Internal Funding Opportunities

Community-Based Research Grants (CBR) support research partnerships between academic researchers and community-based partners that inquire into and address real-world issues through an approach rooted in enhancing societal impact and sense of community and belonging. Note: This is for research that is conducted with a community and for the community, not for research done on that community. Funds may be used for research assistants, related travel, required supplies, etc. The Partnership Formation Grant funds up to $10,000 for one year. TheProject Implementation Grant fund up to $30,000 for one year. Applications are due the second Thursday of February, annually. Awarded by the Office of the Vice President of Research.

Conference Event Funding Support (COH) is available from the College of Humanities to support innovative or high-profile conferences, gatherings, or events on or near campus. Humanities departments, centers, and programs can apply for up to $15,000 per event to help offset costs. Applications are usually due in mid October. Awarded by the College of Humanities. For more information, contact the Dean's Office.

Digital Matters Faculty Grant is designed to support innovative research projects that explore the intersections of technology, digital tools, and the humanities/arts. It is open to tenure-line and career-line faculty working in Digital Studies, broadly defined. Awardees receive $5,000 in research funding to be used for supplies, equipment, software, computing, research assistants, etc. Applications for due in mid April for Fall semester and in late October for Spring semester. Awarded the Digital Matters.

Faculty Fellow Awards (FFA) provide faculty members one semester of full release time (from teaching and administrative tasks) at full salary for scholarly and creative projects. Departments of awarded faculty will receive up to $15,000 to defer the cost of the awardee’s release time. The College runs an internal competition then submits selected nominees to the VPR to be reviewed for awards. Applications for the college’s internal competition are due the first Thursday of October, annually. Awarded by the Office of the Vice President of Research.

Faculty Small Grant Program (FSGP) provides grants of up to $10,000 over 1 year to support scholarly publications and creative research. It is intended to support work that is challenging to fund through other mechanisms but that is crucial for securing larger grants in the future. Scholarly activity is defined as a work of scholarship that is peer reviewed and publicly disseminated and should demonstrate discovery and/or integration of new knowledge, technologies, methods, or materials. Applications are due the first Thursday of December, annually. Awarded by the Office of the Vice President of Research. Tip: If you need a higher amount of funding, consider applying for the Research Incentive Seed Grant Program. 

Grant Writing Incentive Program (COH) supports Humanities faculty submitting applications for external funding. Any COH faculty member that applied for an external funding opportunity the preceding year but did not get funded is eligible to apply for this internal funding program. Recipients are awarded a one-course teaching release to work on the resubmission. Up to three awards are made each year. To be considered, first apply for the external funding, then forward that proposal along with the funder’s confirmation of application to the COH Office of Research by the first week of June. Awarded by the College of Humanities.  

International Travel and Research Grants (COH) provide Humanities faculty with up to $2,000 per trip to attend international conferences or conduct research abroad. Eligible travel must occur within 24 months after the application. The awards committee privileges archival / primary source research over conference papers, with a special view to issues of publication, promotion, and tenure, etc. Applications can be submitted at any time, and faculty are encouraged to apply for funding as soon as they identify a trip. If you are not funded, you can apply again for the next deadline. There are two funding cycles per year; applications are due in early/mid September and in early/mid February. Awarded by the College of Humanities.

John R. Park Teaching Fellowship provides U faculty release time for one semester during the academic year to study outside the state of Utah with the purpose of enlarging and enriching their teaching role. Recipients are awarded $5,000, and an additional $5,000 in teaching replacement funds may be available to their home department. Applications are due in early/mid November. Awarded by the University Teaching Committee, Academic Affairs.

Kickstart Funding (COH) provides Humanities faculty with an opportunity to fund a fellowship/grant proposal that was unsuccessful in an extramural funding competition. Awards range from $2,500 to $10,000 for one year. Recognizing the highly competitive nature of external funding for humanities research, this fund is intended to incentivize submission of external applications and to encourage faculty to continue working on previously unsuccessful funding efforts. Applications are due in mid March. Awarded by the College of Humanities.

