Home » Funding » Campus & ARHU Funding

Campus & ARHU Funding

There are a number of competitive funding opportunities offered by the University of Maryland. Many of these are seed grant mechanisms that allow faculty to conduct preliminary research or scholarship that will lead to larger external grant applications. Faculty in the College of Arts and Humanities have been strongly encouraged to apply for each of these, and we encourage you to consider how your work may be eligible for one or more of the following:

1. ARHU Faculty Funds Competition: The College of Arts and Humanities announces the 2023-2024 Faculty Funds Competition Call for Proposals. All PTK and TTK faculty are eligible for these awards. ARHU is only calling for proposals once this year, and the deadline for applications is 5 p.m. Friday, December 15, 2023. Examples of past funded proposals can be found in the ARHU Proposal Library.

  • ARHU Advancement Grants: $5,000 will be awarded to TTK and PTK faculty for projects that lead to a faculty member’s professional advancement in their field and at UMD. Work proposed can be ongoing research project efforts or a new research project. Successful applications must demonstrate 1) how the project meets the faculty member’s professional advancement at UMD, and 2) how the work contributes to the faculty member’s discipline. Funds are intended to support research expenses such as hiring assistants (note: you will be responsible for covering associated fringe with your award should you choose to use it to hire assistants), studio or rehearsal costs, participant incentives, archival research, and research travel. Funds awarded will not support course releases or classroom-only projects; pedagogical projects must show a link to the faculty member’s scholarly advancement to be considered. Priority will be given to projects that advance promotion goals and/or tenure goals and to applicants who have not previously received an ARHU Advancement Grant. Recipients of an ARHU Advancement Grant may elect to 1) receive the grant as summer salary support (note: fringe benefits and taxes will be assessed on the $5,000 amount), or 2) receive the grant as a contribution to their individual departmental research account. Please consult with your unit’s business manager with any questions about grant disbursement.

Required application components: 1)  Project Description (three pages maximum): Summarize the proposed project’s objectives, approach or method, and activities, as well as expected outcomes. Address significance to the discipline and include a clear argument for how the work fits into promotion/tenure timeline and purpose; 2)     Timeline (one page maximum): List project elements and note when each element will be accomplished during the funding period. Also include a timeline for promotion/tenure as it relates to this project; and 3) Grant Spending Justification (one page maximum): Provide a justification for how the advancement grant will be used; all project elements should be anticipated along with their associated costs. Please indicate how you will receive the Advancement Grant—as summer salary support or as a research fund contribution. Please work with your business manager to ensure included expenses are compliant with UMD policies and that any required fringe is included. Include other sources of funding for the project, if known.

  • Subvention Funds: Funds can cover costs required by a publisher that are assigned to faculty authors, such as reproduction of images and permissions. Up to $2,000 may be requested. TTK and PTK are eligible to apply. Preference will be given to faculty preparing a product for academic promotion or tenure review. Applications must include: 1) a one-page statement of need for the subvention funding and the benefits to come as a result of the subvention funds; 2) a letter from the unit head confirming a match of the amount requested, and 3) a copy of the publisher contract. Subvention will not cover marketing and promotion related costs.
  • Conference Support: ARHU will award up to $5,000 in support of faculty members seeking to host an academic conference/symposium on the UMD campus. Proposals for conference support must articulate the scope and reach of the conference and its potential to draw participants from across ARHU. Proposals must also specify the sources of support for the conference from non-ARHU parties—please provide letters or other proof of support. Applications must include: 1) a one-page statement justifying the conference and specifying the need for ARHU support and the appeal of the conference to the ARHU community; 2) a one-page budget, specifying likely and/or projected conference expenditures and other sources of funding for the conference. Please work with your business manager to ensure your budget is compliant with UMD policies.
  • Journal Editing Support: ARHU will award up to $5,000 in one-time support for a faculty member who is editing an academic/scholarly journal. The award is only for service as the editor/editor-in-chief of an academic journal. Service in other editorial capacities (e.g., associate editor, managing editor, special issue editor) is not eligible. Service as the editor of a book series is also not eligible. Proposals must include evidence of the applicant’s appointment as editor/editor-in-chief. Applications must include: 1) a two-page statement explaining the journal and its place/status within the discipline and explaining how editing the journal advances the applicant’s professional and academic goals; the statement should also indicate other sources of funding in support of the editorship.
  • Submission Process: All application materials should be single-spaced with one-inch margins and use a 12-point font. Combine all application documents into a single PDF file and submit electronically to the ARHU Application Portal (http://apply.arhu.umd.edu) by 5 p.m. on December 15, 2023.
  • Post Award Expectations: Recipients of ARHU Faculty Funds awards are expected to spend the awarded funds in the one full year following the award. A final report will be required one year after the award date, summarizing use of funds and achievements. Successful applicants will receive specific guidance on reporting requirements in their award letter. Awardees must acknowledge ARHU in any reports, presentations, publications, and/or other materials produced by the funding. Funded projects will be featured on the College of Arts and Humanities website, arhu.umd.edu.

2. Arts and Programming Grants:

  • ArtsAMP Collaborative Grants: Arts for All is pleased to announce the second—and expanded—round of ArtsAMPlification collaborative grants. Please note, we now have different kinds of grants for different stakeholders. If you have questions or would like feedback on your project, please contact us at arts@umd.edu.
  • As you prepare proposals for these funding opportunities, please remember that Arts for All is a campus-wide initiative that seeks to: (1) make the arts at the University of Maryland increasingly accessible to—and representative of—all students, (2) connect the arts to other disciplines, especially the sciences, and (3) ensure that the arts are meaningfully engaged with issues of social justice and the grand challenges of our time. Proposals that center these priorities have the highest chance of success.

3. Division of Research

  • Maryland Catalyst Fund: The UMD Division of Research Tier Grants program has been revised, and is now the Maryland Catalyst Fund, with several options for faculty to submit proposals. Matching costs are required from your department, the college, or in some combination. Please contact Linda Aldoory, laldoory@umd.edu, if you are planning on requesting matching funds from the college. Deadlines for proposal submission vary, please see more information at the following webpage: https://research.umd.edu/development/MarylandCatalystFund
  • Independent Scholarship, Research and Creativity Awards (ISRCA): Funding opportunity to support faculty pursuing independent scholarly and/or creative projects. Funds up to $10,000 per award to support teaching release, summer salary, and/or research related expenses. Unlike FSRA, ISRCA has no requirement for graduate student involvement. Faculty may not apply for both the FSRA and ISRCA in the same academic year. Deadline: October 30, 2023.

4. Graduate School Faculty & Staff Awards 

  • Faculty-Student Research Award (FSRA): Awards $10,000 to support a faculty project that directly involves graduate students. FSRA complements the Independent Scholarship, Research, and Creativity Award (ISRCA) offered by the Office of the Provost and the Division of Research and replaces the former Research and Scholarship Awards (RASA) and Creative and Performing Arts Awards (CAPAA). Unlike FSRA, ISRCA has no requirement for graduate student involvement. Faculty may not apply for both the FSRA and ISRCA in the same academic year. 
  • Kirwan Faculty Research and Scholarship Prize: Awards $5,000 in recognition of a faculty member for a highly significant work of research, scholarship, or artistic creativity completed in the recent past. 

5. University Libraries

6. Graduate Student Fellowships & Grants

  • ARHU Travel Awards: To support the professional development of our graduate students through the presentation of original reserach, the College of Arts and Humanities awards grants for travel to significant national and international conferences. 
  • Mary Savage Snouffer Dissertation Fellowship Call for Nominations
  • James F. Harris Arts & Humanities Visionary Scholarship Call for Nominations
  • Charles A. Caramello Distinguished Dissertation Award
  • Outstanding Graduate Assistants Awards
  • Graduate School Student Fellowships & Awards

    7. Seed Grant Programs: