For Faculty

Alexandra Minna Stern, dean of the UCLA College Division of Humanities, welcomes proposals for support from the Dean’s Discretionary Fund for AY 24-25.

Please note that applications may be submitted during the fall, winter and spring quarters.

Priority is given to proposals that contain one or both of the following criteria:

1. Research funding requests from faculty members who do not already have a general-purpose research fund available to them.
2. Funding requests for conferences or seminars to be held at UCLA, which will benefit many Humanities faculty members and students.

Given that the available funds are limited, the majority of awards are given out in the range of $500 to $1,500, although in exceptional cases larger awards will be made if it is established that several faculty members will benefit. In the case of conference support, the proposal needs to demonstrate that the conference organizers will seek funding from other sources in addition to the Humanities Division.

To apply

To request support, please note the application deadlines below. Submissions must include:

1. A description of the project for which you are requesting support (conference, seminar, etc.), including a brief statement making a case for the intellectual merits of the project.
2. An itemization of the budget that also details funding requests to all other sources, including the Academic Senate, with information on whether funding has been received.
3. In the case of a workshop or conference, an estimate of the likely number of attendees, and/or a statement of how the event will benefit other faculty members and students at UCLA (with particular reference to Humanities scholars).

Applicants should submit funding requests for their project long enough in advance to allow for ample time for a funding decision prior to the project’s own deadline.

Application deadlines for 2024-25

The intent of this annual grant opportunity is to provide seed funding for substantive endeavors for senate faculty that hold a full or partial appointment within the Division of Humanities. Grants will generally be in the range of $10,000 to $30,000, renewable for up to 2 additional years, based on the scope of the project and its potential for scholarly and/or public impact. Collaborative projects with other Humanities faculty are welcome. Typical number of awards is 3 to 4 grants per year. 

Guidelines

Proposals can encompass one or more of the following areas:

1. A research project that carries unique expenses beyond typical archival or field work (example: requires software/equipment).
2. A project in the area of pedagogical innovation.
3. A community-engaged project.

Deadline

April 25, 2025

To apply

To request support for the upcoming academic year, please forward the following materials to Aaron Hodgdon at ahodgdon@college.ucla.edu:

1. Two-page (maximum) description of the support you are requesting, including a brief statement making a case for the intellectual merits of the project, and its potential scholarly and/or public impact. 
2. Itemization of the budget that also details funding requests to all other sources, if applicable, with information on whether funding has been received. Grants do not provide course releases or summer payments (i.e., 9ths). Grant expenses may include travel, supplies, RA-ships, part-time staffing support, licenses, and/or software and equipment.

Existing research account balances will be taken into account in selecting proposals. Faculty who are successful in obtaining a small grant award may not apply for funding again for a period of at least three years and will be asked to submit a brief progress report at the end of the grant period.

The intent of this annual funding opportunity is to provide funding to support professional development and pedagogical work for non-Senate academic appointees (specifically, unit 18 lecturers, adjunct faculty and academic coordinators/administrators) in the Humanities Division.

Grants will generally be in the range of $2,000 to $10,000, renewable for up to two additional years, based on the scope of the activity. The division intends to award two or three such grants per year. 

Guidelines

Proposals may encompass one or both of the following areas:

• Travel and registration fees, within allowable limits, to a professional development conference or workshop.
• Supplies, software and equipment to support pedagogical and curricular innovation.

Deadline

April 25, 2025

To apply

To request support for the upcoming academic year, send the following materials to Aaron Hodgdon at ahodgdon@college.ucla.edu:

1. One-page description of the support you are requesting, including a brief statement outlining how funds will support your professional development.
2. Itemized budget that also details funding requests to all other sources, if applicable, with information on whether funding has been received. The budget may not include course release or compensation. Funds are provided in support of professional growth as elected by the applicant and do not entail added work for the university. For unit-18 lecturers, the itemization should include plans for use of any non-Senate faculty professional development grant funds awarded by the Chancellor’s Office, to ensure that funding is not duplicated.
3. Letter from the applicant’s department chair/program director confirming their support for the proposal.

The UCLA Global Advisors Council invites applications for a new award opportunity to advance globally engaged research. The Global Research Award is an opportunity to support collaboration, spark interdisciplinary analysis, and foster global research exchanges with the aim of bridging campus communities and collaborators abroad.  Proposals should detail a project that launches new research work, expands ongoing research, or builds on international partnerships and collaborations.

We invite UCLA Senate faculty, non-ladder faculty in a professional title, and academic staff (librarians, researchers, and other academic staff members) to propose projects from six months up to two years in length that will expand UCLA’s reach as a global university. 

We encourage proposals that have creative and ambitious ways of understanding global research: through new research methods, international collaborations, field work, travel, student engagement, and more. Awards should be used to generate or expand research, not to promote or present current research.

Funding can cover a wide range of research-related costs, including travel; research support and stipends; necessary, software, supplies or technical services; salary support for administrative staff; community engagement and knowledge exchange events; and more.

The request for proposals can be found on the Global Research Award application form. The program funds two types of grants:

Seed Research Grants: Up to $20,000 for up to one year to launch new partnerships, pilot new research projects, or test new research methods in a global context.

Global Research Grants: Up to $50,000 for up to two years to advance existing research projects, enhance international partnerships, expand the scope of existing domestic research, and/or engage students and other partners in a research initiative that addresses global questions.

Eligibility
UCLA Senate faculty, non-ladder faculty in a professional title, and academic staff are eligible to apply.

Funding criteria
Details on funding criteria are in the request for proposals (PDF).

To apply
Visit this page on the International Institute website.

Application deadline
May 15, 2025

Award announcements
July 2025

Award start date
August 1, 2025

To achieve the UCLA Strategic Plan’s goal to expand our reach as a global university, the UCLA Global Advisors Council is pleased to announce the availability of Global Education Awards for Internationalizing Curriculum.

This program offers a tiered set of awards (ranging from $5,000 to $20,000) to support UCLA faculty and departments/programs to internationalize their curricula. Courses and programs may be oriented to undergraduates, graduate students, professional degree candidates, or students in non-degree programs.

Priority will be given to proposals for courses that can be integrated into and sustained within the curriculum and/or significantly expand the internationalized vision of the department/ program. Further priority will be given to applications that include perspectives from countries and communities that have historically been underrepresented in U.S. academia (e.g., from low- and middle-income countries, etc.).  

We seek courses and programs:

• in which international perspectives are sustained across the quarter 
• in which international perspectives are integrated into the design of the entire course/program, including course readings, projects/assignments, and assessment of student learning
• which encourage students to take an international/global perspective 

Available grants

• Tier 1: Revising Current Course. $5,000 maximum.
• Tier 2: New Course Design. $10,000 maximum.
• Tier 3: Designing New Program, Concentration, or Track. $20,000 maximum.

The budget should reflect the scope of the work planned.  There is no word or page limit but please present a succinct proposal.

Eligibility
UCLA Senate faculty and academic staff are eligible to apply.

Evaluation criteria and other requirements
Full details on evaluation criteria and all application requirements are in the request for proposals (PDF).

To apply
Visit this page on the International Institute website.

Application deadline
May 15, 2025

Award announcements
Late July 2025

Award start date
August 1, 2025