National Humanities Center Summer Residency Faculty Stipend (COH)provides scholars a concentrated period of supported research and intellectual exchange at the NHC in North Carolina. As an NHC sponsoring institution, U College of Humanities faculty are eligible to participate in the four-week program in June to help jump-start or make substantial progress on a project. The College offers a stipend to cover the cost of the program fee for up to 3 faculty members, which includes lodging, shuttle service, some meals, a private study, and library and administrative support. Applications are due in early February. Awarded by the College of Humanities.

One Utah Data Science Hub Seed Grant supports new collaborations and innovative research in data science and data-enabled science that will lead to federal extramural grant applications. Applications are invited that build upon the missions of the One Utah Data Science Hub and support innovative research that cuts across traditional research areas. Applications are due in mid December via InfoReady. Awarded by the One Utah Data Science Hub.

One-U Responsible AI Fellows supports experts working to harness AI for the betterment of the environment, healthcare and wellness, teaching and learning, etc. Each year, 3-5 faculty fellows and 3-5 postdoctoral fellows are selected representing some of the U’s top talent in responsible AI from across disciplines. (They also have Distinguished Visitors Program.) Fellows receive funding for multiple years to pursue responsible AI research and are granted a research appointment at SCI. Applications are due in early October. Awarded by the One-U Responsible AI Initiative through the Scientific Computing & Imaging (SCI) Institute.

Post-Tenure Research Assignment (COH) provides a leave option for those who don’t qualify for sabbatical because of the timing of previous leaves. It is granted for tenure-line faculty members who do not qualify for sabbatical to engage in scholarly research or other activities that improve their teaching, research, or service obligations to the university. Applications are due in mid October. Awarded by the College of Humanities. For more information, contact the Dean's Office.

Presidential Leadership Fellows Programaims to increase the number of academic leaders from the arts and humanities, specifically those historically excluded and underrepresented from administrative ranks. Fellows participate at the top levels of campus leadership, professional development activities, and mentoring from leaders in higher education. The fellowship is a 9-month (September-May) comprehensive and immersive experience with cohort members from four Utah institutions. Applications are due in late July. To be considered, faculty must be nominated by the Dean. If you are interested, contact the Dean's Office. Awarded by the Office of the President of the University.

Public Service Professorship helps University faculty strengthen community-engaged learning experiences and opportunities tied to civic engagement. The recipient is awarded up to $7,500, which may be used in any way that enables them to carry out their proposed project, e.g., release time, research assistant pay, conference travel, and supplies. Applications are usually due January 31st, annually. Awarded by the Bennion Center.

Research Incentive Seed Grant (Seed) supports new research projects that are likely to generate extramural funding, promote faculty moving into new areas of research or new collaborative efforts, and foster interdisciplinary work and catalyze new collaborations with researchers across the U. Grants range from $10,000 to $50,000 for one year. Funds may be used for research assistants, related travel, required supplies, and other justifiable expenses. Applications for the College’s internal competition are due in early December. Awarded by the Office of the Vice President of Research. Tip: If you need a lower amount of funding, consider applying for the Faculty Small Grant Program. 

Research Instrumentation Fund (RIF)provides support to faculty and core facilities for necessary research instrumentation purchases and upgrades/replacements. Research instrumentation purchased with RIF funds is meant to be shared as broadly as possible and must be used to facilitate externally funded research and scholarship. A minimum of 30% in matching funds is required. Funds cannot be used for teaching/training purposes or for general computers/hardware. Applications are due the second Thursday of January, annually. Awarded by the Office of the Vice President of Research.

Sabbatical Leave (COH) is granted for faculty members to engage in scholarly research or other activities that improve their teaching, research, or service obligations to the university. Applications are due in mid October. Awarded by the College of Humanities. For more information, contact the Dean's Office.

Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) Faculty Mentorship provides faculty with opportunities to mentor the next generation of researchers and support their own research teams/projects while the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) provides additional resources to the students selected to work on the mentor's project over the summer. Faculty mentor applications are due in early October and student applications are due in late January. Awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR).

Taft-Nicholson Center Summer Fellow Residency provides intensive, dedicated time in the summer for U of U faculty in all disciplines to work on writing, research, creative projects, or other scholarly pursuits during a 1- to 3-week residency at the Taft-Nicholson Center in Montana. Participants receive up to $2,000 to cover the cost of travel, food, and supplies. Applications are due in March 31st, annually. Awarded by the Taft-Nicholson Environmental Humanities Education Center.

