Funding projects that help push dialogue, critical engagement, and scholarly projects forward is the highest priority of the Institute."

Alexis Boylan, UCHI Director of Academic Affairs

Speaker, Workshop, and Conference Funding

UCHI is committed to supporting humanities (broadly defined) dialogue and research on campus. To that end, UCHI encourages departments and faculty wishing to bring speakers to campus, to plan workshops, or to program scholarly, interdisciplinary conferences to seek funding support. These funds can be combined with departmental or other funds to support speaker travel and other fees. Applications will be reviewed twice annually, in September and January, with deadlines of September 15 and January 15. No award will be made without a written proposal and projected budget. UCHI awards are provided through a fund transfer to the program leader’s home department. Project leaders then collaborate with departmental administrative staff to access these funds to pay for conference expenses.

Maximum funding amounts:

Speakers/workshops: $1500
Conferences: $2000


Justice, Equity, and Repair Funding

UCHI aims to support conferences and colloquia related to justice, equity, and repair. We seek to fund programming that has the potential to make significant contributions to ongoing scholarly conversations in these vitally important domains.

Topics that may be of interest under this initiative include:

  • The intersection of race, gender, class, sexuality, and/or ability
  • The impact of systemic racism or implicit bias on civic life
  • Contributing factors to the growth/persistence of racism, bias, and/or inequities, nationally and internationally
  • Novel approaches to raising awareness of or reflection on questions of justice, equity, and repair

This initiative is supported by the Faculty of Color Working Group and the OVPR.

Maximum funding amounts:

Speakers/workshops: $1500
Conferences: $2500


UCHI is committed to diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. Please take accessibility into account when planning and budgeting events and ensure that you are able to offer accommodations as needed. See UConn’s policy on event accessibility for more information.

Application Information

Please complete and submit the application form via this link.

Applications for speaker, workshop, and conference funding are reviewed twice annually. For fall funding, please submit applications by September 15. For spring funding, please submit applications by January 15.

2023–2024 Speaker, Conference, and Research Funding

Rokhaya Diallo talk and film screening; Mary Beth Allen (LCL)
What is creative research?; Macushla Robinson (Art and Art History)
Waterbury Research Colloquium in the Humanities; Sam Sommers (English)
The 58th Wallace Stevens Poetry Program, with Terrance Hayes; Penelope Pelizzon (English)
The Institution Cemetery Project; Heather Cassano (DMD)
The Mansfield Training School Memorial and Museum; Brenda Brueggemann (English)
14th International Melville Conference; Mary K. Bercaw Edwards (English)
A bilingual reading from Soul House, with French poet and translation theorist Mireille Gansel; Peter Constantine (LCL)
The Politics of Unveiling in Contemporary Egypt; Hind Ahmed Zaki (Political Science)
A Bundle of Antifascist energy: Ernestina Fleischman’s Biography; Ana Maria Diaz-Marcos (LCL)
Richard Sosis: The Ping Pong Player and the Professor: A Conversation With the Author; Sebastian Wogenstein (Judaic Studies)

2022–2023 Speaker, Conference, and Research Funding

“Faces, Masks, Bodies: Contemporary Cuban Writing, Art, and Performance”; Jacqueline Loss, Katerina Gonzalez Seligmann (El Instituto)
Workshop on Aging and Inequity; Kai Zhao (Economics)
Screening of Landfall and Q&A with Cecilia Aldarondo and Lale Namerrow Pastor; Martine Granby (Journalism)
The Tree of Life Conference and other programming; Kathryn Moore (Art & Art History)
Noelle Leslie dela Cruz, “Is Giving Birth Comparable to Writing Books?”; Tracy Ann Llanera (Philosophy)
Conditional Thought and Talk: Semantic, Pragmatic, and Cross-linguistic Perspectives, a workshop; Stefan Kaufmann (Linguistics)
Marissa Greenberg, “Caucusing in the Classroom”; Michelle Everard, (Office of the Provost)
The Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru and Festival Acadien de Clare, A Cultural Comparison: On the Revamping and Remapping of Welsh and Acadian Identity; Annabelle Hicks (LCL)
Lecture and visit from Carl Wennerlind, “Scarcity: A History from the Origins of Capitalism to the Climate Crisis”; Lauren Ziolkowski (English)
Visit and Exhibition with artist Jumaadi; Macushla Robinson (Art & Art History)
Millikan Fest; Dorit Bar-On (Philosophy)
54th Annual Conference on African Linguistics; Vicki Carstens (Linguistics)
Candela Review; Eilyn Lombard (LCL)
LycanFest; Mitch Green (Philosophy)
Women of Color (WOC) Faculty Mental Health and Wellness Retreat; Evelyn Simien (Political Science)
Communicating Environmental (In)Justice; Alexander Menrisky (English)
In the Crosshairs: Central America on the Road from Vietnam to Baghdad, a book of photographs and text; Scott Wallace (Journalism)
Humanities Undergraduate Research Symposium
Film Screening of Marianne and discussion with director Valentina Canavesio; Mary Allen (LCL)
Visit of Stacey Waite, Keynote speaker for First Year Writing Annual Conference; Lisa Blansett (English)

2021–2022 Speaker, Conference, and Research Funding

Andrew Kahrl, “The Struggle to Reclaim Connecticut’s Coastal Commons”; Robert Thorson (Geosciences)
Sophie Maríñez’s two-week residency at UConn; Sam Martínez (El Instituto)
Virtual talk of Emily Sun; Shuyu Guo (LCL)
Speakers for Tradition and Transformation: Mithila Art of India; Kathryn Myers (Art and Art History)
Publication of Cargo Rebellion: Those Who Chose Freedom; Jason Chang and Alexis Dudden (History)
Kinds of Expression Conference; Dorit Bar-on (Philosophy)
Mark Twain writer-in-residence program; Sean Forbes (English)
Humanities Undergraduate Research Symposium (HURS)
Afghanistan and the Course of U.S. Empire; Christopher Vials (English)
Reading of Love War Stories with Ivelisse Rodriguez; Katerina Seligmann (El Instituto & LCL)
Talk by Esther Dischereit, “Voices of Survivors: How a Racist Attack in Germany Created an Unexpected Jewish-Muslim Alliance”; Sebastian Wogenstein and Avinoam Patt (Judaic Studies)
Candela Review; Eilyn Lombard Cabera (LCL)
Body, Medicine, and Feminism: The Life and Work of Nawal El Saadawi Conference; Hind Ahmed Zaki (Political Science)
Plant Humanities project; Elizabeth Athens (Art and Art History)
lecture/visit by Prof. Sigrid Koehler, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Sebastian Wogenstein (LCL)
Ray Guns, Dames, and the Guilty Gaze: Feminism and the Golden Age of Pulp Fiction; Alison Paul (Art and Art History) and Barbara Gurr (WGSS)
Misinformation: Creating a Misfire for American Gun Policy; Gun Violence Prevention Research Interest Group

2020–2021 Colloquia and Conference Funding

Design and Research for Healthy Communities and Healthcare Facilities Project; Françoise Dussart (Anthropology)

ECOM Programming; Dorit Bar-On (Philosophy)

Visit of Laura Splan; Paul Michael and Barry Rosenberg (Art and Art History)

Alejandro de la Guerra’s participatory mural project; Samuel Martinez (Anthropology)

Radical Futures Symposium; Anke Finger (Literatures, Cultures, and Languages)

CLAS Activist-in-Residence funding; Jason Oliver Chang (Asian and Asian American Studies Institute & History)

Support for a special issue of postmedieval; Breann Leake (English)

Teach In: The Egyptian Revolution 10 Years On; Hind Ahmed Zaki (Political Science)

Maroon Archives; Jason Oliver Chang (Asian and Asian American Studies Institute & History)

UConn Reads panel on Climate Denialism; Tom Bontly (Philosophy)

Funding for Book Project, Erasing Identity, Restricting Opportunity; Rebecca Campbell (Neag School of Education)

Funding for Candela Review; Eilyn Lombard Cabrera (Literatures, Cultures, and Languages)

Talk by Emily Bivens; Anna Lindemann (Digital Media and Design)

“Bl(x)ck Rhizomes: A Digital Public History Praxis” with Dr. Aleia Brown; Clarissa Ceglio (Digital Media and Design)

Racism in the Margins Conference; Kathleen Tonry and Gabe Morrison (English)

2019–2020 Colloquia and Conference Funding

ATTENTION: Because of the impact of COVID-19 on national and international travel, some of the following upcoming events may be postponed or cancelled. These events will be marked by three stars, followed by further information (e.g. *** POSTPONED). Please visit this page for regular updates on the status of our events.

