.
➞
All regular track CMU faculty from the four humanities departments (English, History, Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics, and Philosophy).
➞
CMU faculty from the arts, social sciences, and sciences who engage in studying the human experience, human condition and human-centered responses to real-world challenges.
Application Timeline

Application Process

Please submit a one-time application using the provided form. Your application should be written for an academic audience who may not be specialists in your field.

The application packet will include:

1. Project Summary (one page max):
  • Intellectual merits and deliverables 
  • Broader impact of the project.
2. Project description (three pages max):

Describe the project (highlighting the project’s study of the human condition, human experience, and human-centered solutions to real-world challenges in our increasingly technology-driven society), outline the work that will be done using the grant resources, and specify how the grant will move your project to the next phase of your development.

3. Funding plan (two paragraphs max):

Estimate the total cost to complete your project. Indicate how this funding proposal fits into the overall cost of your project. If additional internal and/or external funding will be sought, specify the sources. If additional internal and/or external funding will not be sought, explain why not.

4. Budget with justification (one page max):

Provide detailed cost estimates and their alignment with project goals.

Apply for Funding

Awardee Expectations

Recipients of the Faculty Research Grant will be required to:

  1. Participate in the review process for future grant cycles.
  2. Present their research at an informal Humanities Center event.
  3. Engage with the intellectual community of the Humanities Center.
  4. Apply for external funding to extend or expand their project if external funding is available.
  5. Provide final project and financial report at the end of the grant period
  6. Consent to the Humanities Center spotlighting and following your project on its social media and website

Apply for funding

For questions or further details, please contact humanitiescenter@andrew.cmu.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

Click here to view the Frequently Asked Questions. If you don’t find an answer to your question, please contact humanitiescenter@andrew.cmu.edu for assistance.

FAQ