Tanner Humanities Center Faculty Research Fellowships – available for tenure-track and career-line faculty –support high-quality humanistic research and interdisciplinary projects likely to contribute to substantive intellectual exchange among a diverse group of scholars. The Center encourages projects that are interdisciplinary and that are likely to contribute to substantive intellectual exchange among a diverse group of scholars. Internal fellows are awarded a one-semester full-time residency at the Center and reimbursement for their home departments. Applications are due in mid October. Awarded by the Tanner Humanities Center.

THC Gateway to Learning Educator Workshop Funding provides $3,000 to U faculty to develop and lead week-long summer workshops for K-12 teachers to explore current scholarship on academic subjects, new pedagogical methods, curriculum development, and innovative classroom technologies. Applications are due in early November. Awarded by the Tanner Humanities Center.

THC Micro-Grants and Supplemental Funding is available on a limited basis to advance research and knowledge in the humanities. Faculty Supplemental Support is available in the form of micro-grants from $250 to $2,000; requests are due at least three weeks prior to the proposed event or program.  Co-Sponsorship Micro-Grants are available for campus and community co-sponsored projects; requests are due at least four to six weeks prior to the proposed event or program. Research Interest Group Funding is available for projects that build interdisciplinary communities of inquiry; applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Awarded by the Tanner Humanities Center.

THC Professors Off Campus offers two funding options (course buyout or non-course buyout) to support faculty in creating or contributing to the creation of a community-sited project or community-based collaboration working in collaboration and on site with a community organization. Applications are due in mid October. Awarded by the Tanner Humanities Center.

THC Tanner Labs are conceived as spaces for shared, interdisciplinary, and experimental work in the humanities. Labs will generate new experimental forms of advanced research and pedagogical practice, while fostering opportunities for engagement beyond departmental boundaries. The lab will be funded for a maximum of $20,000 to support programming for up to two years. The Tanner Humanities Center aims to support up to two labs each year. 

Thomas Dee III Teaching Excellence Grant supports projects with broad impact on teaching and/or curriculum at either the undergraduate or the graduate level, especially innovative projects Funds may be used for training in new teaching techniques, development of interdisciplinary curricula, visits and workshops conducted by scholars and master teachers, and related travel. Awards range from $1,000 to $12,000. Applicants may be from tenure-line, career-line, or visiting faculty members. Applications are due in mid January. Awarded by the Council of Dee Fellows.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Faculty Mentorshipprovides a stipend and educational programming for students who assist with a faculty member’s research or creative project or who carry out a project of their own under the supervision of a faculty member. The faculty research mentor must have an established relationship with the student at the time of application. There are three funding cycles per year; applications are due in early July for Fall semester, in early November for Spring semester, and in early March for Summer semester. Awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR).

University Professorshipoffers University faculty the opportunity to launch new projects in General Education that will make significant differences in student educational experiences. The two-year appointment includes a $5,000 award, $15,000 to support their research goal, and $10,000 to their home department in teaching replacement funds. Applications are due in late November (even-numbered years). Awarded by the Center for Teaching Excellence, Academic Affairs.

University Teaching Grants fund new, creative ideas for teaching that enhance student learning experiences and that have broad, long-term impact on undergraduate education. Grants can be used for the creation of new courses or the substantial improvement of existing courses. Awards up to $7,000. Funds may be used for student assistants and other justifiable expenses (e.g., consultant fees, workshop fees, materials, and travel). There are three funding cycles per year; applications are due in early October, late January, and early/mid March. Awarded by the University Teaching Committee, Academic Affairs.

Wilkes Center Faculty Seed Grant provides initial support for impactful research exploring the fundamental processes surrounding climate change, as well as the policy impacts and opportunities. Proposals must exhibit high potential for leveraging extramural funding. Awards up to $20,000 for single PI projects or up to $50,000 for multi-PI project for one year only. There are two funding cycles per year; applications are due in mid November and in mid January. Awarded by the Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy.