literary research grant

25 Of The Best Grants For Writers To Fund Their Craft

You’ve heard about government grants for writers , but you don’t know where to find them or whether you even qualify for any of them. 

True, some of them are for residents of a specific state. And some are for applicants of a specific demographic. 

But plenty of them only require that you submit high-quality work for their consideration. And the need-based ones don’t even require that. 

To help you find the best grant options for you, we’ve collected 23 of the best grants for writers living in the United States. 

25 Writers’ Grants to Fund Your Next Project

• Carnegie Fund for Authors (US) 

Elizabeth George Foundation

Freelancers relief fund.

• Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award 

PEN American Writers Emergency Fund

• PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children and Young Adult Novelists 

SFWA Emergency Medical Fund

• Speculative Literature Foundation (6 Grants) 

What the Fund (Worldwide)

Asja writers emergency assistance fund, coronavirus rolling grant for freelance journalists, pen/jean stein grant for literary oral history, whiting creative nonfiction grant.

• Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Grand 
• Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence 

Queer Writers of Color Relief Fund

• Daisy Pettles’ Women Writing Residency and Grant 

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship

• Money for Women by the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund 

Sustainable Arts Foundation Award

While many states have their own grants for resident writers, the grants listed here are for writers who live in the United States, regardless of their particular state of residency. 

Many are need-based while some are specificaly for female writers or writers of color. You’ll see the more specific ones grouped accordingly. 

Creative Writing Grants

Along with grants for fiction witers, these can include book writing grants and poetry grants, as well as funds for screenwriters, playwriters, and fiction freelancers. 

Carnegie Fund for Authors (US)  

This fund is open to any American author who’s published at least one book of reasonable length commercially (with evidence of reader acceptance) and whose current circumstances have placed them in need of emergency financial assistance. 

The Carnegie Fund is open to both fiction and nonfiction authors, even if their work has only been published in ebook or printed format. Applicants must provide documentation to support their claim of financial need. 

This foundation offers artistic grants to unpublished fiction writers, poets, and emerging playwrights, as well as organizations that benefit disadvantaged youth. 

They welcome writers of all ages and background, seeking in particular those who show passion for their work, talent in their use of language, and the discipline to write every day. 

You begin the application process by requesting a brochure by mail. The deadline for applications is July 1st.

During difficult times, freelancers face the prospect of financial hardship from canceled or postponed contract work without the benefit of paid sick leave or unemployment compensation. 

The Freelancers Relief Fund offers grants of up to $1,000 per freelancer to help cover lost income and essential expenses. If freelance work is your primary source of income, and you’ve lost 50%+, join their Freelancer’s Union to receive updates and apply for the grant.

Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award  

The Late Bloomer Award is for authors over the age of fifty who write children’s literature but have not been traditionally published.

Newbery Award winner and Newbery Honor Book recipient Karen Cushman and her husband Philip Cushman established this grant with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). 

The winner receives $500 and free tuition to any SCBWI conference anywhere in the world. 

PEN America has expanded its longstanding Writer’s Emergency Fund to support more writers at a time when so many face risks to their health and livelihood. 

The organization offers grants of $500 to $1,000, based on need, using a streamlined process to more quickly respond to the needs of writers. Fiction and nonfiction authors based in the U.S. can apply on their website . 

PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children and Young Adult Novelists  

PEN member and author of more than 140 books, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor makes this grant possible for authors of children’s and YA fiction.

The purpose of the  $5,000 award is to enable the winning author to focus on completing their latest novel and to let the author know that a panel of expert judges has faith in the quality of their writing. 

Submissions for each yearly cycle are welcome from April 1 to August 1 of the previous year. 

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) has established an Emergency Medical Fund (EMF) to help writers pay medical expenses not covered by their insurance policies. 

While only meant to cover short-term or emergency situations that affect the applicant’s ability to write, the fund helps SFWA members to meet critical needs when work is interrupted.

All requests must specify the recipient and the amount needed, along with a description of the writer’s situation. 

Speculative Literature Foundation (6 Grants)

The Speculative Literature Foundation offers six different grants, none of which charge an application fee. Give them a look if you enjoy writing speculative literature (fiction, poetry, drama, or creative nonfiction ) or are researching for a current project in this genre . 

• The Working Class Writers Grant — for working class, blue-collar, poor, and homeless writers ($1,000)
• The A.C. Bose Grant — South Asian / South Asian diaspora writer ($1,000)
• The Older Writers Grant — writers 50 years of age or older ($1,000)
• The Diverse Writers Grant — writers from underrepresented groups ($500)
• The Diverse Words Grant — work that presents a diverse world ($500)
• The Gulliver Travel Research Grant — supporting research for writers of spec lit ($1,000)

This is a Patreon-supported fund created to support writers impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Now more than ever, people depend on artists, writers, and other creatives to keep them entertained and to inspire them to create their own art. 

The program is open to any creator, anywhere in the world, whose income has suffered as a result of COVID-19. The fund also accepts donations via PayPal. 

Nonfiction Writing Grants

The following grants benefit nonfiction writers specifically, whether this involves ghostwriting nonfiction books, writing articles and blog posts, or journalism. 

The American Society of Journalists and Authors created this fund to help professional freelance writers who cannot work because they’re currently ill, disabled or because they’re caring for someone who is.

Writers who can’t work due to a natural disaster or an extraordinary professional crisis are also welcome to apply.

While you don’t have to be an ASJA member to be considered, you will need to provide proof of having worked as a professional freelance nonfiction writer for a number of years. 

The Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) established this rolling grant specifically for professional journalists who write groundbreaking stories on the coronavirus and its impact on the world — especially work that exposes wrongdoing in the public or private sector. 

Grants average $5,000 but can go as high as $10,000, with the first half paid on approval and the second on receipt of the finished project. 

If you have a nonfiction work in progress that “uses oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement,” this grant pays $10,000 annually to support the project’s completion.

Visit the website for complete guidelines on how to apply and what to expect. There is no application fee.

This $40,000 annual grant goes to as many as eight writers of meticulously-researched creative nonfiction.

Whiting welcomes artfully written works of history, cultural or political reportage, philosophy, criticism, the sciences, biography, memoir , food or travel writing, graphic nonfiction, and personal essays. 

Projects must be under contract with a US publisher to be considered. Writers of underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply.

Grants for Writers of Color

Most of the grants in this post welcome applicants of color, but the following three have the specific aim of recognizing new writers of color and supporting them in their work. 

Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Grand  

This $2,000 grant supports emerging writers of color with crime fiction writing and career developoment activities. Unpublished applicants are preferred, though they also accept those with several pieces of short fiction and/or up to two self-published or traditionally-published books. 

The work sample you submit for the grant application must be unpublished, and the submission period for 2020 ends on June 8th. 

Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence  

This grant honors Louisiana’s famed storyteller, Ernest J. Gaines, in its ongoing support of emerging African-American fiction writers. The annual $15,000 award helps its recipients cover expenses while focusing on their writing. 

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation sponsors each winners travel to Baton Rouge for an awards ceremony attended by Ernest Gaines, with an author reading and reception. 

This fund is for queer writers of color only. Their stated goal is to raise $100,000 to help at least 100 writers, and they dispense funds for writers according to the amount they receive in donations. 

At this time of this writing, they’re able to dispense a minimum $100 and a maximum $500 to every approved applicant.

Grants for Female Writers

Daisy pettles’ women writing residency and grant  .

This grant supports female writers of 40 years or more with a $1,000 grant and month-long rent-free residency in the Daisy Pettles Writer’s House in Bedford Indiana.

The house is handicapped-accessible and all on one floor, with wide hallways and doorways and a walk-in tiled shower. 

Published and unpublished writers of all backgrounds are welcome to apply. 

If you’re a female writer of horror novels, the Mary Shelley Scholarship awards $2,500 a year for winning writers to spend on approved writing education. 

The aim of the Horror Writers Association (HWA) is to encourage more female writers to enter the horror genre and aid in its continuing development. They have another scholarship open to all HWA members, regardless of gender. 

Money for Women by the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund  

As the oldest ongoing feminist granting agency, the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund supports feminist writers and visual artists. Named after feminist writer Barbara Deming, the foundation is in its fourth decade and is still proudly feminist and willing to take risks. 

Grants for Parents

If you’re a parent of a child under 18 years of age, and you’re a writer or artist, you’re welcome to apply for this award for timely and transformative works of art and literature.

The Sustainable Arts Foundation makes annual unrestricted grants to individuals, at least half of which are applicants of color. 

They also support artist residencies. The foundation is based in San Francisco, California. 

More Related Articles:

Best Self-Publishing Companies For Your Writing Business

11 Creative Writing Exercises To Awaken Your Inner Author

12 Of The Best Writing Websites To Inspire You To Write

Did you find some grants for writers that might work for you?

Now that you’ve looked over 25 of the best grants for writers, which ones are you most likely to apply for? And what could you do today to get closer to applying for one of them? 

If you weren’t sure, before reading this post, where to find funds for writers, I hope you now have a few to focus on, either to finance your continuing development as a writer or to help cover expenses while you finish a work in progress. 

May your efforts yield a rich reward for you and your readers. 

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Grant Proposals (or Give me the money!)

What this handout is about.

This handout will help you write and revise grant proposals for research funding in all academic disciplines (sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the arts). It’s targeted primarily to graduate students and faculty, although it will also be helpful to undergraduate students who are seeking funding for research (e.g. for a senior thesis).

The grant writing process

A grant proposal or application is a document or set of documents that is submitted to an organization with the explicit intent of securing funding for a research project. Grant writing varies widely across the disciplines, and research intended for epistemological purposes (philosophy or the arts) rests on very different assumptions than research intended for practical applications (medicine or social policy research). Nonetheless, this handout attempts to provide a general introduction to grant writing across the disciplines.

Before you begin writing your proposal, you need to know what kind of research you will be doing and why. You may have a topic or experiment in mind, but taking the time to define what your ultimate purpose is can be essential to convincing others to fund that project. Although some scholars in the humanities and arts may not have thought about their projects in terms of research design, hypotheses, research questions, or results, reviewers and funding agencies expect you to frame your project in these terms. You may also find that thinking about your project in these terms reveals new aspects of it to you.

Writing successful grant applications is a long process that begins with an idea. Although many people think of grant writing as a linear process (from idea to proposal to award), it is a circular process. Many people start by defining their research question or questions. What knowledge or information will be gained as a direct result of your project? Why is undertaking your research important in a broader sense? You will need to explicitly communicate this purpose to the committee reviewing your application. This is easier when you know what you plan to achieve before you begin the writing process.

Diagram 1 below provides an overview of the grant writing process and may help you plan your proposal development.

Applicants must write grant proposals, submit them, receive notice of acceptance or rejection, and then revise their proposals. Unsuccessful grant applicants must revise and resubmit their proposals during the next funding cycle. Successful grant applications and the resulting research lead to ideas for further research and new grant proposals.

Cultivating an ongoing, positive relationship with funding agencies may lead to additional grants down the road. Thus, make sure you file progress reports and final reports in a timely and professional manner. Although some successful grant applicants may fear that funding agencies will reject future proposals because they’ve already received “enough” funding, the truth is that money follows money. Individuals or projects awarded grants in the past are more competitive and thus more likely to receive funding in the future.

Some general tips

• Begin early.
• Apply early and often.
• Don’t forget to include a cover letter with your application.
• Answer all questions. (Pre-empt all unstated questions.)
• If rejected, revise your proposal and apply again.
• Give them what they want. Follow the application guidelines exactly.
• Be explicit and specific.
• Be realistic in designing the project.
• Make explicit the connections between your research questions and objectives, your objectives and methods, your methods and results, and your results and dissemination plan.
• Follow the application guidelines exactly. (We have repeated this tip because it is very, very important.)

Before you start writing

Identify your needs and focus.

First, identify your needs. Answering the following questions may help you:

• Are you undertaking preliminary or pilot research in order to develop a full-blown research agenda?
• Are you seeking funding for dissertation research? Pre-dissertation research? Postdoctoral research? Archival research? Experimental research? Fieldwork?
• Are you seeking a stipend so that you can write a dissertation or book? Polish a manuscript?
• Do you want a fellowship in residence at an institution that will offer some programmatic support or other resources to enhance your project?
• Do you want funding for a large research project that will last for several years and involve multiple staff members?

Next, think about the focus of your research/project. Answering the following questions may help you narrow it down:

• What is the topic? Why is this topic important?
• What are the research questions that you’re trying to answer? What relevance do your research questions have?
• What are your hypotheses?
• What are your research methods?
• Why is your research/project important? What is its significance?
• Do you plan on using quantitative methods? Qualitative methods? Both?
• Will you be undertaking experimental research? Clinical research?

Once you have identified your needs and focus, you can begin looking for prospective grants and funding agencies.

Finding prospective grants and funding agencies

Whether your proposal receives funding will rely in large part on whether your purpose and goals closely match the priorities of granting agencies. Locating possible grantors is a time consuming task, but in the long run it will yield the greatest benefits. Even if you have the most appealing research proposal in the world, if you don’t send it to the right institutions, then you’re unlikely to receive funding.

There are many sources of information about granting agencies and grant programs. Most universities and many schools within universities have Offices of Research, whose primary purpose is to support faculty and students in grant-seeking endeavors. These offices usually have libraries or resource centers to help people find prospective grants.

At UNC, the Research at Carolina office coordinates research support.

The Funding Information Portal offers a collection of databases and proposal development guidance.

The UNC School of Medicine and School of Public Health each have their own Office of Research.

Writing your proposal

The majority of grant programs recruit academic reviewers with knowledge of the disciplines and/or program areas of the grant. Thus, when writing your grant proposals, assume that you are addressing a colleague who is knowledgeable in the general area, but who does not necessarily know the details about your research questions.

Remember that most readers are lazy and will not respond well to a poorly organized, poorly written, or confusing proposal. Be sure to give readers what they want. Follow all the guidelines for the particular grant you are applying for. This may require you to reframe your project in a different light or language. Reframing your project to fit a specific grant’s requirements is a legitimate and necessary part of the process unless it will fundamentally change your project’s goals or outcomes.

Final decisions about which proposals are funded often come down to whether the proposal convinces the reviewer that the research project is well planned and feasible and whether the investigators are well qualified to execute it. Throughout the proposal, be as explicit as possible. Predict the questions that the reviewer may have and answer them. Przeworski and Salomon (1995) note that reviewers read with three questions in mind:

• What are we going to learn as a result of the proposed project that we do not know now? (goals, aims, and outcomes)
• Why is it worth knowing? (significance)
• How will we know that the conclusions are valid? (criteria for success) (2)

Be sure to answer these questions in your proposal. Keep in mind that reviewers may not read every word of your proposal. Your reviewer may only read the abstract, the sections on research design and methodology, the vitae, and the budget. Make these sections as clear and straightforward as possible.

