Reasons to Apply

• Travel to conferences, workshops, or archives for research and collaboration
• Funding for publications, book projects, and digital projects (databases/archives)
• Resources to hire undergraduate and graduate students for projects
• Course release/buyout or summer funding to conduct research
• Purchase materials and supplies for projects
• Develop and implement new curricula
• Opportunities to strengthen research, increase scholarly network, and establish academic reputation

Types of Funding

• Federal Grants (Major ones listed below)

  • National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): awards grants to institutions, organizations, and individual scholars for research, public programs, teaching, preservation/improvement of access to primary sources in humanities, and digital humanities advancement.
  • Department of Education (ED): awards grants to individuals to travel for research and education through Fulbright-Hays fellowship and to institutions or organizations through specific ED programs.
    
  • Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS): gives grants to libraries, museums, and other institutions to support and empower their role in public service and education.

• State & Local Grants

  • Connecticut Humanities (CT Humanities): grants for many different projects, institutions, and organizations that support public engagement and dialogue with the humanities including grants for project planning, project implementation, and capacity building.

• Private Grants from Foundations, Corporations, and Associations

  • List of largest foundations in the U.S. by total giving
  • Guide to foundation funding by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)
  • Other private Funding in the Humanities & Fine Arts

Databases and Resources for Finding Grants

• Federal Grants
• Pivot-RP for Federal, State, and Private grant opportunities:
  • The UConn library offers a detail guide to using Pivot-RP, such as instructions for identifying relevant grants and setting up weekly notifications for funding opportunities based on your research interests.
• Foundation Directory for Private and Corporate grant opportunities. Offers detailed information on 70,000 U.S. foundations, such as their application process, grantmaking history, past and recent grants, locations, areas of interest, and website/contact information.
• UConn Library’s comprehensive instructions & tips for using grant databases
• The OVPR’s external funding opportunities listservs.

Resources for Grant Writing and Proposal Development

• UConn’s resources & training (workshops/webinars) for grant writing:
• UConn’s proposal development services
• For students: UConn’s Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships
• Differences between academic writing & grant writing
• National Organization of Research Development Professionals’ comprehensive guide for grant writers including Finding Funding Basics and Grant Writing 101
• Short Webinar on Writing a Research Proposal
• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) tips for federal grant applications
• NEH provides sample application narratives on the funding page for each grant and fellowship they offer, for example, NEH individual fellowships.
• Sample project narratives and other materials for previously funded NEH grant and fellowship applications.
• “Writing Proposals for ACLS Fellowship Competitions” by Christina M Gillis.

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Curious how states and localities fund the humanities? Read the National Humanities Alliance report on state and local policies that fund the humanities.