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OPPORTUNITIES & FUNDING
New Works Forum @CIS
- new projects
- emerging knowledge
- recent publications
- and other forms of new scholarship and creative work in CHASS
Recently revised to widen eligibility and expand project types, the program aims to raise the profile of CHASS research and creative projects, encourage collaboration, and nurture intellectual community by bringing scholars and artists together to share and discuss new work.
Three ways to SHARE your work in the Forum:
Share Announcement
Request a Discussion Event
Short (5-7 minute) research presentations, drinks, and conversation at the UCR Stable. Presentations may include new projects, new aspects of ongoing projects, or an introduction to your new research interests. The first Lightning Talk Happy Hour will be hosted in spring 2025.
Express interest
Event Support
Supplemental funding for events hosted at UC Riverside by CHASS departments and programs. Applicants are expected to secure departmental or other sponsorships for their events, in addition to the CHASS-CIS awards.
Award amounts vary from $300 to $3000, depending on event type.
- Single speaker – $300
- Roundtable / Panel, 2 or more speakers – $500
- Conference, Graduate Student (organized or focused) – $300-$1000
- Conference, Professional Organization or Society – $500-$1000
- Conference, general – $500-$3000
- Performance – $500-$3000
- Workshops – $500-$750
- Other event types – amount varies, maximum $1500
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed on the 1st of each month. Awards are typically announced by the 15th of the month. Applications accepted for events up to one year in advance.
Funding overview
- Funds are provided on a reimbursement basis after the event is hosted.
- Department finance teams are responsible for filing an expense report within 90 days of the event date. (Download budget template) – contact Kathy Hitchens for questions
- Awards not claimed within 6 months are forfeited and reallocated to other projects.
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NEW! CHASS Grants Portal
For questions or help with setting up your account, contact Katharine.Henshaw@ucr.edu.
Apply Now
Faculty Support
Partner with the Center for Ideas and Society for administrative and logistical support on humanities-related grants that cross departments, disciplines, or institutions. The CIS team offers decades of grant management, event planning, and project development experience. Partnership could include support for grant submissions, grant administration, project development/hosting, and other aspects of collective, interdisciplinary research.
We would love to hear your ideas and brainstorm about how we might help.
Contact us!
Jeanette Kohl
Dylan Rodriguez
Katharine Henshaw
Eligibility: CHASS faculty (ladder rank and LSOE)
Award Period: 2025 (Winter, Spring or Fall quarter)
Award Amount: $1000
Deadline: Oct 27, 2025
Project Development Awards provide funds to help CHASS faculty members substantially move a project (book manuscript, film, play or substantial creative project) toward completion and submission/production (to a press, film festival, theatre, gallery show, etc.) by creating opportunities to receive input and feedback on works-in-progress.
Proposals may include meetings with scholars or subject matter experts for an open discussion of the faculty member’s work, meetings with community partners, workshops, experimental productions, and other collaborative formats for soliciting feedback on a project. Special consideration will be given to projects that have potential to impact tenure and/or promotion. Applicants must clearly identify how the proposal supports the planned completion or production of the next stage of their project.
Three projects will be awarded for 2026, to be hosted in Winter, Spring or Fall quarter. Awards may cover honoraria for external contributors and/or travel and meeting expenses.
Complete applications include:
- Project abstract (150 words)
- Summary of the project, including progress to date and a timeline for the completion of the next steps
- Bibliography (optional)
- Description and details of the proposed meeting or event to develop the project
For questions or more information: Katharine.Henshaw@ucr.edu.
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NEW! CHASS Grants Portal
For questions or help with setting up your account, contact Katharine.Henshaw@ucr.edu.
Apply Now
Eligibility: PI (lead applicants): CHASS Faculty; CO-PIs (co-applicants): UC faculty, staff or graduate students
Award Period: July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026
Award Amount: Workshops: up to $1500; Symposia or conferences: up $5000
Deadline: Feb 17, 2025
Workshop, Symposia and Conference Awards support skill-building, research development and/or dissemination events hosted at UC Riverside. Though ranging in scale and audience, these events bring a variety of UC, national and international scholars/artists together at UC Riverside (in person or online) for one or more days to learn, share research and explore topics of mutual interest in an interdisciplinary environment.
