Faculty in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Program

We aim to support researchers who plan to apply for external grants and fellowships.

Full-time faculty and researchers from arts, humanities, and social sciences disciplines may apply.

Priority is given to junior faculty, first-time applicants, and/or faculty who have not received an award in the last three years.

Maximium award amount: $3,500

Funding may be used to pay for:
- Seed funding for research and creative activities
- Matching funds for grants
- Publication subsidies for newly published work
- Publishing expenses such as subventions, indexing, purchasing images/audio files
- Hiring research assistants
- Research-related travel such as field work or archival research; conference travel is not supported
- Payments to survey or interview participants
- Research materials
- Other related needs
Funding may not be used for summer salary.
Maximum award amount: $7,500

Designed to encourage new research partnerships and/or curricular initiatives

Funding should support work that:
- Develops or expands interdisciplinary contacts across academic departments,
- Engages with national and international conversations about these disciplines’ future.
Project proposals may be submitted by groups of faculty from two or more FAHSS departments. Colleagues from other disciplines may be included in the project.

Funding may be used to pay for:
- Special events, including colloquia, conferences, performances, and exhibitions
- Publishing expenses related to interdisciplinary research
- Hiring research assistants
- Research-related travel such as field work or archival research; conference travel is not supported
Preference will be given to faculty who have not received an award in the last three years, and projects that are seeking one-time funding or will be self-sustaining after one year.

The proposal should be submitted by the lead author. Other faculty should write letters of endorsement. If another unit is providing funding to support the project, that unit’s head must submit a letter confirming the support.

Reporting Expectations and Additional Funding

Faculty who submit a proposal for external funding within a year of the grant period will receive an additional $500 in project support.

Award recipients must submit a report on research outcomes at the conclusion of the grant period and before they can submit a new proposal.

Craft a Strong Proposal

- These programs are designed to support fields for which federal funding is scarce, though there is room for flexibility for example in projects that use statistical analysis.
- They will support paying interview subjects but not lab work involving human subjects like some experimental psychology and linguistics.
- The awards committee comprises faculty from different fields and encourages applicants to offer brief explanations of how the project fits into or expands the applicants’ field. The committee does not make judgements based on perceived intellectual merit.
- Proposals do not need to request the maximum possible award.
- To support the maximum number of proposals, the committee does not often provide funding for food or catering.
Proposals must include a justified and detailed cost breakdown:
- Estimated expenses
- Alternative solutions, ie product X or Y to do Z
- Travel expenses must include justified estimates for each element: flights (including a Google Flights comparison or similar), hotels, etc.
The FAHSS program does not cover per diem expenses.
The program is not intended to purchase software or equipment that will not be fully consumed during the course of the research project.

While requests for equipment and software purchases may be made, they will be given lower funding priority. Applicants are encouraged to keep such requests below $500.

If requests to purchase software or equipment are made, the request must:
- Include documentation attesting that every effort has been made to use existing resources, or to borrow or rent equipment.
- Demonstrate that equipment or software is vital to the proposed research project.
- Include a statement explaining what will happen to the equipment or software at the conclusion of the project.

About the FAHSS Program

Funded by the Office of the Provost, the Office for Research and Innovation, and the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the FAHSS program aims to encourage interdisciplinary dialogue, research and teaching in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

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