As Princeton students experience greater opportunities to build relationships in person, the Humanities Council seeks to help them advance interdisciplinary ideas beyond the University, especially by teaming with members of the local community. To this end, the Humanities Council is offering mini-grants for students.
We invite Princeton University graduate or undergraduate students to propose projects that start in June 2022 and finish before 2023.
Projects must develop innovative formats for transforming research and community, perhaps by drawing on lessons learned during the pandemic, in experimenting with new forms of conversation, exchange, and interaction. We invite “outside-the-box” ideas that transform academic business as usual, reimagining its forms and communities given increasing, though still limited and unpredictable, access to in-person programming. We also encourage proposals that include new ways of engaging with Central New Jersey partner organizations.
These grants, supported by the David A. Gardner ’69 Magic Grant, are intended to be the primary funder and “initiating spark” for a first-time project. Ideas that can be transferred or scaled to other contexts will receive special consideration. Collaborations and joint proposals are encouraged.
Eligibility
Princeton University graduate or undergraduate students may propose to lead a project, whether alone or with co-leaders. A co-leader may come from within or outside the University. (Princeton University faculty, lecturers, postdoctoral fellows, research scholars, professional specialists, and administrators can apply for a similar opportunity.)
For each project, the principal Princeton University leader may submit a proposal of up to 1,000 words, along with an itemized budget. Graduate students may request between $500 to $5,000. Undergraduate students may request between $500 to $2,000. Projects must begin in June 2022. They must conclude before January 2023, when a post-project report will be due.
In addition to other project costs, proposals may include living expenses for up to eight weeks, at a rate of up to $200 per week, irrespective of financial aid status. Other eligible project expenses may include external support or training relevant to the project; very modest purchases of necessary hardware or equipment; software or subscriptions; and compensation for research assistance by Princeton University undergraduate students for Princeton University graduate students. Such requests may not replicate available University resources.
Grants may not support travel for individual research, honoraria for online lectures or performances, the bringing of speakers to campus for public lectures or performances, or the development of new websites (although grants may support new components of existing sites).
As you draft your proposal, you may wish to contact staff at the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES), proces@princeton.edu. This office is ready to help you locate partners in the community, if you have not already done so.
For ideas, you can also consult news stories about or descriptions of past mini-grant projects, including from the 2020 Rapid Response cycle.
The Humanities Council will support projects through our usual publicity and communications channels. To aid this process, successful applicants may occasionally be asked to write brief status updates, supply images, or suggest potential interviewees.
How to Apply
Proposals will be considered as they arrive, with awards granted on a rolling basis. The final deadline for submission is Thursday, March 31, 2022.
ApplyAwards will be granted by early May 2022.
Please contact Ruby Marie Marsh ’17, Humanities Council Consultant, for guidance on preparing a proposal or questions about eligibility.
For Faculty and Staff
Princeton University faculty, lecturers, postdoctoral fellows, research scholars, professional specialists, and administrators can apply for a similar opportunity.
