The Institute of the Humanities & Global Cultures (IHGC) invites proposals for funding from the Buckner W. Clay Endowment to support innovative work in the global humanities at the University of Virginia. The Endowment is a major source of support for faculty and graduate students to conduct research under the auspices of the IHGC. Faculty and students from across all disciplines of the humanities and interpretive social sciences are welcome and encouraged to apply. Details of the categories for proposals are listed below.
I. Grants for Emerging Issues in the Global Humanities
Eligibility: All full-time faculty in arts, humanities, and interpretive social sciences fields are eligible. Preference will be given to faculty in continuing positions in the College for whom research is a key expectation of their position.
These grants support a variety of initiatives on vital and emerging issues in the global humanities. Proposals can request funding for basic research as well as public events for the UVA and/or Charlottesville community (presentation, conference, workshop, exhibition, virtual visitor, etc.). Applications must describe the publication expected to result. Awards generally range from $2,000-$10,000. Grants may not be used for manuscript preparation (such as editing, indexing, subventions, image rights, etc.).
II. Global Initiatives in the Public Humanities
Grants for public projects, including workshops, institutional partnerships, media presentations, and K-12 educational initiatives, that look to bring the global humanities into the wider community, locally, regionally, or nationally. Awards up to $5,000.
III. Grants for Humanities Research on Race, Justice, Equity
Eligibility: All full-time faculty in arts, humanities, and interpretive social sciences fields are eligible. Preference will be given to faculty in continuing positions in the College for whom research is a key expectation of their position.
These grants support individual and collaborative research projects related to questions of race, justice, equity, and/or inequality, broadly conceived. All proposals must include at least one public event for the UVA and/or Charlottesville community (presentation, conference, workshop, exhibition, virtual visitor, etc) and describe the publication expected to result. Awards generally range from $2,000-$10,000. Grants may not be used for manuscript preparation (such as editing, indexing, subventions, image rights, etc).
Application Components
Proposal: In the header on the first page (no cover sheets), please include the name and e-mail address of the primary applicant, as well as the category of grant (I – III) for which the application is being submitted. The proposal should address, in no more than two single-spaced pages, the following:
- The intellectual focus of the grant or initiative, including its contributions to department culture and curricula, interdisciplinary scholarship, advanced research in the global humanities, and the life of the humanities more generally;
- Its organizational format (e.g., a two-day workshop involving Departments X and Y; a research trip to library Z in Guatemala; a course that requires teleconferencing resources), including, where relevant, names of key participants and those administratively responsible for its execution;
- Where appropriate, the planned dates of events;
- Names and affiliations of any investigators, collaborators, and virtual visitors associated with the proposal;
- Anticipated expenses, in the form of a budget with cost estimates of each line item. Please work with your department’s fiscal administrator on your budget. Please note the award range/limit for each category. The award will not cover book subventions or other costs associated with manuscript preparation, or research assistants. If the amount requested from the Clay Endowment is less than the total project budget, please indicate how the remaining expenses will be covered and/or any additional awards received in support of the project.
Institutional Review Board Approval: Many research projects require approval by one of the University’s Institutional Review Boards. Please make sure your project has IRB approval before applying for this grant. For more information on the IRB, we encourage applicants whose project may be using human subjects to review the IRB website carefully to determine if you will require IRB approval for your project: http://www.virginia.edu/vpr/irb/.
Additional Notes: All endowment funds awardees will be fellows at the IHGC and, as such, will be expected to deliver a short report regarding project accomplishments, in the semester following the completion of the fund-supported project.
Applicants who have received funds during one academic year may not apply the following academic year.
All proposals must be received by Tuesday, February 28, 2023. The Selection Committee will make its decisions soon thereafter. Funds will be available starting with the University’s new fiscal year, July 1, 2023. Successful proposals should use their funds within the fiscal year for which they are given, i.e. any time from July 1, 2023 to June 15, 2024.
Applicants must submit the proposal as a single PDF document named as follows: [LAST NAME OF PRIMARY APPLICANT].CLAY.[GRANT CATEGORY], for example JONES.CLAY.III. Proposals should be submitted to humanities@virginia.edu.
Questions: If you have any questions about submitting an application, please contact Anne Gilliam, IHGC Program Manager at alg2u@virginia.edu. Academic queries should be directed to Professor Debjani Ganguly, IHGC Director, at dg4vd@virginia.edu.