Of particular interest in these calls are projects that draw upon multiple intellectual traditions and/or interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary fields in order to develop more robust and nuanced understandings of topics than are possible within traditional disciplinary vocabularies, categories, and self-descriptions. Though proposals should demonstrate emphasis on the humanities, special consideration will be given to projects that engage the arts, social sciences, physical sciences, engineering, and other fields of study.
Project Types
- Workshops: Public or campus-facing learning experiences that teach skills and develop understanding and/or application of new knowledge.
- Symposia: Smaller scale, public or campus-facing research presentations, typically with 1-2 panels of interlocutors. May also include a keynote speaker.
- Conferences: Larger scale, public facing research presentations, typically over 2 days, and featuring keynote speakers and 3 or more panel presentations. May also include receptions, formal dinners or performances in the conference theme.
Note: CIS awards do not support meetings or annual conferences of professional societies or organizations with paid memberships. All events funded by the Center are free and open to the public.
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NEW! CHASS Grants Portal
For questions or help with setting up your account, contact Katharine.Henshaw@ucr.edu.
Apply Now
Eligibility: UCR CHASS Faculty (tenure track and Professors of Teaching/LSOE)
Award period: Fellowships must be used by June 30, 2026
Deadline: Feb 24, 2025
The Center for Ideas and Society invites applications from faculty (tenure track and Professors of Teaching/LSOE) in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences for one-quarter research fellowship residencies to pursue humanities and humanities-related projects utilizing methods, archives, paradigms, theories, and concepts from the humanities disciplines as well as interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary humanities fields. Projects may include (but are not limited to) drafting articles and manuscripts, development of major grant proposals, research development, or other work that enhances opportunities for merit or promotion.
CIS Fellows share offices at the Center for Ideas and Society and meet monthly to discuss on-going work. They receive funds to offset one course release during the residency quarter as well as research monies to be used for manuscript preparation, research assistance, subvention requests and/or travel to conferences and short-term visits to research sites or other universities. Awards must be expended no later than June 30, 2025. Though we strongly encourage departments to honor the spirit of the fellowship with a reduction in service, awards do not guarantee a release from departmental obligations.
This newly revised call extends the work conducted under the Mellon Investing in Humanities Faculty grant that ends June 30, 2024. Funding for the project is provided by campus sponsorships from the CHASS Office of the Dean and the UCR Chancellor’s Office.
Complete applications include
- Project title and abstract (250-word limit) and bibliography (no more than two pages)
- CV/Publications list (no more than two pages), with 3 most significant publications highlighted
- Project proposal description (limit 500 words)
- Timeline and outline of work to be completed during the fellowship (250 words)
Letters
TWO letters and ONE statement of support are required. Applicants will enter the name’s and email addresses of letter writers or chairs into the application portal. The portal will send requests for letters to the recommenders.
- Two letters of reference (at least one of which should be from a non-UCR source) should address the significance of the proposed research to the applicant’s field/advancement, to the department or college, and/or to the future of humanities at UC Riverside. Letters should also assess the applicant’s ability to complete the project as proposed.
- A statement of support from the chair of the applicant’s home department should indicate approval of the teaching release for 2025-26 and mention any reductions in service requirements during the proposed quarters that could help support the residency.
Evaluation
The Center for Ideas and Society’s Advisory Committee will evaluate all eligible proposals on the following criteria:
- The importance of the questions, issues, or problems the project seeks to address
- The capacity of the project to enhance or develop insights into or an understanding of these questions, issues, or problems
- The appropriateness, effectiveness, and feasibility of the proposed approach or research methods
- The ability of the applicant to complete or significantly advance the project
- The feasibility of the timetable and milestones
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NEW! CHASS Grants Portal
To submit an application, create an account on our new grants portal.
