How to Apply

The Humanities Seed Grants will be awarded to faculty research projects, up to $50,000.

In keeping with Stanford’s university-wide focus on helping students and the public at large reimagine the human future, we are seeking to fund innovative projects that develop new models for humanistic research. These might include, among other approaches:

Collaborating to build new intellectual networks, answer new questions, or reach across existing fields to bring humanistic skills to bear on pressing social and environmental questions;
Engaging with students and the wider community, including local, national, and international publics;
Magnifying impact within and beyond particular scholarly fields through either the scale and scope of questions posed or the research design and methodology;
Offering new outcomes of research beyond the traditional scholarly monograph, such as productions, podcasts, documentaries, and exhibitions. Grant recipients are expected to give up to two presentations of their work per year, one for an on-campus scholarly audience and one that engages with a broader public audience and shares highlights from the project.

When applying you will be asked to submit a 2–3 page project proposal, a detailed budget, and a CV. We strongly urge you, when possible, to review your budget and research plans with your DFO/Department Manager/Grants manager in your department/center to make sure they are in keeping with university norms.

BUDGET NOTE: This university research award is exempt from infrastructure charges because the infrastructure charge is already taken off the top when the funds are transferred to CHE for program use, so it is not something the PIs need to take into consideration for this award when making the budget.

Applications are due by 5 pm on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.

Apply Here

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

Stanford Academic Council faculty (of any rank) and Senior Lecturers

WHAT IS STANFORD LOOKING FOR?

We will prioritize applications that:

Relate to areas of contemporary public concern (please note that we are not seeking policy-oriented proposals)
Can attain visibility and engage an audience beyond the academy
Include undergraduate outreach opportunities, such as research assistance
Are collaborative, either with faculty at Stanford or beyond
Show a reasonable plan of action for the research and its dissemination, and specify a budget that clearly shows how the funding will be used

WHAT IS THE DURATION OF THE GRANTS?

Two years with the possibility of requesting approval for a one-year extension based on unforeseen circumstances.

CAN I APPLY FOR FUNDING IN THE CREATIVE ARTS?

These grants are not intended to support work exclusively in the creative arts. Projects should be analytical and interpretive. Funding opportunities in the arts can be found here: https://arts.stanford.edu/for-faculty/

WHAT IS THE SELECTION PROCESS?

A committee of 6-8 faculty members from different humanities and social science disciplines will read all the proposals.
Each application will be read by at least two committee members, avoiding departmental and personal conflicts of interest.
The short list will be discussed by the entire committee in person/ Zoom.
The final awardees will be notified in February of 2024.

HOW CAN I USE THE FUNDING?

Amounts will depend on the budgets of individual projects and may be used for:

Organizing symposia, workshops, conferences, or other collaborations
Bringing scholars and public intellectuals to Stanford
Summer travel support
Technological support: website development, archival collections, etc.
Hiring research assistants

WHAT WILL I GAIN FROM THE CHANGING HUMAN EXPERIENCE FELLOWSHIP?

New opportunities to pursue big, innovative projects that might otherwise seem out of reach
New possibilities for outreach and influencing the public debate
Workshops to help you develop your project and publish in the public sphere
Opportunities to develop your ideas among a new community of scholars at Stanford that crosses disciplines, historical eras, and experiences