The way you write your grant will tell the reviewers a lot about you (Reif-Lehrer 82). From reading your proposal, the reviewers will form an idea of who you are as a scholar, a researcher, and a person. They will decide whether you are creative, logical, analytical, up-to-date in the relevant literature of the field, and, most importantly, capable of executing the proposed project. Allow your discipline and its conventions to determine the general style of your writing, but allow your own voice and personality to come through. Be sure to clarify your project’s theoretical orientation.

Develop a general proposal and budget

Because most proposal writers seek funding from several different agencies or granting programs, it is a good idea to begin by developing a general grant proposal and budget. This general proposal is sometimes called a “white paper.” Your general proposal should explain your project to a general academic audience. Before you submit proposals to different grant programs, you will tailor a specific proposal to their guidelines and priorities.

Organizing your proposal

Although each funding agency will have its own (usually very specific) requirements, there are several elements of a proposal that are fairly standard, and they often come in the following order:

• Introduction (statement of the problem, purpose of research or goals, and significance of research)

Literature review

• Project narrative (methods, procedures, objectives, outcomes or deliverables, evaluation, and dissemination)
• Budget and budget justification

Format the proposal so that it is easy to read. Use headings to break the proposal up into sections. If it is long, include a table of contents with page numbers.

The title page usually includes a brief yet explicit title for the research project, the names of the principal investigator(s), the institutional affiliation of the applicants (the department and university), name and address of the granting agency, project dates, amount of funding requested, and signatures of university personnel authorizing the proposal (when necessary). Most funding agencies have specific requirements for the title page; make sure to follow them.

The abstract provides readers with their first impression of your project. To remind themselves of your proposal, readers may glance at your abstract when making their final recommendations, so it may also serve as their last impression of your project. The abstract should explain the key elements of your research project in the future tense. Most abstracts state: (1) the general purpose, (2) specific goals, (3) research design, (4) methods, and (5) significance (contribution and rationale). Be as explicit as possible in your abstract. Use statements such as, “The objective of this study is to …”

Introduction

The introduction should cover the key elements of your proposal, including a statement of the problem, the purpose of research, research goals or objectives, and significance of the research. The statement of problem should provide a background and rationale for the project and establish the need and relevance of the research. How is your project different from previous research on the same topic? Will you be using new methodologies or covering new theoretical territory? The research goals or objectives should identify the anticipated outcomes of the research and should match up to the needs identified in the statement of problem. List only the principle goal(s) or objective(s) of your research and save sub-objectives for the project narrative.

Many proposals require a literature review. Reviewers want to know whether you’ve done the necessary preliminary research to undertake your project. Literature reviews should be selective and critical, not exhaustive. Reviewers want to see your evaluation of pertinent works. For more information, see our handout on literature reviews .

Project narrative

The project narrative provides the meat of your proposal and may require several subsections. The project narrative should supply all the details of the project, including a detailed statement of problem, research objectives or goals, hypotheses, methods, procedures, outcomes or deliverables, and evaluation and dissemination of the research.

For the project narrative, pre-empt and/or answer all of the reviewers’ questions. Don’t leave them wondering about anything. For example, if you propose to conduct unstructured interviews with open-ended questions, be sure you’ve explained why this methodology is best suited to the specific research questions in your proposal. Or, if you’re using item response theory rather than classical test theory to verify the validity of your survey instrument, explain the advantages of this innovative methodology. Or, if you need to travel to Valdez, Alaska to access historical archives at the Valdez Museum, make it clear what documents you hope to find and why they are relevant to your historical novel on the ’98ers in the Alaskan Gold Rush.

Clearly and explicitly state the connections between your research objectives, research questions, hypotheses, methodologies, and outcomes. As the requirements for a strong project narrative vary widely by discipline, consult a discipline-specific guide to grant writing for some additional advice.

Explain staffing requirements in detail and make sure that staffing makes sense. Be very explicit about the skill sets of the personnel already in place (you will probably include their Curriculum Vitae as part of the proposal). Explain the necessary skill sets and functions of personnel you will recruit. To minimize expenses, phase out personnel who are not relevant to later phases of a project.

The budget spells out project costs and usually consists of a spreadsheet or table with the budget detailed as line items and a budget narrative (also known as a budget justification) that explains the various expenses. Even when proposal guidelines do not specifically mention a narrative, be sure to include a one or two page explanation of the budget. To see a sample budget, turn to Example #1 at the end of this handout.

Consider including an exhaustive budget for your project, even if it exceeds the normal grant size of a particular funding organization. Simply make it clear that you are seeking additional funding from other sources. This technique will make it easier for you to combine awards down the road should you have the good fortune of receiving multiple grants.

Make sure that all budget items meet the funding agency’s requirements. For example, all U.S. government agencies have strict requirements for airline travel. Be sure the cost of the airline travel in your budget meets their requirements. If a line item falls outside an agency’s requirements (e.g. some organizations will not cover equipment purchases or other capital expenses), explain in the budget justification that other grant sources will pay for the item.

Many universities require that indirect costs (overhead) be added to grants that they administer. Check with the appropriate offices to find out what the standard (or required) rates are for overhead. Pass a draft budget by the university officer in charge of grant administration for assistance with indirect costs and costs not directly associated with research (e.g. facilities use charges).

Furthermore, make sure you factor in the estimated taxes applicable for your case. Depending on the categories of expenses and your particular circumstances (whether you are a foreign national, for example), estimated tax rates may differ. You can consult respective departmental staff or university services, as well as professional tax assistants. For information on taxes on scholarships and fellowships, see https://cashier.unc.edu/student-tax-information/scholarships-fellowships/ .

Explain the timeframe for the research project in some detail. When will you begin and complete each step? It may be helpful to reviewers if you present a visual version of your timeline. For less complicated research, a table summarizing the timeline for the project will help reviewers understand and evaluate the planning and feasibility. See Example #2 at the end of this handout.

For multi-year research proposals with numerous procedures and a large staff, a time line diagram can help clarify the feasibility and planning of the study. See Example #3 at the end of this handout.

Revising your proposal

Strong grant proposals take a long time to develop. Start the process early and leave time to get feedback from several readers on different drafts. Seek out a variety of readers, both specialists in your research area and non-specialist colleagues. You may also want to request assistance from knowledgeable readers on specific areas of your proposal. For example, you may want to schedule a meeting with a statistician to help revise your methodology section. Don’t hesitate to seek out specialized assistance from the relevant research offices on your campus. At UNC, the Odum Institute provides a variety of services to graduate students and faculty in the social sciences.

In your revision and editing, ask your readers to give careful consideration to whether you’ve made explicit the connections between your research objectives and methodology. Here are some example questions:

• Have you presented a compelling case?
• Have you made your hypotheses explicit?
• Does your project seem feasible? Is it overly ambitious? Does it have other weaknesses?
• Have you stated the means that grantors can use to evaluate the success of your project after you’ve executed it?

If a granting agency lists particular criteria used for rating and evaluating proposals, be sure to share these with your own reviewers.

Example #1. Sample Budget

Jet travel $6,100 This estimate is based on the commercial high season rate for jet economy travel on Sabena Belgian Airlines. No U.S. carriers fly to Kigali, Rwanda. Sabena has student fare tickets available which will be significantly less expensive (approximately $2,000).

Maintenance allowance $22,788 Based on the Fulbright-Hays Maintenance Allowances published in the grant application guide.

Research assistant/translator $4,800 The research assistant/translator will be a native (and primary) speaker of Kinya-rwanda with at least a four-year university degree. They will accompany the primary investigator during life history interviews to provide assistance in comprehension. In addition, they will provide commentary, explanations, and observations to facilitate the primary investigator’s participant observation. During the first phase of the project in Kigali, the research assistant will work forty hours a week and occasional overtime as needed. During phases two and three in rural Rwanda, the assistant will stay with the investigator overnight in the field when necessary. The salary of $400 per month is based on the average pay rate for individuals with similar qualifications working for international NGO’s in Rwanda.

Transportation within country, phase one $1,200 The primary investigator and research assistant will need regular transportation within Kigali by bus and taxi. The average taxi fare in Kigali is $6-8 and bus fare is $.15. This figure is based on an average of $10 per day in transportation costs during the first project phase.

Transportation within country, phases two and three $12,000 Project personnel will also require regular transportation between rural field sites. If it is not possible to remain overnight, daily trips will be necessary. The average rental rate for a 4×4 vehicle in Rwanda is $130 per day. This estimate is based on an average of $50 per day in transportation costs for the second and third project phases. These costs could be reduced if an arrangement could be made with either a government ministry or international aid agency for transportation assistance.

Email $720 The rate for email service from RwandaTel (the only service provider in Rwanda) is $60 per month. Email access is vital for receiving news reports on Rwanda and the region as well as for staying in contact with dissertation committee members and advisors in the United States.

Audiocassette tapes $400 Audiocassette tapes will be necessary for recording life history interviews, musical performances, community events, story telling, and other pertinent data.

Photographic & slide film $100 Photographic and slide film will be necessary to document visual data such as landscape, environment, marriages, funerals, community events, etc.

Laptop computer $2,895 A laptop computer will be necessary for recording observations, thoughts, and analysis during research project. Price listed is a special offer to UNC students through the Carolina Computing Initiative.

NUD*IST 4.0 software $373.00 NUD*IST, “Nonnumerical, Unstructured Data, Indexing, Searching, and Theorizing,” is necessary for cataloging, indexing, and managing field notes both during and following the field research phase. The program will assist in cataloging themes that emerge during the life history interviews.

Administrative fee $100 Fee set by Fulbright-Hays for the sponsoring institution.

Example #2: Project Timeline in Table Format

Example #3: project timeline in chart format.

Some closing advice

Some of us may feel ashamed or embarrassed about asking for money or promoting ourselves. Often, these feelings have more to do with our own insecurities than with problems in the tone or style of our writing. If you’re having trouble because of these types of hang-ups, the most important thing to keep in mind is that it never hurts to ask. If you never ask for the money, they’ll never give you the money. Besides, the worst thing they can do is say no.

UNC resources for proposal writing

Research at Carolina http://research.unc.edu

The Odum Institute for Research in the Social Sciences https://odum.unc.edu/

UNC Medical School Office of Research https://www.med.unc.edu/oor

UNC School of Public Health Office of Research http://www.sph.unc.edu/research/

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Holloway, Brian R. 2003. Proposal Writing Across the Disciplines. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Levine, S. Joseph. “Guide for Writing a Funding Proposal.” http://www.learnerassociates.net/proposal/ .

Locke, Lawrence F., Waneen Wyrick Spirduso, and Stephen J. Silverman. 2014. Proposals That Work . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Przeworski, Adam, and Frank Salomon. 2012. “Some Candid Suggestions on the Art of Writing Proposals.” Social Science Research Council. https://s3.amazonaws.com/ssrc-cdn2/art-of-writing-proposals-dsd-e-56b50ef814f12.pdf .

Reif-Lehrer, Liane. 1989. Writing a Successful Grant Application . Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Wiggins, Beverly. 2002. “Funding and Proposal Writing for Social Science Faculty and Graduate Student Research.” Chapel Hill: Howard W. Odum Institute for Research in Social Science. 2 Feb. 2004. http://www2.irss.unc.edu/irss/shortcourses/wigginshandouts/granthandout.pdf.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Make a Gift

• Divisions and Offices
• Grants Search
• Manage Your Award
• NEH's Application Review Process
• Professional Development
• Grantee Communications Toolkit
• NEH Virtual Grant Workshops
• Awards & Honors
• American Tapestry
• Humanities Magazine
• NEH Resources for Native Communities
• Search Our Work
• Office of Communications
• Office of Congressional Affairs
• Office of Data and Evaluation
• Budget / Performance
• Contact NEH
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Human Resources
• Information Quality
• National Council on the Humanities
• Office of the Inspector General
• Privacy Program
• State and Jurisdictional Humanities Councils
• Office of the Chair
• NEH-DOI Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Partnership
• NEH Equity Action Plan
• GovDelivery

Since its creation in 1965, NEH has awarded more than $5.6 billion for humanities projects through more than 64,000 grants.  

Search All Grant Programs

Search All Past Awards

Information for First-time Applicants Match Your Project to a Grant Program Late Submission Policy Manage Your Award Become a Peer Reviewer FAQ for NEH Applicants and Grantees Impacted by Coronavirus Developing a Public Access Plan

Featured Grant Programs

Cultural and community resilience, climate smart humanities organizations, dangers and opportunities of technology: perspectives from the humanities, spotlight on humanities in higher education, upcoming grant deadlines, digital projects for the public, public impact projects at smaller organizations, digital humanities advancement grants, examples of projects funded by neh.

Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist

Poetry and Prayer: Islamic Manuscripts from the Walters

Chasing Dreams: Baseball & Becoming American

National Endowment for the Arts

• Grants for Arts Projects
• Challenge America
• Research Awards
• Partnership Agreement Grants
• Creative Writing
• Translation Projects
• Volunteer to be an NEA Panelist
• Manage Your Award
• Recent Grants
• Arts & Human Development Task Force
• Arts Education Partnership
• Blue Star Museums
• Citizens' Institute on Rural Design
• Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network
• GSA's Art in Architecture
• Independent Film & Media Arts Field-Building Initiative
• Interagency Working Group on Arts, Health, & Civic Infrastructure
• International
• Mayors' Institute on City Design
• Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge
• National Folklife Network
• NEA Big Read
• NEA Research Labs
• Poetry Out Loud
• Save America's Treasures
• Shakespeare in American Communities
• Sound Health Network
• United We Stand
• American Artscape Magazine
• NEA Art Works Podcast
• National Endowment for the Arts Blog
• States and Regions
• Accessibility
• Arts & Artifacts Indemnity Program
• Arts and Health
• Arts Education
• Creative Placemaking
• Equity Action Plan
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Literary Arts
• Native Arts and Culture
• NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships
• National Heritage Fellowships
• National Medal of Arts
• Press Releases
• Upcoming Events
• NEA Chair's Page
• Leadership and Staff
• What Is the NEA
• Publications
• National Endowment for the Arts on COVID-19
• Open Government
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
• Office of the Inspector General
• Civil Rights Office
• Appropriations History
• Make a Donation

National Endowment for the Arts Supports the Arts with over $27.5 Million in Awards in First Round of FY2021 Funding

Guitars Over Guns Organization's after-school digital music production mentorship program is included in this round of Grants for Arts Projects awards. Photo credit: Guitars Over Guns

Washington, DC —The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to announce the first round of recommended awards for fiscal year 2021 totaling $27,562,040. Supported projects span 14 artistic disciplines in communities throughout the United States. Also included in this announcement are the recipients of NEA Literature Fellowships in creative writing and translation and support for arts research projects.

“The creativity and resilience of artists and arts organizations across the country have inspired Americans during this challenging year,” said Arts Endowment Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “These projects represent the vitality and perseverance of arts organizations small and large to overcome significant challenges, transform to new ways of engagement, and forge new relationships that benefit the diverse populations in neighborhoods and cities throughout the United States.”

• See the state-by-state listing of all the grants announced in this release.
• See the listing of awards by discipline / grant category
• See the lists of the panelists who reviewed the applications for funding

The Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) awards range from $10,000 to $100,000 and cover these artistic disciplines: Artist Communities, Arts Education, Dance, Design, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Local Arts Agencies, Media Arts, Museums, Music, Musical Theater, Opera, Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works, Theater, and Visual Arts. In February 2020, the agency received 1,674 eligible GAP applications requesting more than $82.4 million in FY 2021 support. Approved for funding are 1,073 projects totaling nearly $25 million, with grants recommended to 64% of all applicants and an average grant amount of $23,190. Grant guidelines and upcoming application deadlines are now available on the Arts Endowment website for organizations wishing to apply.

The Arts Endowment is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and fostering mutual respect for the diverse beliefs and values of all individuals and groups. Part of this commitment includes our partnership with the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Outreach to develop relationships and help HBCUs navigate funding opportunities has led to an increased number of applications from and involving HBCUs. A few Grants for Arts Projects examples of successful applications from this round of funding include:

A $20,000 award to National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, to support the Move/Dance! Program in partnership with Atlanta Public Schools and Spelman College, which will virtually engage students in the appreciation of Black dance in America.

A $15,000 award to Illinois State University to support outreach to HBCUs and the publication of Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora . With the aim of growing its readership and cultivating new voices, Obsidian plans to offer online literary programming at HBCUs across the country.

A $25,000 award to Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts to support a master class series for aspiring classical music singers. The project will take place at several historically Black colleges and universities such as Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland; Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia; and Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia.

A $20,000 award to Josephine Sculpture Park in Frankfort, Kentucky, to support an artist residency program for visual artists and related public programming. Artists will engage local rural audiences and a partnership with Kentucky State University will enable students to engage with the residency program as interns and volunteers.

A $100,000 award to Arts and Humanities Council of Tuscaloosa in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to support the pARTners Project. The goal of the initiative is to increase access to arts education for students in West-Central Alabama, with a special focus on preK-12th grade students in rural areas, by creating a strategic plan, providing arts integration programs to schools, including developing curriculum and training teachers. Teaching artists will be recruited for participation from local colleges and universities such as Stillman College.

The National Endowment for the Arts will award $1.2 million in FY 2021 Literature Fellowships to creative writers and translators. This includes 35 Creative Writing Fellowships of $25,000 each. These FY 2021 fellowships are in poetry and enable the recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. In addition, the Arts Endowment approved $325,000 in fellowships to 24 translators to translate works from 16 languages and 19 countries into English. Take a more  in-depth look at these fellowships and other Literary Arts grants this round .

The National Endowment for the Arts also offers two funding opportunities for research projects. This year marks the tenth anniversary of grants for arts research, a program currently known as Research Grants in the Arts. For FY 2021, 14 organizations are recommended for Research Grants in the Arts totaling $833,000. In addition, five NEA Research Labs are recommended for funding totaling $645,790. Transdisciplinary research partnerships grounded in the social and behavioral sciences will examine and report on the benefit of the arts in non-arts sectors. Explore more about the recommended arts research awards .

Many supported projects are currently working in a virtual space. This is also true for the panel process. Once applications are submitted to the agency for consideration and staff have reviewed them for eligibility and completeness, a panel of dedicated experts with knowledge and experience in their field review and score each application in accordance with the published review criteria. Recommendations are then made to the National Council on the Arts. The council makes recommendations to the Chairman, who makes the final decision on all grant awards. The Arts Endowment assembles diverse panels every year with regard to geography, race and ethnicity, and artistic points of view. Learn more about the process or to volunteer as a panelist .

About the National Endowment for the Arts

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more.

Allison Hill [email protected] 202-682-5037

Recent News

Creative Forces Announces Grants for Arts Engagement Projects to Support Military-Connected People

Readout of Federal Interagency Working Group on Arts, Health, and Civic Infrastructure Meeting 

Announcing the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge Winners

Stay connected to the national endowment for the arts.

How to Apply

The 2024 united states and canada competition is now closed..

The competition timeline can be found here .

Quick Access Items

Important notes.

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation offers fellowships to exceptional individuals in pursuit of scholarship in any field of knowledge and creation in any art form, under the freest possible conditions.

Subscribe to our mailing lists.

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation 90 Park Avenue 33rd Floor New York, NY 10016 | USA

Phone:   212.687.4470 Fax: 212.697.3248

© 2024 • The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation • Managed by  Lenet

Please read and consent to cookies. Thanks!

Privacy overview.

• Utility Menu

• Meet with an Adviser
• Summer Research Funding

History & Literature concentrators spend their summers in a number of ways--doing research, studying abroad, interning at a number of different organizations, and more. To the right, you'll see resources for identifying internships, as well as places where History & Literature students have recently interned. Below, you'll find a number of funding opportunities that have supported History & Literature concentrators in the past.

While History & Literature does not require concentrators to do any thesis research before the senior year, many students choose to do summer research as a way of enriching their college experiences. In particular, many juniors win funding to support senior thesis research conducted in the summer between the junior and senior years. Listed below are general resources for identifying funding opportunities as well as particular funds, grouped thematically and geographically. Note that most of the application deadlines are early in the spring semester, clustered around the middle of February. Some grants also provide funding for term-time research or the winter session. Deadlines for 2022-23 grants, if available, are listed below.

If you have questions, please contact History & Literature’s Associate Directors of Studies.

General Resources Thematic Funds North America Europe Latin America Africa and the Middle East Asia, South Asia, and Oceania

General Resources

• The Office of Career Services (OCS). The OCS administers funding that supports students enrolled in Harvard and Non-Harvard Summer Study Abroad Programs . Funding is also available for Harvard-Run International Programs, including a variety of summer internships offered by Harvard centers in places like Latin America, Europe, China, etc. Take advantage of drop-in hours and information sessions, or make an appointment with an adviser.
• The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (URAF). URAF promotes and supports research opportunities for Harvard undergraduates, from helping students to identify research opportunities to administering research programs like SHARP and MMUF (see below). URAF also hosts office hours and offers one-on-one advising appointments.
• CARAT. The Central Application for Research and Travel (CARAT) is used by many campus programs and research units as the starting point for application submission. Click the button labeled "Undergraduate Opportunities" for information about individual funds, including deadlines. 

Thematic Funds

• Harvard College Research Program. HCRP is the flagship research, scholarly, and artistic support program for Harvard College students. It provides fall term, spring term, and summer funding in support of student-initiated, independent scholarly research or creative endeavors undertaken with guidance of a Harvard-affiliated faculty mentor. Deadline: September 10, 2023, for fall semester funding; January 28, 2024, for spring semester funding; March 24, 2024 for summer funding.
• Asian American Studies Thesis Research Grant.  For research for a senior honors thesis related to Asian American Studies, with a relationship to Asian American life, history, culture, theory, or politics. Projects may deal with persons or groups with ancestry that is Pacific Islander, South Asian, Southeast Asian, East Asian, or Middle Eastern. Likewise, ‘American’ need not be limited to U.S. contexts. Deadline: February 14, 2024.
• Carol K. Pforzheimer Student Fellowships. For research at Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library. Deadline: February 25, 2024.
• Center for the Environment Summer Undergraduate Research Fund. For research projects related to the environment; priority is given to rising seniors conducting honors thesis research. Deadline: March 4, 2024.
• Center for Jewish Studies Summer Study and Research Fellowships. To support summer research or study opportunities in Jewish Studies. Deadline: March 8, 2024.
• Ethnicity, Migration, Rights Summer Thesis Research Grants. Summer travel grants to assist Harvard juniors with senior honors thesis research related to ethnicity, human rights, indigeneity, and migration. Deadline: February 14, 2024.
• Harvard College Summer Humanities and Arts Research Program (SHARP). A 10-week immersive summer program from June 5, 2023 to August 10, 2023 in which fellows work on research projects with Harvard-affiliated faculty and researchers and library and museum administrators. Deadline: February 14, 2023.
• Houghton Library/SHARP Undergraduate Fellowships. To support a summer of research at the Houghton Library. Deadline: mid February.
• Kenneth I. Juster Fellowships for Undergraduate Research and Travel. Grants to support undergraduate field research or field experience in the areas of international relations, international trade and economic affairs, international development, international negotiation and dispute resolution, and global governance and affairs. Funds may be used for internationally focused field experiences or field research, including—but not necessarily tied to—research in support of senior theses. Projects may be carried out during the winter break, between semesters, or a term-time leave of absence. Deadline: October 23, 2023.
• Latinx Studies Thesis Research Grants. Summer travel grants to assist Harvard juniors with senior honors thesis research in areas related to Latinx Studies. Deadline: February 14, 2024.
• Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUF) . Selects ten students in their sophomore year to join a tightly-knit research community during junior and senior years to conduct independent research in close collaboration with a faculty mentor. Deadline: February 11, 2024.
• Weatherhead Center for International Affairs Thesis Research Grants. Travel grants to support summer field research for theses on international affairs and global history. Deadline: February 15, 2024.

North America

• Canada Program Undergraduate Thesis Research Grants . For thesis projects on Canadian issues. Deadline: February 15, 2024.  
• Center for American Political Studies Undergraduate Student Summer Grants. Summer research fellowships for juniors who are writing a senior thesis on any aspect of contemporary American politics.  Deadline: February 9, 2024.
• Charles Warren Center Senior Thesis Grants. For thesis projects on any topic in American history. Deadline: February 9, 2024.
• Dressler Family Traveling Grant for Summer Travel or Study for Sophomores and Juniors. For travel and study in a country where a Romance language is spoken (e.g. France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Romania, and Latin America). The purpose of the grant is to afford students who have completed at least one course in Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard the opportunity to travel and study in these countries in order to further their understanding of language, literature, politics, history, culture, etc. Deadline: March 1, 2024.
• Harvard-Cambridge Summer Fellowship. Offers fellowships to rising juniors and seniors to pursue meaningful opportunities in the United Kingdom, including sponsored research or study experiences at Cambridge or in affiliation with Cambridge-sponsored or affiliated arts or service projects. Deadline: TBA.
• Goldman Undergraduate Research Travel Grants. For independent research on topics in Russian and Eurasian studies. Preference is given to juniors doing research for the senior thesis. A limited amount of funding may be available for research abroad in January. Deadline: February 7, 2024.
• HURI Summer Research Travel Grants to Ukraine. For support to conduct summer research on a topic directly related to Ukrainian studies in Ukraine and the surrounding region. Deadline: March 22, 2024.
• Center for European Studies Summer Senior Thesis Research Grants. Travel grants to fund summer research in Europe for juniors preparing senior theses focusing on modern or contemporary Europe. Deadline: February 9, 2024.
• Patterson Traveling Fellowship to Italy. One fellowship is awarded each year to fund summer or holiday travel to Italy. Deadline: March 7, 2024.
• Real Colegio Complutense (RCC) Grant for Undergraduate Internships and Research in Spain. Funds for summer research or internships in Spain. Deadline: February 9, 2024. 
• Robert Bacon Fund Grant. Funds for summer study, research, or internships in France, including support for students attending Harvard’s summer program in Paris. Deadline: March 1, 2024.
• Teodore Raffaele Diaco Memorial Grant for Study in Italy. To support Harvard College undergraduates who wish to conduct summer study in Italy, in Italian. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Latin America

• David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) Summer Research Travel Grants. For research related to Latin America and the Caribbean. Preference is given to students conducting thesis research. Deadline: TBA.

Africa and the Middle East

• A. J. Meyer Summer Fellowship . A scholarship in the amount of $2,500 for a Harvard student who will enroll in a full-time intensive summer program in Arabic. Deadline: TBA.
• Center for African Studies Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship. To support intensive for-credit study of an African language, either in the United States or abroad. Deadline: February 15, 2024.
• Center for African Studies J-Term Grants. For research to be conducted during the January term, between fall and spring semesters. Deadline: October 15, 2023.
• Center for African Studies Summer Grants. For students traveling to Africa for thesis research, internships, volunteer work, or study abroad. Deadline: February 15, 2024.
• Henry Rosovsky Summer Fellowship for Undergraduate Research in Israel. Deadline: April 3, 2024.

Asia, South Asia, and Oceania

• Asia Center Undergraduate Summer Research Grants. For students conducting research or language study over the summer. Research must look at the countries of East, South, and Southeast Asia comparatively or explore the relations among Asian countries. Deadline: TBA.
• Asia Center Winter Research Grants. For students conducting research that looks at the countries of East, South, and Southeast Asia comparatively or explore the relations among Asian countries. Deadline: October 23, 2023.
• Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies Summer Research Grants. For undergraduates who plan to conduct academic research in or on Greater China (including Taiwan) during the summer. Priority given to thesis research projects.  Deadline: February 5, 2024.
• Harold Bolitho Undergraduate Research Scholarships in Australian Studies. To support research and/or fieldwork relating directly to a senior honors thesis in an area of Australian studies. Awards made on a rolling basis.
• Korea Institute Summer Research Travel Grants. For research for a senior thesis in an area of Korean studies. Deadline: February 5, 2024.
• Korea Institute Undergraduate Summer Language Study Grants at Ewha. Awards summer language study grants for Harvard undergraduates in any concentration to attend the co-ed Ewha International Summer College-Session I to learn the Korean language. Courses may only on Korean language or on language and content. Deadline: February 5, 2024.
• Reischauer Insititute Harvard College Japan Summer Internship Program. Coordinates a wide array of summer internship opportunities in Japan for undergraduates in any concentration. Deadline: January 13, 2024.
• Reischauer Institute Henry Rosovky Undergraduate Summer Research Travel Grant in Japan. For research in Japan, relating directly to a senior thesis in an area of Japanese studies. Deadline: February 16, 2024.
• Reischauer Institute Undergraduate Summer Japanese Language Grants. Awards grants to undergraduates in any concentration who plan to enroll in a summer Japanese language study program in Japan. Deadline: February 16, 2024.
• South Asia Institute Undergraduate Research Grants. For students conduction thesis research in South Asia. Deadline: February 9, 2024.
• Sophomore Tutorial
• Junior Tutorial
• Senior Tutorial
• Courses That Count
• Language Requirement
• Study Abroad
• Joint and Double Concentrations

What will you do this summer?

Harvard's  Office of Career Services  supports students looking for opportunities for summer and post-graduation. 

Looking for employment? OCS will guide you through the job and internship search .

Wondering how to make the most of your college career? Consider study abroad , and domestic public service , as well as interning, volunteering, or researching abroad !

Literature Research and Study Opportunities

Thousands of study and academic opportunities in Literature are available internationally. Conferences and summer schools in Literature are organized regularly in the best academic centers of the world. The majority of universities and many foundations also offer BA, MA, and Ph.D. programs in Literature as wells as postdoctoral research grants, awards, and fellowships. Below you will find the updated list of international opportunities available in Literature.

Literature Scholarships

• Brian McDonald Legacy Scholarship in Literature
• University of Wisconsin Languages & Literatures Scholarships and Awards
• University of Aberdeen the School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture Scholarships
• UWM Comparative Literature Scholarships
• Gwenda Ford English Literature Scholarship 
• Eastern Michigan University Department of English Language & Literature Scholarships
• University of Toronto Polish Language and Literature Scholarships and Awards 
• Georgia Southern University Literature Scholarships and Awards 
• Dr. Agnes O’Donnell Scholarship in Literature
• Flanders Literature Translation Grants

Literature Fellowships

• Royal Literary Fund Fellowships
• Oregon Literary Fellowships
• State Library Victoria Children’s Literature Fellowships
• Columbia University Department of English and Comparative Literature Graduate Teaching and Fellowship
• Lannan Literary Awards and Fellowships 
• The New India Foundation Fellowships
• Kent State University Fellowships
• Yale University Department of Comparative Literature Fellowships and Funding
• UCLA Department of Comparative Literature Fellowships and Grants
• The American Literature Association Fellowships

Literature Conferences

• The American Literature Association Annual Conference
• International Conference on Culture, Languages, and Literature
• American Comparative Literature Association Annual Meeting
• Society for Comparative Literature and the Arts Conference
• International Research Society for Children’s Literature Congress
• Georgia Conference on Children’s Literature 
• Transnational Literature and Writing Conference
• ARLE Conference
• The American Literary Translators Association Conference
• Annual Colorado Teen Literature Conference

Literature relevant accounts on Twitter

• @Literature
• @C_L_Journal
• @ilkleylitfest
• @RSLiterature
• @ElecticLit
• @LitBritish

Literature as a discipline 

Literature is one of the best ways to transfer the human experience from generation to generation. Those who had ever come across a life-changing book in their life will prove it. Literature is the documentation of feelings and an opportunity to explore significantly more than what happens in our personal life. Humans contribute to this broad and life-essential field in two ways: authors create the Literature, and specialists coordinate the rest. If you want to be in the second group, Literature studies academic programs will come in very handy. 

Let's start with the Literary studies definitions first. You will read different curriculums and different structures of the literary studies academic program. However, there is a basic approach for all. 

The first thing you should know about literary studies is that it is not a study of how to become a literature author. Literary students do not learn how to write novels, poems, or other pieces, and you shouldn't discover extraordinary writing talent in you to choose the program. 

Literary studies are the study about Literature, how it was created, what it transferred to us, and how deeply it formed our society. You will analyze the writings, read to draw conclusions, and explore how authors can communicate their main ideas. 

Literary studies can also be described as a study of speech, the most powerful weapon of all times. Talented authors educate generations simply by their ability to manipulate the language so that it influences the reader. In this regard, it might be claimed that literary students also learn writing. If they constantly analyze and assess others' works, they form their checklists of what tips and patterns are considered good in writing. Therefore, theoretically, they might implement it and create new pieces of art. 

However, Literature, and especially writing, is a talent that comes from inside. Many students become well aware of Literature and its main approaches and never begin their writing career. 

Literary studies

Let's refer to more academic definitions of Literary studies. 

Firstly, Literature refers to verbal means of engaging with the historical periods. It does satisfy not only human aesthetic needs but also is an obsession with human precedences and traditions. It also gives readers a space to discover many non-reachable spheres such as the afterlife, immortality, permanence, etc. The term literature refers to written works generated by the imagination of people. The most popular types of such works include poetry, fiction, drama, etc. Literary works are the primary documents thanks to which we can investigate the life of the past: history, notable events, the development of races, classes, and genders. 

Historically, the practice of studying the writings of the past was mainly related to reading them in Classical languages: Greek and Latin. This method of literary studies was especially popular in Europe. It was around the 19th century when modern Literary studies developed in universities, and students were reading and analyzing the literary works in modern languages. 

Also, there is an evolution in the purpose of the Literature discipline. Before, it was mainly connected to the necessity of learning the culture of the past. Modern Literary studies are meant to develop student's critical thinking and creativity. Also, students learn to interpret literary works to make their meaning accessible to the large public. In this regard, students need to have good persuasive skills to make their interpretations acceptable for others. 

Is it worth studying Literature?

This question is frequently asked both in societal and in scholarly environments. No one doubts that interacting with Literature is essential for every person. However, as it does not grant students a certain practical profession for the future career, its role like a thorough discipline is usually questioned. 

The main benefits of the discipline are the development of critical thinking, solid cultural understanding, communication skills, and the enrichment of creative potential. Therefore, the studies are more fitting for those who write themselves and enrich their writing talent. Also, Literary studies are beneficial for those students who pursue careers in roles requiring collaboration, research, and analysis. The common employment areas for Literature graduates include publishing companies, magazines, libraries, websites, educational institutions, also business fields like advertising, consulting, marketing, and sales. 

Literature Studies Research opportunities

There are millions of writers in the world who wrote about hundreds of spheres of our life. Most probably, the most famous writers praised in society nowadays are not the only ones whose works need wide appreciation. There are many unrevealed and not enough popularized writings that society can benefit from, and revealing that not fully explored Literature is the main research opportunity for Literary students. 

Many researchers focus on specific writers, and along with their works, explore and popularize the author's personal and career moments. Others focus on the Literature of particular periods, revealing the main tendencies and purpose of the time's writing. There are also research directions based on the genres, literature directions, styles, topics of discussions, etc. 

Below, there are some of the leading research directions that are offered in modern universities:

• American Literature
• Children's Literature
• Early Modern Studies
• Book History
• Medieval Literature
• Eighteenth-Century Studies
• Nineteenth-Century Literature
• Twentieth-Century Literature
• Contemporary Literature, etc. 

As a society, we learn and develop from the experience sharing, both from the people that share with us the same time period, and those who lived before. Literature smoothly organizes the transition of human experience and emotional richness from generation to generation. Use the opportunities in this section of ARMACAD to contribute to that everlasting learning practice.

Guides & Resources

Grants research assistance: home.

• South Carolina Grant Resources
• General Grant Resources
• For Libraries
• Fundraising

Grants Research Virtual Appointments

Can't get to the SC State Library? We are offering virtual appointments for assistance in grants research.

Request a Virtual Appointment

For any questions regarding grants research you may also contact us by email .

Funding Resources

Looking for emergency funding for your nonprofit?  Candid has information on philanthropy’s response to the pandemic and sources of funding.

Grants Classes for Spring 2024

Grants Research: Finding a Funder for Your Nonprofit Organization Webinar Wednesday, March 20, 2024 11:00AM - 12:00PM

Grant Writing: Creating a Winning Proposal Webinar Thursday, February 29, 2024 10:30AM - 12:00PM

Friday, April 19, 2024 10:30AM - 12:00PM

Thursday, May 16, 2024 10:30AM - 12:00PM

Check out these free webinars and tutorials from Candid

Introduction to Finding Grants

What is a Foundation?

Demystifying the 990-PF

Introduction to Proposal Writing

Introduction to Project Budgets

Is Starting a Nonprofit Right For You?

Starting a Nonprofit Organization

Introduction to Corporate Giving

Questions? Please email us here

Online Foundation Directories

• Foundation Directory Online Search the Foundation Directory Online database for national and local foundations that give grants to nonprofit organizations (available only on site at the SC State Library).
• GrantWatch A grant listing directory featuring nearly 30,000 current grants, funding opportunities, awards, and archived grants from foundations, corporations, federal, state, and local government funding sources. (available only on site at the SC State Library)

Grant and Fund Raising Resources

South Carolina Grant Resources General Grant Resources Grants for Libraries Fundraising

Books and eBooks on fund raising, grant writing and nonprofit management: In the  SCLENDS catalog  (or in the local library catalogs) look under the subjects: “ Fund Raising ”, “ Nonprofit organizations ”, or “ Proposal Writing for Grants ”

Additional Information

Candid's   Funding Information Network  partners provide grant seekers free access to materials and services in libraries, community foundations, and other nonprofit resource centers worldwide. Candid provides each network partner with an extensive collection of information and publications for grant-seeking nonprofit organizations.

The  Charleston County Library ,  Florence County Library , Greenville County Library ,  Spartanburg County Library , and the  South Carolina State Library  are  Funding Information Network  partners in South Carolina.  Other nearby partners are the Community Foundation for the CSRA in Augusta, Georgia, and the  Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in Charlotte, North Carolina.

South Carolina Foundation Directory

2014 edition of the south carolina foundation directory.

The 2014 edition of the South Carolina Foundation Directory is available for downloading. This is the most current online edition available as of December 2020. The 2014 edition includes South Carolina foundations that accept proposals.

An alternative to this South Carolina Directory is the Foundation Directory Online database.  It’s a national directory of foundations, and covers South Carolina.  It’s available at the SC State Library and at several other libraries in South Carolina (see below for more). A free version, FDO Essential, is also available and included all South Carolina foundations (see link above).  It is updated monthly.

The South Carolina State Library publishes the South Carolina Foundation Directory every few years to assist South Carolinians in their search for funds to support the programs and projects of their organizations. For assistance regarding the 2014 Directory, please contact Information Services staff at (803) 734-8026 or us  email  here.

Please note that individual assistance for grants research is available at the SC State Library, however, we ask that you make an appointment with library staff first in order to confirm staff availability and an appointment time. Please contact us by email  or use the link above to make a virtual appointment.  

• SC Foundation Directory 2014 - Part 1 - 10th edition

About the Grants Research Collection

The South Carolina State Library is a Funding Information Network partner of Candid.  

The Grants Research Collection at the South Carolina State Library is designed to assist nonprofit organizations and individuals seeking grant funding from private and corporate foundations and government agencies.  

The Collection includes resources for finding foundation and government grant programs, the grantseeking and proposal writing process, nonprofit organization management, and general fund raising strategies.  

• Next: South Carolina Grant Resources >>
• Last Updated: Apr 9, 2024 4:47 PM
• URL: https://guides.statelibrary.sc.gov/grants-research-assistance

• Office of Research
• Strategic Research Initiatives

Find Funding

Strategic Research Initiatives provides resources for targeted funding searches and offers guidance on interacting with funders including foundations, corporations, or public agencies.

Pivot Funding Opportunities Database

Learn how to create customized funding searches, set up funding alerts, and browse topical funding opportunity lists curated by SRI.

Limited Submissions

Strategic Research Initiatives is responsible for coordinating the internal review and selection of competing proposals for institutionally limited funding opportunities.

Funding for Junior Faculty

Curated programs and awards intended for faculty, usually with the rank of Assistant Professor.

Funding for Postdoctoral Scholars

Funding information and resources for Postdoctoral Scholars.

Instrumentation

Many federal funding agencies periodically release funding opportunities to  support the acquisition or development of research instrumentation.  SRI has assembled a compilation of known Instrumentation Funding Opportunities from NSF, NIH, DOD, DOE, and NASA.

Funding for Humanities, Fine Arts, Social Science, Education

There are a variety of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (HASSE) Funding Opportunities commonly awarded to UCSB faculty members.

There is a growing number of funding opportunities, from both Federal Agencies and Foundations, that offer mid-career faculty the chance to acquire and build new skills or pursue new and bold research directions to enhance and advance their research program.

Curated Searches, Funding Lists and Additional Links

Funding agencies and programs.

Internal Funding

• Faculty Research Grants Program
• Pearl Chase Funds For Local Community Development, Conservation, or Historic Preservation Research Projects
• Faculty Travel Grants For Conference Presentation Of Research Results
• Doctoral Student Travel Grants
• Hellman Family Faculty Fellows Program

State of California

• State Grants Database
• California Arts Council
• California Department of Education
• California Department of Food and Agriculture
• California Department of Pesticide Regulation
• California Department of Toxic Substances Control
• California Department of Transportation
• California Department of Water Resources
• California Energy Commission
• California Environmental Protection Agency
• California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board
• California Environmental Protection Agency State Water Resources Control Board
• California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development

California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

• California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways
• Employment Training Panel
• State Council on Developmental Disabilities
• State of California Coastal Conservancy
• State of California Ocean Protection Council
• State of California Sierra Nevada Conservancy
• State of California Wildlife Conservation Board

University of California Office of the President

• Cancer Research Coordinating Committee
• I nitiatives and Special Funds
• Laboratory Fees Research Program
• Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives (MRPI)
• President’s Research Catalyst Awards  
• UC Innovation Awards

Federal Agencies

• Air Force Office of Scientific Research
• Army Research Office
• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
• Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• USDA Cooperative State Research Service
• Department of Commerce
• Department of Education
• Department of Energy (DOE)
• Federal Laboratory Consortium
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
• National Institute of Standards & Technology

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

• National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

National Science Foundation (NSF)

• Naval Research Laboratory (Office of Naval Research)
• Office for Human Research Protections
• Office of Science and Technology Policy

California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)

Foundations

Interested investigators should contact Foundation Relations before contacting or submitting an application to a private foundation. Foundation Relations provides assistance in making meaningful connections with foundations and in identifying proposal support services. Contact Janice Taylor for more information.

• Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (HASSE)
• Amgen Foundation  (STEM)
• Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation  (STEM)
• Brain Research Foundation  (STEM)
• Burroughs Wellcome Fund  STEM)
• The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.  (STEM)
• Carnegie Corporation of New York  (HASSE)
• The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation (HASSE)
• John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (HFA)
• John Templeton Foundation (HASSE, STEM)
• John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (HASSE, STEM)
• W.M. Keck Foundation (STEM)
• The McKnight Foundation (STEM)
• The David & Lucile Packard Foundation (STEM, SS)
• Pew Charitable Trust (STEM)
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (STEM, HASSE)
• Russell Sage Foundation (SS)
• Searle Scholars Program (STEM)
• Simons Foundation (STEM)
• Spencer Foundation  (ED)
• William T. Grant Foundation (HASSE)

Supplements

Researchers with active grants from NSF or NIH may have the opportunity to request supplemental funding, on top of their original grant, to fund a range of activities, including additional research, travel, student support, and activities that support diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Supplemental grants are awarded at the decision of the cognizant program officer, without needing to go through the traditional grant review process.  PIs interested in seeking supplemental funding are advised to begin this process by speaking with their NSF or NIH program officer.

Strategic Research Initiatives Guidance

• NSF allows requests for supplemental funding, as described in the  NSF PAPPG .  Common supplement requests include Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), Research Experiences for Teachers (RET), and Research Assistantships for High School Students (RAHSS).
• NIH offers supplemental funding through the  Administrative Supplements  mechanism  (Guidance for NIH Administrative Supplements) .
• SRI presentation from Spring 2023

• Share on twitter
• Share on facebook

How to win a research grant

Even in disciplines in which research is inherently inexpensive, ‘grant capture’ is increasingly being adopted as a metric to judge academics and universities. but with success rates typically little better than one in five, rejection is the fate of most applications. six academics give their tips on how to improve the odds.

• Share on linkedin
• Share on mail

Know your funding agency and believe in yourself

Academics all know that we must publish or perish. But there is another less famous but no less important guide to scholarly survival: win funding or perish. That is particularly true for the many disciplines, like mine, in which funding is a prerequisite for being able to perform publishable research – but many recruitment, tenure and promotion committees give almost as much weight to grant income as they do to scholarly output.

Sadly, there is no sure-fire way of being successful. All higher-visibility funding agencies are overwhelmed with high-quality applications far beyond their capacity to fund. This means that there will always be an element of stochasticity in how decisions are made, so being thick-skinned and persistent are critical. Don’t take rejection personally but, rather, see it as an opportunity to improve and try again.

Even in a world of single-digit success rates, there are actions you can take to improve your chances of being awarded that research grant. Clearly, writing a good proposal is critical. Take time to let your idea develop; for a very competitive programme, it can take me six months or more to write a proposal that I am proud of.

Visual presentation is also more important than you might imagine. However strong your scientific idea, sloppy presentation will give the impression that you are not a serious researcher and, at minimum, make reviewers more negatively inclined towards you. Put in the extra effort to make your proposal look good. Figures should be high resolution and attractively presented, and text should be checked and rechecked for typographical and grammatical errors.

You should also put in the extra effort to know your funding agency. I was frustrated year after year by my inability to get a specific grant, only to discover this year from a detail-orientated student that, according to the fine print, the agency doesn’t fund my area of research. Looking at the titles and, if available, the abstracts of previously funded research can be extremely helpful, as can asking colleagues for their own successful proposals to an agency you are interested in.

Of course, there are as many ways of presenting research as there are researchers – don’t clone anyone else’s style. But try to use it as a basis for learning what works.

In addition to this, I tend to ask numerous colleagues to read my proposal as critically as possible. It gives me invaluable insight into what is likely to irk the reviewer – to whom, I remind myself, I can’t answer back. Several rounds of review later, my proposal is so much stronger.

With some funding agencies, perversely, you often need to have already done most of the work for it to be funded. With others, large volumes of preliminary data can be fatal to the proposal, conveying the impression that it is not novel and innovative enough. Once again, talking to successful colleagues helps you get to know which of these approaches is preferred by the particular funding agency you are targeting. In my case, success has sometimes resulted from merely highlighting, based on other work, why I am qualified to move to a completely new area of research.

Finally, believe in yourself. Like recruitment and promotion panels, grant review panels are biased – explicitly or implicitly – towards candidates who have had significant success in attracting prior funding. So success is always likely to be elusive in the beginning, when you have no funding track record. But my PhD supervisor often reminded me that the only sure-fire way not to get a job or grant is to not apply for it.

Hence, in my first year as an independent investigator, I put in a large volume of grant proposals. All were unsuccessful, bar one: my application for a European Research Council starting grant. I had only applied to see what would happen, but winning such generous and prestigious funding turned out to be transformative at such an early stage in my independent career.

So don’t be afraid to make yourself part of the competition. But if you do so, make sure that you put in the best proposal you are able to – because, in a low-success environment, anything less is likely to be a waste of your very precious and limited time.

Lynn Kamerlin is professor of structural biology at Uppsala University .

Surf the tensions between your audiences

I work in a field (education) and a country (Australia) where the preference is for large-scale empirical, science-like and psychologically oriented research. But, like many doctoral graduates in my area, I have always done qualitative and relatively small-number studies – in my case, with a feminist and critical sociological bent. As a reviewer and as an applicant I have found that very different types of research can be successful in grant applications – provided that they give enough attention to why this research matters.

In writing applications, one of the trickiest issues is to surf the tensions involved in satisfying two types of assessors. You have to demonstrate the specialist sophistication that satisfies a reviewer in your own field and, at the same time, make a compelling, easy-to-read case for why your research should also matter to someone outside your direct field – or even hostile to it. You have to show that your proposal builds on and expands the work you have done before, but also that it is going somewhere new.

This is particularly important in Australia, where the education minister can and has refused to sign off on successful applications he doesn’t like, and where there is a push for research to be directly of value to the short-term “ national interest ”. My advice to applicants motivated by sociological, feminist or sceptical kinds of questions is not to give up on them but to put a lot of effort into the “why it matters”. Seek feedback on drafts of your application from different kinds of researchers.

For me, the big challenge was always to come up with the new idea: something that mattered, that would speak to current research but that would offer a new take. This could take me over a year of concentrated attention. An early success was for a qualitative longitudinal project as a new way of getting at school inequalities and identity formation before longitudinal projects became popular. Another was to research changes in curriculum by thinking historically and comparatively, when most research focused within one state, or only on the present policies.

The next problem is to work out how to design a project that is both doable and capable of actually getting at the issues. It may seem a safer bet to do the research before you apply, or to plan ever-bigger ways of counting things – but you should not underestimate the appetite of jaded reviewers for proposals that offer a genuinely new approach.

Assessors are looking for projects that will achieve something (this may be a critical breakthrough or conceptual advance). But they are also looking for approaches that offer a new way into big issues, not just ones doing more of the same. In my experience as a reviewer, too many applicants either overclaim or underclaim the “why it matters” story, or seem to only be offering a repeat of their past five projects. Avoid words like explore , which can be interpreted as an indication that you may not be focused enough to get at anything.

My reviewing experience also underlines the sad truth that it is easier to be thrown out than to be kept in. Technical breaches of the instructions are always punished, so read the instructions carefully.

And success depends a lot on track record: to those who have shall be given. So if you are not competitive to begin with, you need to either combine with a larger team that has a better record, or work your way up through alternative sources of funding.

On the technical side, I am always surprised at how often I read a 10-page project description and still don’t have a concrete sense of what the authors are actually proposing to do. The front-page short pitch matters a lot. Your 40-page application may have taken six months to craft, but if it can’t be read and appreciated in three minutes, forget it!

Lyn Yates is Redmond Barry distinguished professor emerita at the University of Melbourne .

Excite the reviewer – and quickly

In an era in which the average success rates for most grant programmes rarely exceed 20 per cent, the aim must be to lift your own personal strike rate well above that dispiriting figure.

To do that, it is crucial to know the system. A grant will typically be reviewed by three or four “experts” in the field. Their reports – possibly along with the applicants’ rebuttal – will then go before a panel, at which two members are typically tasked with leading the discussion. Unlike the reviewers, these so-called “introducing members” (IMs) will rarely have expertise in the exact area of the bid. They are chosen for their potential ability to take a high-level view and rank the 20 or more bids they might be assigned in each funding round. Usually, only the panel chair will have read all of the bids, although others chip in if they have read a particular bid that took their fancy.

Typically, when two separate panels are asked to rank a set of grants, they will agree about the top 10 per cent and bottom 5 per cent. Beyond that, the choice of who gets funded is, by definition, a stochastic process; very few applications nowadays are complete turkeys. The aim is to be in that top 10 per cent.

As a reviewer, my least important desideratum (because officials will often help decide) is whether the project is worth the kind of money the applicants ask for. Far more important is whether I believe the applicants can solve the question they pose with the strategy and methods proposed. But more important still is whether their question is one that I would wish to see solved. Fail on that and it is over.

So step one is to convince the reviewer of the desirability of solving the problem. If you don’t do it in the abstract, you will struggle: only a dedicated IM will save you, and, with far more good applications than can be funded, they have little incentive to do so. The widely cited advice to have your proposal read both by experts and non-experts is wise because they are surrogates for, respectively, referees and IMs, and you have to win over both.

Another good piece of advice is to start early. Typically, 80 to 90 per cent of proposals arrive within 48 hours of deadlines. But the earlier you start, the more you can incubate, get feedback, and polish, polish, polish. Use figures. A figure really is worth many words. Flow diagrams can help enormously.

Get into the mind of a reviewer. Ask yourself: “Do I find this a good and persuasive read, with a clear message of the exciting knowledge that will be uncovered? Will the IM mirror my excitement? And will they be convinced that I will be able to deliver?”

A typical project could be seen as either too trivial or too hard. Find the goldilocks level. Exciting tends to be hard. Preliminary data are especially valuable here, demonstrating that, yes, you can do these tricky experiments.

Perhaps the reviewers will still be unconvinced. This is where the rebuttal comes in. Be careful, though. It is sometimes hard not to state that referee X is a gibbering idiot who has all the intellectual abilities of a dehydrated asparagus shoot. But getting bad or even biased referees is inevitable and IMs are perfectly capable of spotting this. Keep them on your side by playing it straight.

You may still fail even then. But, pace Kipling, if you can lose, and start again at your beginnings, you will, in time, become a grantholder. And maybe many times.

Douglas B. Kell is research chair in systems biology at the University of Liverpool and a former chief executive of the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Clarify your logic and enlarge your figures

There is no doubt that writing grant applications has become a lot more challenging than when I was an early career researcher. At least in the UK, it’s no longer just a case of having a smart idea, thinking it through and writing it up with clarity. There are many different aspects to consider, from impact to outreach. As a referee, the complexity of response required is just as demanding.

The pressure for the applicant is only piled on further by the increasing tendency for universities to use grant income as a crude metric for “excellence”. I can’t help but feel glad that retirement is just around the corner and I am spared this level of probably rather unproductive stress. When I applied for – and failed to get – my first grant, a former head of department told me he couldn’t see why I needed a grant anyhow. He’d never had one. I can’t recall whether he actually said string and sealing wax was all I required for my experiments, but that was the gist of it.

Having read many grants as a reviewer and panel member doesn’t help much: it’s easy to see what’s wrong, but much harder to see what’s right. Still, for what they are worth, here are my top five tips.

• Get someone else to read your application through before submission. You may think everything is crystal clear, yet assumptions may have crept in which are completely obscure to the reader. Logic may also not be totally solid: underlying hypotheses, for instance, may lurk without ever being spelled out. Such gaps will be obvious to someone who hasn’t spent months constructing the text.
• Resist telling the story of how you reached your hypothesis. Research is rarely linear and if you follow your personal historical path to set the scene it may come across as very odd to someone reading the application with fresh eyes.
• Take care that your references are up to date and comprehensive. There is nothing that puts a reviewer off more than suspecting you don’t really know the field well. An absence of references from within the past five years or a complete swathe of material missing does not confer confidence.
• Make sure any figures you include are not so small as to be impossible to read for the over-fifties without a magnifying glass. Make it easy for them to appreciate the points you are trying to make.
• Don’t be over-ambitious, promising everything. The panel will be doubtful if the proposal looks impossible to do with the resources requested.

Dame Athene Donald is professor of experimental physics and master of Churchill College, Cambridge.

Be brave enough to change direction

My best piece of practical advice is to apply annually for every grant available. That is especially important early in your career, when you need time off and you’re under pressure to get published.

Applying for grants while teaching and doing research is time-consuming, but there’s an immediate payoff. The short abstract required on grant applications helps you keep your eye on that book blurb and provides you with a sales pitch to potential publishers. If your application succeeds, the payoff is even greater. Even if the award is limited, the prestige is a worthwhile addition to your CV. Some colleges provide a supplement to major fellowships, and some fellowships allow you to postpone acceptance until you get leave time.

Ambition and confidence in your proposal are essential, even if they are somewhat unwarranted. Take my successful application for a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant in 1981, for a book on Elizabethan chivalry and the crisis of the aristocracy. I confidently proposed reviewing numerous historical documents, but didn’t really understand what archival research required. Only after seeing documents in the College of Arms (the London-based heraldic authority) did I realise that I didn’t know how to read secretary hand . So I photocopied reference works on early modern palaeography and learned to do so. This new skill enabled me to make some historical discoveries, publish an article and secure a fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies to complete my second book in 1989.

My first book, published a decade earlier, had been a revision of my doctoral dissertation on Sir Philip Sidney. It was influenced by New Historicism before Stephen Greenblatt, one of my advisers, coined that term. And being slightly ahead of scholarly trends also worked well with my next two grants. I got a Guggenheim fellowship in 1992-3 for a project that focused on the succession crisis of 1603. The turn to religion was beginning as a corrective to New Historicism’s fixation on politics, and I made a similar shift.

I enrolled in an NEH Institute on Religion and Society in Early Modern England, and the increased knowledge it afforded me of reformation controversies, plus a more ambitious proposal, then secured a year-long Folger fellowship in 1996-7, resulting in my third book in 2002.

I got my last NEH grant in 2006-7, for a book on Shakespeare’s religion. But again, I changed directions midway through the project. I remained fascinated with often lethal reformation controversies but concluded that Shakespeare was more interested in dramatic performance than theology.

Although there is a certain comfort in making a career out of ploughing a particular furrow, my experience is that it pays to be resilient enough to alter your focus beyond your original proposal and to acquire new skills.

Richard C. McCoy is distinguished professor of English at Queens College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York .

Hone your sales pitch and tally up opportunity costs

I tend to think of my lab as a small business, with me as the entrepreneur at the helm – although I am probably closer to Del Boy Trotter than to Mark Zuckerberg.

This is just one of the many tortuous analogies I use to make sense of an academic career (because, let’s face it, academia doesn’t make much sense). Grants are the sales pitch that shore up the lab’s cashflow, and while I am not advocating passing off Peckham’s tap water as spring water, even genuine spring water won’t sell unless you market it properly.

As such, your grant applications have to target the customer. What complicates matters is that there are at least two different customers, with different requirements. Your sales pitch needs to be detailed enough to convince peer reviewers that you know what you are doing, but it also needs to be exciting enough to convince the panel to select your application ahead of other, equally scientifically valid, proposals. Here the lay summary is key. Sure, it is mislabelled: no lay person is ever going to read it. But it is your chance to sell the project to the panel.

Within a small business model, you also need to consider the cost of application. Our most precious commodity is our time. The endless hours absorbed by grant writing could be spent teaching, researching, writing papers or even having a life outside work!

The decision regarding whether to bear that opportunity cost should be taken in light of consideration of the chance of success versus the return if funded. Small grants with long application forms and a low hit rate should be ignored, no matter how desperate you get. I keep a tally of grants I have applied for, recording the grant value and the time invested. This has helped me to concentrate my efforts.

The sales pitch mentality stretches to how I review grants. I want to know what I am buying. First and foremost, I want to see a hypothesis. Not buried on page seven after the justification of resources, but on page one, line one, in bold. I then want my pulse quickened with a unique selling point. Why does the work need to be done? If it is a fundamental question, why does it need answering? If it is translational, how will answering it make the world a better place?

If that isn’t clear, no amount of technical competence will save you. So get out there and get selling!

John Tregoning is senior lecturer in the department of infectious disease at Imperial College London .

Register to continue

Why register?

