Cogut Institute for the Humanities

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October 14, 2022
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New England Humanities Consortium Seed Grant

Funding Opportunity

The New England Humanities Consortium (NEHC), of which the Cogut Institute is a member, is offering competitive seed grants for research initiatives in the humanities that seek to capitalize on the collaborative network and potential of the consortium. Awards of up to $5,000 will be made.

The New England Humanities Consortium (NEHC) promotes and strengthens intellectual collaboration, interdisciplinary exchange, and innovative educational, intercultural, and curricular programming among New England Humanities centers and institutes, and the faculty, students, and regional, national, and global communities they serve.

Priority will be given to applications demonstrating concrete plans for consortium membership involvement. Such involvement can take different forms, but will typically involve, e.g. direct collaboration between two or more member institutions and/or active solicitation of faculty, staff, or students exclusively from member institutions. Applications seeking to sustain, and build on, previously funded NEHC initiatives that demonstrated success are also welcome. Potential areas of funding interest include the following (this list is by no means exhaustive):

  • Collaborative research projects
  • Public humanities programming
  • Programming with state humanities councils
  • Programming reflecting the humanities and the pandemic
  • Summer seminars
  • Study, writing, or working groups
  • Shared speakers across institutions
  • Collaborative course design
  • Exhibitions and public performances

Additional information about the seed grant program is available on the website of the New England Humanities Consortium.

Eligibility

Applications are welcome from individuals or teams, but the Principal Investigator must be on the faculty of a NEHC member institution. The Cogut Institute for the Humanities is a member of the NEHC and Brown University faculty qualify to serve as Principal Investigators. NEHC includes Amherst College, Brown University, Colby College, Dartmouth College, Middlebury College, Northeastern University, Smith College, Tufts University, the University of Connecticut, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Rhode Island, the University of Vermont, Wellesley College, and Wheaton College.

Application

Applications are now closed. Information about the next NEHC Seed Grant cycle will be available in Summer 2023. 

You must be logged into your Brown University email account to access the form. Applicants should submit the following materials: 

1. Cover page (1 page) stating

  • Title of the project.
  • Name, department/program/school location, and NEHC school representation of the Principal Investigator(s).
  • Requested NEHC funding amount (Awards of up to $5,000).

2. Project narrative (2 pages, single spaced, 1” margins, 12 pt. font) detailing:

  • The goals of the project.
  • How those goals address those of NEHC.
  • Plans for involving NEHC member institutions and which institutions in particular will be involved.
  • How those goals will be pursued.
  • Names and roles of participants.
  • Expected outcomes and/or deliverables.
  • External funding sources, if any.
  • Project timeline describing completion of project goals and outcomes.

3. CV (2 page) of Principal Investigator(s)

4. Budget and Award Period:

  • Total budget. (For projects whose budgets exceed $5,000, please list additional committed funding sources and amounts, as validated by an attached letter of support. Please also keep in mind travel will likely continue to be complex through 2021. Budget with remote alternatives in mind.)
  • Speaker fees and honoraria should not exceed $1,000 for in-person appearances and should not exceed $500 for virtual appearances.
  • The award period will typically not exceed one (1) calendar year and must be stated in the application timeline.

The awardees will be required to submit a detailed summary of the project at the end of their funding term. If funds in the amount of $1,000 or more remain at the completion of the project, the surplus funds should be returned to the Executive Hub of the NEHC.

Reporting Requirements

All Principal Investigators will be required to submit a two-page report no more than one (1) month after the end of the award period specified in the award letter. The report should detail and substantiate progress on the following elements of the project:

  • The extent to which project goals have been met.
  • Specific indicators or signs of success.
  • Outcomes and/or deliverables achieved.
  • Number of NEHC member institutions (and faculty/students) involved.

Please email us at humanities-institute@brown.edu for questions about the application process and Megan Fossa, Assistant Director of the Center for the Arts and Humanities at Colby College, mefossa@colby.edu for broader questions about the program.