Faculty Research Grants

The Humanities Center, through funding provided by the Humanities Center Endowment, offers annual research grants for humanities-related projects. The purpose of these grants is to contribute to the professional development of faculty members and enhance their scholarly productivity.

Guidelines for Submitting a Faculty Research Grant Proposal

1. Any tenured or tenure-track faculty member at UAH is eligible to submit a proposal.
2. Only proposals received during the open application window are eligible for funding.
3. Proposed research must relate to the humanities, as defined by 20 U.S. Code § 952(a):
   • 20 U.S. Code § 952(a): "The term “humanities” includes, but is not limited to, the study and interpretation of the following: language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism, and theory of the arts; those aspects of the social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life."
   • The National Endowment for the Humanities, which is the funding source for the M. Louis Salmon Humanities Center Endowment, endorses this definition.
4. Proposals should include a clear and complete narrative of the proposed research.
   • The narrative should explain what is to be done, why, and how.
   • The language in the narrative should be simple, free from technical terminology, and intelligible to people from a variety of academic disciplines.
5. Proposed research should have a clear timeline for completion.
   • Funded proposals typically have a completion date that is less than 12 months from the beginning date.
6. Proposed research should enhance the professional development or scholarly productivity of the applicant.
   • Research that involves travel to major libraries or collections of materials is eligible for funding. (Example: Travel to the Folger Shakespeare Library to examine Renaissance treatises on warfare and honor, by a faculty member who is studying responses to warfare in Renaissance literature.)
   • Research for the local environment is eligible for funding. (Example: Developing an oral history of stories and members of people from northern Alabama, to better understand experiences of segregation, prison labor camps, and the debt peonage of the share-cropping system.)
   • Research that is part of a sponsored project already in progress is not eligible for funding. (This is consistent with applicants making simultaneous applications for support from other funding agencies.)
   • Research intended to support work that is part of a scheduled course is not eligible for funding.
   • Research needed to satisfy the requirements for a degree is not eligible for funding.
   • Research that facilitates external funding opportunities in areas relating to the humanities will receive special consideration.
7. Proposals should include a current C.V. for the applicant.
8. The maximum grant award is $3,000. Lesser amounts are also eligible for funding.
9. Proposals should include a detailed budget, along with an explanation or justification of each budget item. Appropriate budget items are:
   • Salaries and wages. (Funds may support salaries and wages for individuals such as typists or research assistants if their work is important to completing the research.)
   • Operating expenses. Examples include office supplies, printing or copying costs.
   • Travel, as justified in the narrative.
   • Research materials, provided they are critical for the research. Examples include books, periodicals, microfilms. Duplications of material available from the Salmon Library is not appropriate. Materials available for purchase through procedures for which library funds exist or through inter-library loan are not appropriate. All purchased materials are ordered through the Salmon Library, loaned to the grantee until the authorized closing date for the research project, and become part of the Library’s collection at the completion of the project.
10. Each proposal should include the following information:
    • Name, rank, home department, and email address of the applicant
    • Title for the research project
    • Total amount of funding requested
    • If the proposed research does not plainly belong to one of the categories in the definition of "humanities" from 20 U.S. Code § 952(a): a brief explanation of how the proposed research relates to the humanities.
    • A narrative that explains, in plain language, the proposed research, including a statement of when funds will be needed and an expected date of completion for the research.
    • A brief explanation of how the research will enhance the professional development or scholarly productivity of the applicant.
    • A current C.V. for the applicant.
    • A detailed budget, including an explanation or justification of each item.
11. Each proposal should be submitted by email to humanitiescenter@uah.edu, preferably with the subject line "Faculty Research Grant Proposal".
12. Members of the Humanities Center Steering Committee, and the Director of the Humanities Center, are good sources of advice about Humanities Center Faculty Research Grants.
13. Direct questions about Humanities Center Faculty Research Grants to humanitiescenter@uah.edu

Evaluating Faculty Research Grant Proposals

Members of the Humanities Center Steering Committee evaluate each proposal for its relevance to scholarship and research in the humanities at UAH, its merit, and its overall cost. More specific evaluation criteria for determining whether a proposal is eligible for funding include:

• Is the applicant a tenured or tenure-track faculty member at UAH?
• Was the proposal received during the open application window?
• Does the proposed research relate to the humanities?
• If funded, would the research likely enhance the applicant’s professional development or scholarly activity?
• Are the proposed costs and expenditures appropriate?
• Is the application complete?

Specific evaluation criteria for determining whether a proposal is meritorious include:

• To what extent does the proposed research advance scholarship and research in the humanities at UAH?
• Does the research narrative demonstrate the use of unique or innovative methods, approaches, or concepts?
• Does the applicant have capabilities, related experiences, and/or techniques that make the completion of the proposed research likely?
• Does the proposed research have potential for supporting the development of more detailed research proposals for external funding?
• If the applicant has received a Faculty Research grant from the Humanities Center: What are the outcomes of prior research supported by funding from the Humanities Center, and to what extent do those outcomes enhance professional development or scholarly activity?
• Is the explanation or justification of the proposed costs and expenditures reasonable?

Members of the Steering Committee will review all proposals for eligibility and merit. The Director of the Humanities Center will rely upon the Steering Committee’s recommendations to determine which proposals are funded, and thereafter notify all applicants about whether their proposal is funded.

Applicants can expect a verdict on their applications 4-6 weeks after the application window closes (if not sooner). Applicants who do not receive notice of a verdict in a timely fashion should contact the Director of the Humanities Center to confirm the status of their application.

Receiving and Using Faculty Research Grants

All grantees will receive information about establishing a grant account.

All grantees are expected to agree to and comply with the following conditions:

1. Any change in the scope or direction of the funded research must be approved in advance by the Director of the Humanities Center.
2. All funds must be expended in accordance with relevant UAH policies.
3. Any overruns on a grantee’s grant account are the responsibility of the grantee.
4. After the authorized closing date for the research project, the grantee will provide to the Humanities Center a summary report describing work attempted and accomplished.
5. Any publication resulting from grant-supported research must include the following written acknowledgement: “Research for this project was supported by the UAH Humanities Center”.
6. A copy of any publication resulting from grant-supported research will be sent to the Humanities Center.

Unused funds are not returned but, instead, roll over from year to year until the contract is closed.

• If funding is not used, there is a default automatic extension of the contract date for one year, with no paperwork required.
• Unused funds must be used for the purpose of the originally funded proposal.
• Grantees who want to use their funding for a different purpose should apply for a different grant.
• Grant accounts are not closed without first notifying the grant recipient.
• A request to close an account for unused funds will be sent to grantees who cannot use funds for their original purpose and apply for a different grant. The request will be sent upon receipt of the new application.