• Registration is free and only takes a moment
• Once registered, you can read 3 articles a month
• Sign up for our newsletter

Or subscribe for unlimited access to:

• Unlimited access to news, views, insights & reviews
• Digital editions
• Digital access to THE’s university and college rankings analysis

Already registered or a current subscriber? Login

Related articles

Your toughest experiment: taking the lead in the lab

Eight scientists share the secrets of being a successful principal investigator

Two-thirds of Cambridge researchers on temporary contracts

Scale of research precarity at top UK university and its effect on staff laid out in new report

Will UK Labour’s research policy be tame or transformational?

Labour’s official science slate is dull but radical moves to reform research funding and engage industry could be close, experts believe

Infected blood: how academics both caused and exposed tragedy

Report into scandal highlights danger of relying on singular sources of knowledge, in contrast to inquiry itself, which utilised vast range of expertise to get to the bottom of what happened

Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)

AHRC funds outstanding original research across the whole range of the arts and humanities.

AHRC content

• Funding, assessment and award management
• Strategy, remit and programmes
• People, skills and fellowships
• Innovation and international partnerships
• Investments, impacts and engagement

Who AHRC is

Changes to AHRC responsive mode funding opportunities in 2023

16 May 2024

2024 cohort of New Generation Thinkers announced by BBC and AHRC

£12 million for UK projects to address rapid AI advances

11 April 2024

The Design Museum awarded independent research organisation status

View all AHRC news

13 May 2024

AHRC forward look: spring into summer 2024

Introducing Mission: a pilot responsive mode funding opportunity

View all AHRC blog posts

Funding opportunities

Ahrc responsive mode pilot: mission awards outline stage.

Apply for funding to advance arts and humanities research agendas, research leadership and research teams, at scale, through a pilot approach to team convening.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for AHRC funding.

Pre-announcement: Design Accelerators round three

Apply for funding to undertake design-led solutions to address the climate crisis or net zero goals. Funding will be provided to support engagement activities with local communities, public and third sector organisations.

View all AHRC opportunities

Arts & Humanities Research Council Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1ET

Connect with AHRC

Subscribe to ukri emails.

Keep up to date with funding, news and events, and a weekly newsletter.

AHRC doctoral focal awards scheme online surgery: Jun 2024

20 June 2024

View all AHRC events

This is the website for UKRI: our seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Let us know if you have feedback or would like to help improve our online products and services .

Literary Studies (research)

During the two-year Research Master's in Literary Studies, you will study literature as a cultural practice that is capable of (re)shaping the world. You will examine literary texts and literary culture from a transnational, theoretical and historical perspective. The programme focuses on the dynamic cultural processes in which people negotiate key issues, such as identity, morality, justice and belonging.

🔍 Individual research trajectory

Self-driven research

Language concentration

Dutch literature

Exceptional research environment

Is Literary Studies right for you?

• You want to analyse how literature interacts with society and why meanings with particular social and political implications are attributed to literary texts.
• You are eager to conduct research independently within a programme that is rooted in cutting-edge literary studies research.
• You want to study in an international urban hub with a vibrant literary culture. Our diverse cultural partners include Perdu, De Balie, Goethe-Institut Amsterdam and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.

In this video a student of this Master’s explains in less than 5 minutes how this programme is structured and what you will learn.

Degree certificate

The Research Master's programme Literary Studies is an accredited degree programme. After successful completion of this programme, you will receive a legally accredited Master’s degree in Literary Studies and the title Master of Arts (MA).

Cookie Consent

De UvA gebruikt cookies voor het meten, optimaliseren en goed laten functioneren van de website. Ook worden er cookies geplaatst om inhoud van derden te kunnen tonen en voor marketingdoeleinden. Klik op ‘Accepteer alle cookies’ om akkoord te gaan met het plaatsen van alle cookies. Of kies voor ‘Weigeren’ om alleen functionele en analytische cookies te accepteren. Lees ook het UvA Privacy statement .

City of Philadelphia

• An official website of the City of Philadelphia government
• Here's how you know
• An official website
• Feedback and support
• Publications & forms

Digital Literacy Alliance (DLA) Grant Guidelines

The DLA funds projects that support digital literacy, equity, and inclusion in Philadelphia. The goal of these projects is to improve residents’ access to and skill with technology.

Each grant cycle has a different focus area that is informed by the community’s needs. The length of the grant term and funding amounts also vary.

To learn more about the efforts we’ve funded,  view our recent projects . You can also  sign up for the DLA listserv  to learn about future grant opportunities.

• Accessibility
• Français
• Create your account
• Explore our funding programs
• Learn more about what to do if you receive a grant
• Get more information about unsuccessful grant applications
• Read our glossary of grant-related terms

Explore and Create

Research and creation.

Apply on the portal

Create an account and submit one or more profile(s) for validation at least 30 days before you want to apply

The Research and Creation component of Explore and Create supports the initial stages of the creative process. Canadian artists, artistic groups and arts organizations can apply to develop and make creative works. Grants provide support for creative research, creation and project development.

You may be eligible for  Application Assistance  to pay someone to help you with the application process if you are experiencing difficulty and self-identify as:

• an artist who is Deaf, hard of hearing, has a disability or is living with a mental illness
• a First Nations, Inuit or Métis artist facing language, geographic and/or cultural barriers.

Traveling abroad

If you are planning to travel abroad as part of your project, you can request a letter of introduction identifying you as a Canada Council grant holder. Presenting the letter to the cultural attaché at the Canadian embassy or high commission, to other officials, or to arts organizations may allow access to facilities not available to the general public. Contact your Program Officer to request the letter. Global Affairs Canada may also be able to help you present your project through official channels.

It is advisable to learn about any visa requirements from a consulate or the consular section of the embassy of the country concerned. Contact the host country’s embassy or consulate in Canada, and inform Global Affairs Canada . If you are traveling abroad to countries requiring visas, you should also communicate with individuals and institutions in the host country before traveling abroad.

Because Canada Council grants are considered taxable income, you may wish to receive the funds in the same year(s) that you have expenses related to your activities. You may also request to receive your project grant over multiple years. The Canada Council issues T4A slips to individuals at the appropriate time. If you have any tax-related questions, contact the Canada Revenue Agency or your provincial or territorial revenue department.  Read more about income taxes and your grant .

Enhanced review

The Canada Council may randomly or selectively undertake a deep analysis of recipients’ activities after a grant has been awarded. This may include

• Substantive review of application documentation
• External assessment of activities
• Request for substantiation of financial information provided
• Audit of an applicant or project

Grant amounts may be reviewed or revised if Enhanced Review has found serious misrepresentation or errors in a profile registration, a grant application or a report.

Activities - what you can apply for

Support towards:

• creative research
• project development, including residencies

Projects involving production and/or post-production of a final work must apply to Concept to Realization .

You can’t apply for activities that occur before your project start date, those that receive funding from another Canada Council program or those on the general list of ineligible activities .

Who can apply

Types of potential applicants to this component include:

• artists, curators and writers
• artistic groups and collectives
• artistic organizations

Your eligibility to apply to this component is determined by the validated profile created in the portal .

Organizations presently receiving core (operating) grants cannot apply to this component.

Deadline and Grant Amount

• Check your eligibility
• Annual Application Limits
• Your Information and Privacy
• Canada Council’s Policy on Privacy
• Guide to Getting a Grant
• Granting Policy
• How We Make Funding Decisions
• General List of Ineligible Activities
• Income Taxes and Your Grant

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Indian J Orthop
• v.41(1); Jan-Mar 2007

How to write a grant proposal

Michael zlowodzki.

Division of Orthopedic Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

Anders Jönsson

* Association Internationale Pour l' Ostéosynthèse Dynamique, Nice, France

Philip J Kregor

** Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

Mohit Bhandari

Academic success and promotion in medicine largely depends on the quality and quantity of received grants. Grant money brings prestige and notoriety to the writer and his institution. However, writing a grant proposal can be a challenging task especially for the inexperienced researcher. As research budgets are being reduced by many funding agencies and more researches are competing for it, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to write a grant proposal of high quality.

The purpose of this article is to give the reader guidance on how to organize a research proposal in order maximize chances to obtain the desired funding. Key aspects will be highlighted and practical tips emphasized. This article will primarily focus on writing a grant for a clinical study.

G ETTING S TARTED

Good research starts with a good idea! Once you have identified a good idea, you need to clearly define the problem that needs to be addressed and formulate a research question. Subsequently you need to ask yourself if that question is already answered [ Table 1 ]. A thorough literature review is therefore mandatory. If you have a truly good idea, you might find out that you are not the first one having it. You do not want to spend a lot of time and energy into a project only to find out later that there have been already 17 trials and a meta-analysis performed and your research question is answered.

It is not only important to know how much was already published on that topic, but also what the quality of the current evidence is. Rarely in medicine does a question have a definitive answer. If you are trying to compare two interventions for a certain disease, after performing a thorough literature search, you have to ask yourself the following questions: 1) Are there already multiple case series published on that topic? If yes, then it might not be worth it to add another case series to the literature. However, that might be your chance for the first comparative study (cohort study or randomized controlled trial). 2) Are there already multiple comparative studies? If yes, are they cohort studies or randomized trials (RCT)? If there is no RCT maybe you should do one. 3) Are there already multiple RCTs published? If yes, what are the results and what is their sample size? Maybe they were underpowered? If yes you might consider doing a meta-analysis of the existing RCTs and subsequently a larger trial.

After you decided to perceive with your study proposal, you need to determine how many study subjects you need, how much money you need and who your collaborators will be. In order to be successful in obtaining a grant you will need convincing data, which might require several preliminary studies and you will need to prove to the granting agency that you are capable of performing the study the way you propose it. The purpose of the research plan is to describe what will be done, why it is important and how the study will be conducted.

E LEMENTS OF A S TUDY P ROTOCOL

The key elements of the study protocol are the executive summary, specific aims, background and significance, preliminary results and research design and methods [ Table 2 ]. The research design and the methodology used in the process of planning and conducting the project should be described in detail. Prior work relevant to the proposed project should be included. Also if a pilot study was conducted, the results should be included.

Elements of a study protocol

Abstract (Executive summary)

The abstract is an important part of a study protocol because it is the first page that a reviewer reads. Reviewers of granting agencies may make their opinion based on the abstract alone. It may be difficult to overcome a bad first impression and conversely there may be a lot to gain with a good first impression. The purpose of the abstract is to describe succinctly every key element of the proposed project. It is good to be complete but concise.

Specific aims

The purpose of the specific study aims is to clearly describe what research question the investigators are trying to answer by conducting the study. What is the problem to be addressed? The investigators need to describe why the study is needed now. In detail, the hypothesis of the study and the primary and secondary goals should be stated. Typically, the study question should be formulated to include the following: 1) the population to be studied, 2) the intervention, 3) any comparison group to be studied (if relevant) and 4) the study outcomes. The study outcomes should be reported as the primary (main) outcome and any secondary outcomes.

Background and significance

The purpose of the background and significance section is to lay out the rationale for the proposed research project and to summarize currently available data in the literature that is relevant to the project. If no systematic review or meta-analysis was done on the topic, you should do one. Describe the magnitude of the problem to be addressed. What is the patient population you are targeting? What is the incidence of the problem? Is the problem likely to increase in the future (e.g. geriatric fractures)? You need to describe the historic management of the problem and whether or not there is any consensus on the current management of the problem. Are there any uncertainties about the treatment that need to be resolved? If you hypothesize that intervention A is better than intervention B you need to designate your primary outcome parameter and have some baseline data for a sample size calculation. Depending on the project, you might want to survey surgeons for their treatment preferences. Also consider surveying patients to find out about what outcome they consider to be important. There might be some disagreements between the surgeons and patients perspectives. 1 The purpose of the background and significance chapter is to justify the study you are proposing. Describe how the result of your study will benefit society. You need to convince the granting agencies that it is worth their money.

Study design

In order to answer the question you need to choose an appropriate study design. The main clinical study designs are interventional studies, observational studies and diagnostic studies - some overlaps may exist [ Table 3 ]. Which study design is most likely to answer the research question, which one is most feasible and which one gives the highest quality results? The choice of the study design has a significant implication on the magnitude of the required funding. Ethical considerations also need to be taken into account e.g. in some cases a certain study design might not be ethical. A clear description of the eligibility criteria (inclusion / exclusion) is essential. Also describe how outcomes will be measured during follow-up and what the follow-up schedule will be like (frequency and duration).

Types of clinical study designs

Sample size calculation

The sample size calculation is a crucial part of the study protocol. The required sample size has major implications on your required funding and the size of the team. Before you can calculate the sample size you need to designate the primary outcome. It is advantageous to choose an objective, reliable and highly validated outcome in order to limit bias. Ultimately, you should choose the clinically most important outcome that is feasible.

The sample size calculation is different depending on the type of the outcome; if you choose a categorical dichotomous outcome parameter (e.g. nonunion rate, infection rate) the sample size requirements are much higher than if you choose a continuous outcome like a score (e.g., SF-36, DASH, SMFA, pain score). 2 , 3 In order to perform a sample size calculation for dichotomous outcomes, you must have an event rate (e.g., nonunion rate) for your gold standard treatment (e.g., treatment A) and you must hypothesize by how much treatment B is going to decrease or increase that event rate. For continuous outcomes you need to have a mean value for the gold standard treatment and hypothesize a difference for the alternative treatment. Using an alpha error rate of 0.05 (=accepting the probability of a false-positive result) and a beta error rate of 0.20 (=accepting the probability of a false-negative result), which corresponds to a power of 80% is a commonly accepted standard.

You can obtain baseline numbers either from a pilot study or reports in the literature. Ideally the “hypothesized” differences should be in the magnitude of what you consider clinically significant. You can calculate the sample size by hand 4 or use one multiple tools to help with the sample size calculations 5 [ Table 4 ]. Be aware that the sample size calculation is based on assumptions; calculate the best-case and the worst-case scenario.

Useful Books, Software and Websites

The justification of the estimated sample size should be presented as a separate section in a grant proposal. Investigators can present estimates of sample size varying across different mean differences between groups. Alternative approaches are to present the study power across varying sample sizes and mean differences or the estimated mean differences of the outcome parameter across varying study power. 4

Protecting against bias

Study results can be negatively affected by multiple types of bias, mainly selection bias and measurement bias. Investigators need to describe proposed methods for protecting against bias. The most powerful techniques for protecting against bias are 1) randomization, 2) concealment of randomization, 3) blinding and 4) the choice of an objective outcome measure.

If you are comparing the effect of multiple interventions on a specific outcome, the best method of protecting against selection bias is random treatment allocation. Randomization balances known and unknown prognostic factors between groups. Additionally, you can use techniques like blocking and stratification in order to avoid random imbalances in small randomized trials. If you do not allocate treatment options randomly, you should account for imbalances in prognostic factors between groups, by matching the patients to the different treatment groups based on the known prognostic factors upon enrollment in your study or if that is not possible, account for it in the data analysis. However, the only way to balance unknown prognostic factors is randomization.

Blinding is another important technique for protecting against bias. Investigators should blind whoever they can: the patient, the physician (not possible in surgical trials), the outcome assessor and the data analyst. Lastly it is helpful to choose an objective outcome measure like a validated functional outcome scale. If the outcome parameter is subjective (e.g., union/nonunion), you should consider to have an adjudication committee to assess the outcome.

C ONCLUSION

Grants are critical for success in academic medicine. The key to a good grant is a good idea and the ability to “sell” your idea to the reviewers of the granting agency. In order to “sell” your idea, good background research, the appropriate study design and a well thought out methodology are imperative. It is also important to recognize that research is a team effort. Convincing the grant reviewer of your expertise is crucial; choosing experienced team members therefore improves the chances to obtain the desired grant. A successful pilot study and preliminary studies that serve as a justification for your study proposal can prove feasibility to the grant reviewers and be therefore a persuasive factor. You should propose an appropriate budget and a realistic timeline; otherwise failure is almost certain. Lastly, you should tailor their grant application towards the granting agency's goals and use the requested format for their application as that might differ from agency to agency. Targeting multiple government and industry-funded agencies increases the chance of getting funded.

Disclaimer: Michael Zlowodzki was funded by a clinical research fellowship grant of the Association Internationale pour l' Ostéosynthèse Dynamique (AIOD)

Source of Support: Nil

R EFERENCES

Grant Farred

Departments and programs

• Africana Studies and Research Center
• Comparative Literature
• Literatures in English

Grant Farred: PhD (Princeton University, 1997), MA (Columbia University, 1990), BA Honours, Cum laude, University of the Western Cape, South Africa, 1988). He has previously taught in the Program in Literature, Duke University, Williams College and Michigan University.  He served as General Editor of the journal South Atlantic Quarterly (SAQ ) from 2002 to 2010.

He has published in a range of areas, including theory, postcolonial studies, race, the formation of intellectuals, sport's theory, Cultural Studies and literary studies.

His books: The Perversity of Gratitude: An Apartheid Education (Temple University Press, 2024), The Zelensky Method (Westphalia Press, 2022), “ An Essay for Ezra: Racial Terror in America ” (University of Minnesota Press, 2021) Entre Nous: Between the World Cup and Me (Duke University Press, Spring 2019), The Burden of Over-representation: Race, Sport & Philosophy (Temple University Press, May 2018), Bodies in Motion, Bodies at Rest: The Event of the Athletic Body (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2014), Long Distance Love: A Passion for Football , (Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2008), What's My Name? Black Vernacular Intellectuals (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2003), and Midfielder's Moment: Coloured Literature and Culture in Contemporary South Africa (Westview Press, 1999).

His pamphlets: “ Only A Black Athlete Can Save Us Now ” (University of Minnesota Press, 2021), Martin Heidegger Saved My Life (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2015), and Phantom Calls: Race and the Globalization of the NBA (Chicago: Prickly Paradigm Press, 2006).

His forthcoming book: co-authored with Timothy Campbell: “ The Comic Self ” (University of Minnesota Press). 

His edited volume: " Africana Studies: Theoretical Futures " (Temple University Press, 2022).

His forthcoming audio book: “ An Essay for Ezra: Racial Terror in America ” (University of Minnesota Press, 2021); audio book (Tantor Media, 2022).

His forthcoming pamphlets: Grievance: In Fragments (Prickly Paradigm Press, 2024); The Prettiest Woman: Nostalgia for Late-Industrial Capitalism (University of Minnesota Press, Fall 2025).

Farred edited Rethinking CLR James (London: Blackwell Publishers, 1996) a collection of essays on the Caribbean intellectual written by major scholars in the field of history, literary criticism and cultural studies. He co-edited Violence In/And the Great Lakes: The Thought of VY Mudimbe and Beyond ( Pietermaritzburg: South Africa, University of Kwazulu-Natal Press, 2013).

He is editor of the series Thinking Theory (University of Minnesota Press).

He has edited journal special issues on post-apartheid South Africa, Frantz Fanon, Stuart Hall, Argentine politics, African philosophy and co-edited two journal issues on James Baldwin, one on Martin Heidegger’s notion of dwelling, and a collection of essays  Derrida In/And Africa  (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019).

Languages Spoken English and Afrikaans

Research Focus

Philosophy, thinking, politics, sport, cultural studies, theory, literature.

Publications

Martin Heidegger Saved My Life (University of Minnesota Press, 2015)

What’s My Name? Black Vernacular Intellectuals. (University of Minnesota Press, 2003)

“ The Fourth Spartacus ,” Philosophy Today , Volume 62:4, Fall 2018

In the news

• ‘The Zelensky Method’ unpacks Ukrainian president’s panache
• Via sport, Farred explores relation, belonging in ‘Entre Nous’
• Farred on Heidegger's "Was Heißt Denken?" (What is Called Thinking?")

ASRC Courses - Spring 2024

• ASRC 3027 : W.E.B. DuBois and Cornel West: Black Thinkers of Modernity
• ASRC 4901 : Honors Thesis
• ASRC 4903 : Independent Study
• ASRC 6901 : Independent Study

ASRC Courses - Fall 2024

• ASRC 4900 : Honors Thesis
• ASRC 4902 : Independent Study
• ASRC 6900 : Independent Study

CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS: CARISCA RESEARCH GRANT 2024

• New and Press Release

CARISCA invites research proposals from KNUST faculty members, postgraduate students and other African scholars (partnering with a KNUST faculty) for funding to undertake high-quality and impactful research projects. The aim of this funding opportunity is to promote innovative and collaborative research that contributes to advancing knowledge and addresses pressing developmental challenges in various fields of knowledge. The Center is, therefore, only interested in proposals that clearly tackle local issues and seek to research development challenges that confront African businesses and society.

Research Areas:

Proposals are welcome in the following research areas (but not limited to):

• Digitalization, technology, and supply chains
• Entrepreneurship and supply chains
• Innovation and supply chain disruption
• Supply chains, agri-business, and food security
• Engineering for supply chain resilience and sustainability
• Health and pharmaceutical supply chains
• Artificial intelligence, big data, data science, and supply chains
• Transport and logistics engineering and management
• The human side of supply chains (including improving human rights compliance in supply chains, and addressing issues of slavery and child labor in supply chains)

Eligibility Criteria

• The principal investigator must be full-time faculty at KNUST. Proposals with postgraduate students, early career researchers, and scholars from other African countries (excluding Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Tunisia and Zimbabwe) as co-investigators are highly encouraged.
• Each proposal should have a maximum of four authors.
• Because CARISCA is seeking to expand its reach across the African continent and globally, preference will be given to proposals that include scholars and researchers in other African countries. 
• Each proposal should demonstrate a clear research problem, research objective, scope of research, areas of contribution to scholarly knowledge, methodological rigor, and potential impact on the African business community and/or broader society. 

Grant Details

• CARISCA has up to U.S. $50,000 to advance research with this initiative and intends to fund three or four research projects. Each proposal can apply for up to U.S. $15,000. CARISCA reserves the right to award more, less, or no research proposals.  
• The selected proposals must complete their research by September 30, 2024. Hence, it is important that each proposal has a clear timeline for the completion of the research. 
• The funding is intended to cover only direct research expenses such as data collection, training of field workers, data analysis, software purchase, and compensation for research assistants. 
• Grants cannot be used for expenses incurred before the application is awarded, conference-related expenses, and any form of compensation/honorarium for the applicants.

Deliverables

At a minimum, the deliverables required for all successful awardees are as follows: 

• A research project management plan will need to be submitted before research begins.
• A first draft of the paper, or preliminary findings will be shared with the CARISCA team once the first round of analysis is completed.
• A final research report covering all the evaluation areas (see below).
• White paper or policy brief.
• Submission of a research article to at least one academic journal listed in the CABS Academic Journal Guide .

Evaluation Criteria for Proposals:

Each of the criteria below will be evaluated on the extent to which each criterion is met. If a proposal does not meet any of the criteria for a given bullet below the proposal will be given zero points for that section of the evaluation.

• Clarity and significance of the research problem or gap.
• Identification of local issues and developmental challenges in African businesses and society.
• Clearly defined and achievable research objectives or questions.
• Alignment with the identified research problem or gap.
• Thoroughness of literature review.
• Identification and discussion of key theories, models, and empirical studies.
• Comprehensive justification for research setting, data collection strategy, and analysis techniques.
• Addressing ethical considerations and data management plans.
• Uniqueness of the proposed approach or contribution to the existing body of knowledge.
• Potential impact on advancing scholarly knowledge.
• Clear articulation of how the research findings can inform policy decisions.
• Relevance and applicability of research outcomes to practitioners.
• Justification and reasonableness of budget allocation.
• Clear and realistic GANTT chart demonstrating the research timeline.
• Adherence to submission guidelines.
• Clarity and completeness of the proposal structure.

Total Score: 100 points

Additional Evaluation Criteria:

• Additional factors, including geographic diversity, research team diversity, financial considerations, and USAID regulatory considerations (including but not limited to environmental and gender review, OFAC status, etc.) will be considered and factor into final proposal selection.

Application Procedure

• Interested faculty members should submit a detailed research proposal (not exceeding 10 pages, inclusive of all references and appendices) to CARISCA through [email protected] by Friday, February 16, 2024 . 
• The proposal should include an appendix of 2-page CVs of the principal investigator (a KNUST Faculty) and other members of the research team. The CV does not count towards the word/page limit of the proposal.
• The proposal should be structured as follows: title, abstract, research problem, research objectives/questions, proposed methodology, expected areas of contribution to knowledge, policy and practice, expected deliverables, detailed budget breakdown and timelines (GANTT chart).
• Are you planning to conduct primary data collection? 
• Is all of this work to be done on campus? 
• Are you planning to interview people? 
• Is this project working with agriculture?

All research that is funded by USAID and CARISCA is public information and final deliverables (data and reports) will be uploaded to a public database. 

About CARISCA

The Centre for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa (CARISCA) trains, generates and translates supply chain management research and innovations into positive development outcomes for Ghana and across Africa. CARISCA forms part of the Building Research and Innovation, Generating Evidence, and Training (BRIDGE-Train) program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which harnesses intellectual, research, community engagement, and capacity-building expertise of higher education institutions to address some of the world’s most complex development challenges.

Through a partnership between Arizona State University and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and University Technology (KNUST) in Ghana, CARISCA leverages local and international networks of governmental, civil society, and industry partners to connect African researchers, practitioners, businesses, and policymakers to supply chain assets around the world. CARISCA seeks to strengthen local capacity to improve supply chains by increasing their efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusiveness.

Share this:

UC researchers continue to blaze new trails in science, medicine, business, education, engineering and the arts — literally transforming the way we live, work and learn.

Findings is the Office of Research’s newsletter, which began in October 2017. It delivers monthly updates to faculty, staff, students, and community partners about impactful research, initiatives, partnerships, events, and opportunities at the University of Cincinnati. To view current and previous issues of the newsletter, go to the Findings page .

The Office of Research Internal Funding Program

The Office of Research's Internal Funding program is a vital resource for faculty and students, offering grants and funds to support their innovative projects. In the FY22-23 period, the internal funding program awarded over $1 million, primarily as seed funding, to help faculty expand their projects and secure external funding opportunities. These investments underscore the University of Cincinnati's commitment to fostering research and academic excellence. See below for a description of most of our opportunities! Look to our “Back to School” issue of Findings this fall to learn more details on the application deadlines for these programs. 

Michelman Green, Clean and Sustainable Technology Research Innovation Program 

Courtesy of the generous contributions of the Dr. John S. Michelman Fund for the Advancement of Sustainable Technology, the Michelman Green, Clean and Sustainable Technology Research Innovation Program supports applied R&D and use-inspired research with the potential to meaningfully contribute to improvements in environmental health, environmental stewardship, and sustainability by demonstrating new and marketable scientific and technical innovations intended to address real-world problems in the Green-tech and Clean-tech fields. 

University Research Council (URC) Faculty Scholars Research Awards 

The University Research Council (URC) Faculty Scholars Research Awards recognize promising UC early career faculty who are proposing transformative ideas that will shape our future. This program is for individual faculty and may be discipline-focused or interdisciplinary in nature. 

University Research Council (URC) Graduate Student Stipend and Research Cost Program for Faculty—Student Collaboration 

Since 1971, the URC has worked in partnership with the Vice President for Research to advance high-potential research, scholarship, and creative work, including that conducted by our graduate students. Following the Teacher-Scholar model of graduate education, this URC program provides summer stipend support to outstanding graduate students plus funds to support related research costs working in collaboration with a UC faculty member. 

University Research Council (URC) Faculty Research Pivot Grants 

The URC Faculty Research Pivot Awards Program targets mid-career and beyond faculty who are proposing transformative new ideas and directions for their research, scholarship, and creative activities. This program is for individual faculty and may be discipline-focused or interdisciplinary in nature. All areas of research, scholarship and creative activities across UC are eligible. 

Society & Culture Research Advancement Program 

Formerly known as the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (AHSS) Research Advancement Program, the Society & Culture Research Advancement Program incentivize novel research, exceptional scholarship, and the production of creative and performing art works that creatively address issues of increasing societal significance. This program is open to UC faculty whose proposed activities fall within the arts, humanities, and social sciences. 

SRIDE Fellowship for Exploration (Graduate Students) 

A prime directive of the Space Research Institute for Discovery and Exploration (SRIDE) at the University of Cincinnati (UC) is to foster growth in career paths that are aligned with our regional and national interests to discover and explore our universe with an emphasis on space travel and habitation. The Institute has established a Graduate Fellowship program – the SRIDE Fellowship for Exploration – to support students who show potential in advancing new ideas related to space discovery and exploration. The SRIDE Fellowship for Exploration is for graduate students pursuing their master's or Ph.D. degrees. There are no limitations to the discipline or background of graduate students – applications from all areas are strongly encouraged. 

SRIDE Fellowship for Discovery (Undergraduates) 

A prime directive of the Space Research Institute for Discovery and Exploration (SRIDE) at the University of Cincinnati (UC) is to foster growth in career paths that are aligned with our regional and national interests to discover and explore our universe with an emphasis on space travel and habitation. The Institute has established an Undergraduate Fellowship program – the SRIDE Fellowship for Discovery – to support students who show potential in advancing new ideas related to space discovery and exploration. 

UC Coalition for Change (C3) Fund 

The UC Coalition for Change Fund, also known as C3, incentivizes novel research, exceptional scholarship, and the production of creative and performing art that addresses issues of increasing significance to our community, fostering research with community impact. 

• < Back to News Back to News

Want to stay up to date with the latest research news?

Subscribe to the Office of Research Newsletter

UH Education Students Develop ‘Must Read’ Projects for Houston Families

Literacy Effort Supported by Cougar Initiative to Engage

By Mike Emery — 713-743-7197

• Student, Faculty and Staff Success

For today’s K-12 students, learning doesn’t end when the final school bell rings. These days, parents often support their children’s academic development when they’re not in the classroom.  

That’s a good thing for young learners. According to the National Center on Improving Literacy, parents’ involvement in at-home reading activities enhances children’s reading abilities, comprehension, and language skills.  

UH professor Anne Katz is well-aware of this fact and has led efforts to engage Houston-area parents in participating in more home-based literacy lessons.  

For four semesters, Katz, clinical associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Houston’s College of Education, has guided UH education students—all early childhood pre-service teachers (PSTs) —in developing literacy projects that parents can share with their children.  

As part of a curriculum and instruction course that Katz teaches, these PSTs created and modeled family literacy activities for children attending Houston’s Pilgrim Academy and their families for two semesters.  

Under Katz’s guidance, UH education students also designed activities and donated children’s books to students in public schools around the Houston area during a field experience week. For this particular project, Katz’s students sent personalized Introductory letters to parents describing these home-based literacy exercises. Letters and books were sent in packets that also included step-by-step instructions for these activities, discussion questions, ideas for differentiation, extensions and additional materials.  

“These projects inspire a culture of literacy within families,” Katz said. “My hope is that this collaboration creates a foundation within their homes where they can further share the joy of reading, or perhaps plan family activities around books or visits to their local libraries.”  

Past projects have included a family tree activity developed by Marlene Galera, a recent College of Education graduate . Using the book, “A Thousand White Butterflies,” Galera’s activity invited a student to create paper butterflies representing their parents and siblings. The goal was to foster dialogue on family history and different cultures and to encourage further reading in both English and Spanish with recommended additional books on the topic.  

“I love this project because it gives students the opportunity to see themselves in literature,” Galera said. “Students can connect with characters that look, feel, and have experiences like them. The books used for this family literacy project are diverse and provide students with mirrors of their own life or windows into cultures in and out of their community.”  

Student Rahma Fatima’s activity centered on the book “The Water Protectors” and addressed environmental issues related to conservation. Two other projects introduced families to groundbreaking librarian (and New York’s first Puerto Rican librarian) Pura Belpré.  

Recent graduate Maritza Silva invited a student and their family to create and illustrate a story inspired by the book “Pura’s Cuentos: How Pura Belpr é Reshaped Libraries with Her Stories.” Her peer Alexis Silva also delved into the art of storytelling by embracing the book “Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré.” She asked students to create an original puppet accompanied by a creative story. This activity was inspired by how Belpré created her own puppets to use for story times at the library.   

All of these projects were spotlighted in journal articles including one authored by Katz, Galera, and Maritza Silva in the 2023 Texas Association for Literacy Education Yearbook . Katz also co-authored an article with Fatima and Alexis Silva in the International Literacy Association Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group journal.  

During previous semesters, Katz and students celebrated these projects with participating families and teachers during special reading nights at Pilgrim Academy. This spring, Katz and former Pilgrim Academy principal Diana Castillo (a UH alumna) delivered a presentation on this program during UH’s Symposium on Community Engagement and Experiential Learning.   

Feedback from PSTs and parents has been positive, Katz said. In follow-up surveys, parents have expressed enthusiasm for how these literacy activities have enriched their families’ appreciation for reading and books.  

One parent responded to the survey with feedback on how they now regularly engage in discussions about books with their child: “(We) spend more time discussing pictures—asking why the illustrator chose to draw certain things and why they chose to use that color and how it makes the reader feel.”  

For Katz and her PSTs, such feedback is particularly validating.  

“It is wonderful to see the impact that these projects are having on local families, and to celebrate the creativity and dedication of UH College of Education students,” Katz said.  

Over the past four semesters, Katz oversaw over 250 PSTs who developed projects for students and their families. She looks forward to continuing this academic service-learning work in future semesters.  

Her efforts have been supported by Cougar Initiative to Engage (CITE) UH’s 2018-2023 Quality Enhancement Plan. CITE’s goal was to increase the number of high-impact experiential learning activities and the number of undergraduate students participating in these activities. CITE awarded 125 grants, providing funds to seed and expand 90 programs. Over 6,000 students reaped the benefits of these CITE-supported projects.  

Top Stories

May 15, 2024

With $5M NASA Grant, University of Houston to Open Aerospace Engineering Research Center

With a multi-million-dollar grant from NASA, the University of Houston will open an aerospace engineering research center to extend human presence on the moon and Mars for sustainable, long-term space exploration, development and utilization.

• Science, Energy and Innovation

May 10, 2024

Tomas Bryan to Serve as UHS Student Regent

The University of Houston System Board of Regents will soon welcome a new student voice to the table. UH graduate student Tomas Bryan was announced as its student regent and will be formally sworn in at a future board meeting.

May 08, 2024

Getting Involved Key to UH Grads’ Success

This spring, 6,655 Cougars are crossing the finish line during UH's commencement ceremonies. Among these graduates are Coogs who balanced their studies with extracurricular activities that enhanced their university experience and prepared them for the journey ahead.

Language selection

• Français fr

Government of Canada invests in research partnerships to push the boundaries of innovation

From: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

News release

Research partnerships have the power to amplify the impact of new ideas through the creation and exchange of knowledge across disciplines, sectors and borders. Such partnerships generate valuable insights that can lead to intellectual, cultural, social and economic benefits for all Canadians.

Funding will help foster and create partnerships between world-class research institutions and organizations in the field of social sciences and humanities

May 29 , 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario – Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced more than $51 million to support 90 research partnerships across Canada. This investment, through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s Partnership Grants and Partnership Development Grants , provides researchers from different disciplines and postsecondary institutions the opportunity to work together on challenging topics and research questions in social sciences and humanities.

These partnerships involve close collaboration with the public, private or not-for-profit sectors, as well as international researchers. They also provide unique training experiences in a partnership context, with opportunities for students to acquire new research and professional and workforce-ready skills.

Funded projects will explore various topics, such as transparency in governance, adult education, histories of performance, attachment issues in children, homelessness and responsible procurement. By bringing in different expertise, perspectives and skill sets, these partnership projects help strengthen knowledge and maximize research outputs with local, regional, national and global impacts. Whether it’s supporting students or helping world-class researchers, science and research funding helps shape tomorrow’s leaders and gives them a fair chance to succeed in this important field.

“Partnerships allow for the exploration of groundbreaking ideas by bringing together Canada’s top researchers and organizations. The government is proud to invest in Canada's collaborative research spirit. Together, they foster existing partnerships or develop new ones that will fuel discoveries and innovations for a better tomorrow for all Canadians.” —The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

“From examining the links between legislation, innovation and society, to developing partnerships for strengthening economic development in rural communities, these partnership grants in the social sciences and the humanities address important topics that will unlock new knowledge and advance society to provide better outcomes for Canadians and the global community.” —Ted Hewitt, President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Quick facts

Budget 2024 proposed $1.8 billion to the federal research granting councils to increase core research grant funding and support Canadian researchers, including students and postdoctoral researchers.

Budget 2024 also provided $825 million to increase the value and number of research scholarships and fellowships.

SSHRC Research Partnerships funding for social sciences and humanities research is intended for formal partnerships between postsecondary institutions and/or organizations of various types.

More than $37 million  in Partnership Grants was awarded to 15 projects over seven years, while 75 projects will receive a total of over $14 million  in Partnership Development Grants over three years .

SSHRC Partnership Development Grants award between $75,000 and $200,000 in value for a duration of between one and three years. They support the development of partnerships or the design and testing of new partnership approaches to nurture existing and emerging opportunities for research collaboration, best practices and/or models that can be adapted by others or scaled up to a regional, national or international level.

SSHRC Stage 2 Partnership Grants award up to $2.5 million in value for a duration of between four and seven years. They support new and existing formal partnerships to advance research, research training and/or knowledge mobilization in the social sciences and humanities. 

Since 2016, the Government of Canada has invested more than $16 billion in science and research across the country.

Associated links

• SSHRC Research Partnerships
• SSHRC Partnership Development Grants: Competition overview
• SSHRC Partnership Development Grants: Latest award recipients
• SSHRC Stage 2 Partnership Grants: Competition overview
• SSHRC Stage 2 Partnership Grants: Latest award recipients

Audrey Milette Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry [email protected]  

Media Relations Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada [email protected]  

Media Relations Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council 613-219-2489 [email protected]    

Stay connected

Find more services and information at Canada.ca/ISED .

Follow Canadian Science on social media.

X:  @CDNScience | Facebook:  Canadian Science | Instagram:  @cdnscience

Follow SSHRC on social media:   X ,  Instagram ,  Facebook

Page details

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Congratulations to brandt geist on earning a 2024 esi pilot research grant award.

Posted by taylov1 on Thursday, May 30, 2024 in Uncategorized .

Congratulations to Brandt Geist on earning a 2024 ESI Pilot Research Grant award

Congratulations to one of our graduate students, Brandt Geist, for earning a 2024 ESI (Evolutionary Studies Initiative) Pilot Research Grant award.

Brandt’s research addresses the pressing issue of artificial light at night (ALAN) and its impact in the urban environment. Urban plants provide essential ecosystem services, but the increasing spread of ALAN, which disrupts phenology such as budburst and senescence, poses significant challenges.

Utilizing high-resolution nighttime light data from the SDGSAT-1 satellite and phenology data from NASA’s VIIRS, the study critically assesses how municipal policies aimed at mitigating ALAN influence these ecological and evolutionary processes. The research will offer novel insights into how urban lighting policies can minimize light pollution and thus preserve the phenology of urban plants.

The research is being conducted under the guidance of Dr. Lin Meng, along with committee members Dr. Steven L. Goodbred, Jr. and Dr. Maria Luisa Jorge. The outcomes of this research are expected to significantly contribute to urban planning and the development of sustainable lighting solutions.

Comments are closed

Trio of USask graduate students receive prestigious Vanier Scholarships

Three students in USask’s College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (CGPS) have received funding to support innovation in diverse fields of English literature, community air quality, and plant and nutrition genetics.

Matt Olson, Research Profile and Impact May 29, 2024

The prestigious and competitive Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships are designed to help universities recruit and support the best and brightest graduate students – and this year, three University of Saskatchewan (USask) students have received the esteemed honour.  

The Vanier program is jointly administered by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Each of the three USask- based Vanier Scholars are respectively located in a different area of supported research.  

Vanier S cholarships are valued at $50,000 per year for three years of doctoral-level study, and consider three criteria for selection: academic excellence, research potential and a potential and demonstrated leadership ability.  

“The Vanier Scholarships are extremely special in their equally weighting past academic excellence with research potential and leadership,” said Dr. Debby Burshtyn (PhD), dean of USask’s CGPS. “The three 2024 recipients are already making their mark in our university; it’s wonderful to see that we are attracting and retaining such talent across the areas of humanities, health and STEM research.”  

The Vanier S cholarship is considered one of the most competitive competitions for aspiring scholars in Canada, and USask’s three recipients are already hard at work in their areas of research.  

Identifying trans representation in early 20th century literature

Delving into literature from the 20s, 30s and 40s, Gwen Rose is investigating trans representation in historic literature.    

A PhD student in the College of Arts and Science under the supervision of Dr. Ella Ophir (PhD), Rose is examining works from late modernist literature to identify trans representation through characters in early 20th-century novels.  

Rose said earning the Vanier scholarship provided an “unfathomable” level of financial security to pursue this line of research. She noted that one of the criteria for earning a Vanier scholarship was demonstrated leadership and hoped to continue pursuing acts of community and volunteer service while pursuing her PhD with the support of the scholarship.    

Impacts of drought-induced poor air quality heart of PhD research

Working in the Department of Geography and Planning in the College of Arts and Science and with the Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS), Krishna Kolen’s work explores the impact of air quality issues in Saskatchewan communities.  

Under the joint supervision of Dr. Corrine Schuster-Wallace (PhD) and Dr. Krystopher Chutko (PhD), Kolen is working with Indigenous communities to examine and document health impacts caused by poor air quality from dust storms and wildfires.  

Through this work, Kolen hopes to establish “early warning tools” for use in communities so they can identify signs of imminent-reduced air quality conditions and adjust accordingly.  

“Air quality is not just a Saskatchewan problem, it’s not just a Canadian problem, but air quality events are a global problem,” she said. “As droughts increase under a changing climate, so will these poor air quality events.  

“We’ll create early warning tools with our partnering communities here in Saskatchewan and we’ll assess if they are transferable to other drought-prone communities.”    

It’s well-known that poor air quality has an impact on human health. Kolen’s research will explore where the most vulnerable populations and activities are located and how communities can mitigate those health impacts.   

“By understanding health impacts, changes to day-to-day activities and different levels of exposure within groups in communities, the tool could help identify and respond to different levels of exposure,” she said. “Examples would be, ‘Where can I go for help? What resources do I need? What should I do if I have these health impacts?’”    

Kolen hasn’t started her PhD yet – she’s slated to begin in the fall – but the Vanier scholarship means her air quality research can have further-reaching impacts than Saskatchewan.   

The ultimate goal is to see if the tools they develop will be transferable to other communities threatened by air quality issues across Canada and around the world, and the support of the Vanier scholarship has the potential to make that goal a reality.   

“It's huge, the fact we can do all these things without worrying about the finances,” she said. “I can focus on the important parts, engagement and connecting with community members and making those relationships ... being a Vanier Scholar gives me the flexibility to focus on the research that is important to me and the communities.”  

Plants, food and the secret to living longer and healthier lives

USask researcher Morgan Fleming is examining how a component of plant-based foods might help you live a longer life.   

Fleming, a PhD student in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, is exploring how phenolic compounds – present in all plant-based foods – have impacts on the health of human cells.   

“My research is contributing to promoting the human health span,” she said. “It’s going to be helping us all live healthier for longer through delaying the onset of age-related disease.”  

It’s known that phenolic compounds are good for humans due to their antioxidant properties, but Fleming said recent research suggests they could do more for humans with regard to cellular processes and regulating health and disease. Her research will investigate how they mechanistically achieve those benefits in human cells.   

Fleming said she was excited to delve into an area of science that can help humans at large live healthier and longer and noted this research could expand into animals too.   

“I am excited to help people not be burdened by the physical deterioration that comes with aging, to delay age-related disease and help us all live healthier,” she said. “Helping us, helping our pets, and improving quality of life for people.”  

Working under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Eskiw (PhD) and professor emeritus Dr. Nicholas Low (PhD), Fleming is cultivating human cell samples and treating them with various phenolic compounds to analyze how they directly affect cells.   

Fleming said becoming a Vanier Scholar was “very motivating” for her, because it showed that the federal program believes in her, her research and her community outreach-oriented goals for this work.   

It’s an exciting prospect to continue this field of research, and Fleming said the Vanier S cholarship opens new possibilities for her studies.   

“(Being a Vanier Scholar ) means we’re going to be able to perform more high-quality research, not nearly as limited by funding, and have more opportunities to share my research at conferences,” she said.  

Together we will support and inspire students to succeed. We invite you to join by  supporting current and future students' needs  at USask.