"Abstractionism 2.0" Conference; Marcus Rossberg (Philosophy)
"Al-Andalus: a Musical Journey" featuring Oscar Herrero; Nicola Carpentrieri (LCL)
Art and Technology Working Group; Kelly Dennis (Art & Art History)
Book Traces with Kristin Jensen and Michael Rodriguez Yohei Igarashi (English) ***CANCELLED
CinemAGEnder: How Hispanic Cinemas Visualize Sexuality and Memory in Old Age; Ana María Díaz-Marcos (LCL)
Conference on the Teaching of Writing; Brenda Brueggemann (English)
"Creativity and Composition" event and visit by Koyko Kitamura; Scott Campbell (English)
"Documenting the Spontaneous: Puerto Rico's Summer of Protests" Conference; Marisol Ramos (UConn Library)
EoC: Summit of Programmed and Unprogrammed Asian American Studies; Jason Chang (History)
ECOM 10th Anniversary and the "Expression, Language, and Music” Conference; Dorit Bar-On (Philosophy)
"Race, Rights and Rebels: Alternatives to Human Rights and Development" Reading and Event; Evelyn Simien (Political Science)
The Connecticut Digital Humanities Conference; Anke Finger (LCL)
The Future of Reading; Rachel Gabriel (Education) & Yohei Igarashi (English) ***CANCELLED
The Humanities and Science Speaker's Series, 2019–20; Helen Rozwadowski (History), Debapriya Sarkar (English), & Alexis Boylan (AAH)
The 32nd North American Conference on Chinese Language (NACCL-32) annual meeting; Chunsheng Yang (LCL)
"The Translation of Letters and Ideas in Cuba's Republic" Conference; Jacqueline Loss & Reynaldo Lastre (LCL) ***POSTPONED TO FALL 2020
UConn Spring Puppet Form with a presentation by Dr. Jane Bennett; John Bell (Dramatic Arts)
Vagantes Conference on Medieval Studies; Casey Smedberg (English)
Visit and lecture by Andrew Kahrl; Robert Thorson (Geosciences) *** POSTPONED TO FALL 2020
Visit and lecture by Annette Vee; Yohei Igarashi (English)
Visit and lecture by Aruna D’Souza, Independent Art Critic and Scholar; Elizabeth Athens (AAH)
Visit and lecture by Bonnitta Roy; Ray DiCapua (AAH)
Visit and lecture by Colson Whitehead; Melina Pappademos (History & Africana Studies)
Visit and lecture by David Gooblar; Leah Begg (English) & Yohei Igarashi (English)
Visit and lecture by Grand Prix littéraire d'Afrique noire winner Sami Tchak; Hassanaly Ladha (LCL)
Visit and lecture by Hal Roberts; Yohei Igarashi (English) ***CANCELLED
Visit and lecture by James Young; Christine Sylvester (Political Science) ***CANCELLED
Visit and lecture by Jeffrey Peterson; Richard Sosis (Anthropology)
Visit and lecture by Jenny Spinner; Tom Deans (English) (LCL)
Visit and lecture by Johannes Heil, President of the Hochschule für jüdische Studien Heidelberg (Academy for Jewish Studies); Sebastian Wogenstein (LCL)
Visit and lecture by Laura Splan; Michael Shawn & Barry Rosenberg (AAH)
Visit and lecture by Kate Brown; Shirley Roe (History) ***CANCELLED
Visit and lecture by Mab Segrest; Jane Gordon (Political Science)
Visit and lecture by Nicholas Smith; Tracy llaerna (Philosophy)
Visit and lecture by Rebecca Traister; Frank Costigliola (History)
Visit and lecture by Sandra Ruiz; Jacqueline Loss (LCL) ***CANCELLED
Visit and performance by Brandon Shimoda; Jason Oliver Chang (History)
Wallace Stevens Poetry Event with D.A. Powell; Penelope Pelizzon (English) ***POSTPONED TO SPRING 2021

2018–2019 Colloquia and Conference Funding

Connect Africa Research Workshop, Eleni Coundouriotis (English)
Rob Nixon Lecture on Book Slow Violence, Evelyn Simien (Political Science)
Sibyl Kempson Lecture and Workshop, Darcie Dennigan (English)
Living Objects: African American Puppetry Symposium and Festival, John Bell (Puppetry)
Translating Cuban Letters, a Conversation with Kristin Dyskstra and Anna Kushner, Jacqueline Loss (LCL)
Frege Conference, Marcus Rossberg (Philosophy)
Maritime Asia Conference, Alexis Dudden (History)
War, memory, and Museums: Insights from Modiful Hoque, Shareen Hertel (Political Science, Human Rights)
Discussion – “A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration”, Matthew Pugliese (Drama)
Annual Wallace Stevens Poetry Program with Speaker Claudia Rankine, Penelope Pelizzon and Cathy Schlund-Vials (English)
ECOM 2018-19 Speaker Series + Spring 2019 Workshop, Dorit Bar-On (Philosophy)
Why Don't We Die in the Digital Age?, The School of Fine Arts
Visit and lecture Bryant Simon, Micki McElya (History)
“Reporter in the Line of Fire: Dispatches from Central America, 1983-90” Exhibition & Conference, Scott Wallace (Journalism)
Imagining Landscape: IX LANGSA Annual Conference, Xiaoqiao Xu (LCL)
Visit of Professor Chris Rovee, Yohei Igarashi (English)
Visit of Professor Jasbir Puar, Bhakti Shringarpure (English)
Husky Films Project, Edward Craven (Economics)
Vagantes Conference on Medieval Studies, Catherine Albers (English)
Amanda Guzmán, "From Island to Museum: Narrating Puerto Rican Museum Object Itineraries", Sarah Willen (Anthropology)
2019 Conference on the Teaching of Writing: “Active and Accessible” , Brenda Jo Brueggemann (English)
Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity, Sebastian Wogenstein (LCL)
A Critical Graduate Symposium, Chriss Sneed (Sociology)