You’ll only need to create an account the first time you log in.
To create an account, click the button below and enter your email address.
Follow the instructions to set a password and verify your email address.
That’s it! You can then proceed to the application page.
For questions or help with setting up your account, contact Katharine.Henshaw@ucr.edu.
Apply Now
Made possible by gifts from Emory’s family and friends, the Emory Elliott Book Award honors the book published by a CHASS faculty member during the previous academic year that, in the judgment of the selection committee, best exemplifies the values that characterized Professor Elliott and his contributions to life and letters.
Nominations and self-nominations from CHASS faculty are accepted each fall for books published in the preceding academic year. For example, a book published between July 2021 and June 2022 is eligible for the 2022 award.
Support for collective work
Eligibility: Conveners must be UCR Faculty or Graduate Students
Award Period: Varies by quarter
Award Amount: Book Club award provides one book for each participant (up to $300 total per club)
Deadline by quarter: Sept 30 (Fall 2024), Dec 9 (Winter 2025), March 14 (Spring 2025) or June 13 (Summer 2025)
Stay engaged with colleagues this quarter through Academic Book Clubs. Invite a group of 4 or more colleagues and select a book – it’s that easy!
Book Club awards cover the purchase of books for groups of faculty and/or graduate students who agree to meet in-person or online to discuss the book at least 4 times over the coming quarter. Though we ask that at least half the participants be CHASS faculty and/or graduate students, other participants may be from other UCR departments, UC campuses, local institutions or community organizations.
Club leaders convene meetings via Zoom or on the UCR campus. All required campus COVID-19 protocols, including wellness checks, vaccinations and masking, must be followed for in-person gatherings.
Book groups should select titles that have the potential to engage multiple perspectives, disciplines and methods in critical inquiry. Inclusive, cross-disciplinary groups are encouraged. At the end of the quarter, group members will be asked to respond to a short survey on their experiences.
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NEW! CHASS Grants Portal
To submit an application, create an account on our new grants portal.
You’ll only need to create an account the first time you log in.
To create an account, click the button below and enter your email address.
Follow the instructions to set a password and verify your email address.
That’s it! You can then proceed to the application page.
For questions or help with setting up your account, contact Katharine.Henshaw@ucr.edu.
Apply Now
Eligibility: UCR Faculty and Graduate Students (with significant participation from CHASS faculty and graduate students)
Award Period: Varies by quarter
Award Amount: $25 book awards for participants (up to $300 per quarter, per group)
Deadline by quarter: Sept 30 (Fall 2024), Dec 9 (Winter 2025), March 14 (Spring 2025) or June 13 (Summer 2025)
Stay on-track with your writing goals and be productive this quarter through remote Writing Groups! Peer writing groups can provide much needed accountability and support during times of stress and isolation.
Writing Group awards provide $25 gift cards to participants who attend a majority of scheduled meetings. Groups of 4-8 participants agree to meet at least five times over the quarter. Though we ask that at least half the participants be CHASS faculty and/or graduate students, conveners and other group members may be from any school or college at UCR. Up to 50% of the group may be from other UC campuses.
Group leaders convene meetings via Zoom or other online meeting room services. At the end of the quarter, groups will be asked to provide feedback on their experiences.
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NEW! CHASS Grants Portal
To submit an application, create an account on our new grants portal.
You’ll only need to create an account the first time you log in.
To create an account, click the button below and enter your email address.
Follow the instructions to set a password and verify your email address.
That’s it! You can then proceed to the application page.
For questions or help with setting up your account, contact Katharine.Henshaw@ucr.edu.
Apply Now
Eligibility: PI (lead applicants): CHASS Faculty; CO-PIs (co-applicants): UC faculty, staff or graduate students
Award Period: July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026
Award Amount: CIS Awards of up to $3000
Deadline: Feb 17, 2025
Interdisciplinary Working Group Awards enable cross-departmental groups of faculty and graduate students to explore a theme or subject matter of common interest over the course of an academic year. Working group goals might include development of cross-disciplinary expertise, research related to potential grant applications, consultation with subject matter experts to support new UCR initiatives, or other creative outcomes that arise from transdisciplinary engagement.
Possible uses of the funds include but are not limited to guest lectures, panel discussions, works-in-progress workshops and public-facing or community-engaged projects. Up to $500 may be spent on internal working group meetings. Modest participation stipends ($300-$500) may be provided to graduate student presenters.
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NEW! CHASS Grants Portal
To submit an application, create an account on our new grants portal.
You’ll only need to create an account the first time you log in.
To create an account, click the button below and enter your email address.
Follow the instructions to set a password and verify your email address.
That’s it! You can then proceed to the application page.
For questions or help with setting up your account, contact Katharine.Henshaw@ucr.edu.
Apply Now
Graduate Student Support
Humanities in Practice: Research, Pedagogy, and Principles for Emerging Professionals
Limited submission call for humanities graduate students at UC Riverside to participate in the Summer Residency Program July 14–18, 2025, at the National Humanities Center in Durham, NC.
One (1) UCR humanities graduate student will be selected to participate in the 2025 summer program. The award covers roundtrip airfare and program registration fee. Ground transportation, incidentals or other expenses are the responsibility of the awardee and/or home department.
Award sponsored by the CHASS Dean’s Office and the Center for Ideas and Society
UCR Deadline: Jan 31, 2025
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NEW! CHASS Grants Portal
To submit an application, create an account on our new grants portal.
You’ll only need to create an account the first time you log in.
To create an account, click the button below and enter your email address.
Follow the instructions to set a password and verify your email address.
That’s it! You can then proceed to the application page.
For questions or help with setting up your account, contact Katharine.Henshaw@ucr.edu.
Apply Now
Eligibility: Current UCR graduate students (humanities emphasis)
Award Period: May 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026*
Award Amount: Awards of up to $1500 for research and research-related travel
Deadline: Feb 3, 2025
Funded by the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences and the Center for Ideas and Society, the Humanities Graduate Student Research (GSR) Grants assist graduate students in the humanities, arts, and humanistically-oriented social sciences. We consider the humanities, broadly construed, as academic disciplines and activities that illuminate the ways in which human beings create and explore a distinctly human life.
The GSR grants are typically reserved for those who have advanced (or will soon advance) to candidacy. Awards are made in varying amounts, but will not exceed $1500 per student. Awards may be used for travel expenses (transportation, lodging, etc) and materials needed to complete the dissertation/MFA. Proposals unrelated to the completion of the dissertation or MFA will be considered only if funds permit. Students who have received previous grants are welcome to re-apply. Recipients of prior awards that are still current due to an award extension are not eligible in this grant cycle. The GSR awards do not support conference travel or presentations.
Selection
Selection will be based on the conception, originality, clarity, and organization of the project proposal, the strength of the faculty endorsement, and the justification of the proposed expenses as they relate to the completion of the project. Priority will be given to applicants who have advanced to candidacy (ABD) or who are further along in their program. Final awards are based on available funding. In order to support as many students as possible, award amounts offered may be less than requested. Lower awards do not reflect on the quality or importance of the work being conducted.
Award Guidelines
Expenses must be incurred within the award period. Extensions of the grant timeframe should be requested in writing in advance. Awards terminate upon leaves of absence, filing fee status, withdrawal, or graduation. You must be registered in the spring quarter to use the award in the summer months.
Expenditures must be within the categories listed in the proposal budget. Written permission is required for budget adjustments or changes to the project scope prior to spending funds. Major purchases of non-expendable equipment, stipends, tuition or fees, alcohol, or expenses related to the preparation of the thesis copy (printing, charts, photographs, etc) are not covered by this award. Reusable supplies and equipment purchased with these funds remain the property of UCR.
Proposals that involve personal interviews or experiments with human subjects must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board prior to use of award. Such proposals should indicate the status of the IRB process at the time of application. Confirmation that approval has been granted is required before funds may be used for travel. For forms and details, visit or.ucr.edu/ORI.aspx.
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NEW! CHASS Grants Portal
To submit an application, create an account on our new grants portal.
You’ll only need to create an account the first time you log in.
To create an account, click the button below and enter your email address.
Follow the instructions to set a password and verify your email address.
That’s it! You can then proceed to the application page.
For questions or help with setting up your account, contact Katharine.Henshaw@ucr.edu.
Apply Now
Eligibility: Current UCR ABD graduate students with dissertation topics grounded in humanities fields/methods
Award Period: July 1 – September 2025
Award Amount: Fellowship of $8000 for summer 2025
Deadline: March 3, 2025
Summer Dissertation Writing Fellowships provide a $8000 summer stipend to advanced UCR graduate students in Ph.D. programs in the humanities who need dedicated time to complete – or make substantial progress toward completing – their dissertation over the summer. Office space is available for fellows who prefer to work on campus in the summer months.
Special consideration will be given to students with feasible plans to complete the dissertation over summer 2025.
How to Apply
Submit the online application form and all required documentation by 11:59 pm on the deadline. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
The online application will require:
- Project title and abstract (250-word limit)
- Statement of Dissertation’s Significance and Contribution to the Field (250-word limit)
- Outline of Dissertation Chapters. Indicate progress made on each chapter (complete, drafted, not started, etc). (500-word limit)
- Timeline for Summer 2025: Outline the work to be completed over summer 2025 and the target date for completion of the dissertation. (250-word limit)
Statement of Support
Evaluation and assessment (1-2 pages) from your dissertation director or faculty mentor that reviews your progress to date and the feasibility and timeline of the work proposed over the summer. The statement should also confirm that you are an active/enrolled student and that you have advanced to candidacy (ABD status).
Award Guidelines
A fellowship of $8000 will be awarded to a CHASS graduate student, competitively selected from applicants to this call. Awards will be paid through financial aid and students are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to receive the award. Fellowships cannot be deferred or transferred.
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NEW! CHASS Grants Portal
To submit an application, create an account on our new grants portal.
You’ll only need to create an account the first time you log in.
To create an account, click the button below and enter your email address.
Follow the instructions to set a password and verify your email address.
That’s it! You can then proceed to the application page.
For questions or help with setting up your account, contact Katharine.Henshaw@ucr.edu.
Apply Now
Undergraduate Student Support
The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) is a two-year program that provides financial support, research mentorship, and assistance with graduate school applications. The Mellon Mays program at UC Riverside is administered by the Center for Ideas and Society and is funded by an annual grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Visit UCR’s MMUF website for more information on student eligibility and benefits:
mellonmays.ucr.edu
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RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS
Opportunities with humanities and interdisciplinary research organizations
As a grantmaking organization, the UC Humanities Research Institute funds UC faculty and graduate students who participate in innovative research and projects that engage a variety of disciplines and stakeholders. Funding opportunities include faculty fellowship, multi-campus working groups, graduate student dissertation support and much more.
The Center for Ideas and Society works in conjunction with UCHRI to develop and promote humanities projects through the UC Humanities Network. Contact Katharine at katharine.henshaw@ucr.edu for more information on how CIS can support your proposal and help administer your project.
Learn More:
UCHRI funding calls
Foundry – online publishing platform
The Imagining America consortium (IA) brings together scholars, artists, designers, humanists, and organizers to imagine, study, and enact a more just and liberatory ‘America’ and world. Working across institutional, disciplinary, and community divides, IA strengthens and promotes public scholarship, cultural organizing, and campus change that inspires collective imagination, knowledge-making, and civic action on pressing public issues.
Learn more:
Collaborative Research and Learning Programs
PAGE Fellowships for publicly engaged graduate students
Joy of Giving Something (JGS) Fellowships for undergrads in photography and digital media
The Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes is a global forum that strengthens the work of humanities centers and institutes through advocacy, grant-making, and inclusive collaboration. CHCI advances cross-institutional partnerships, recognizes regional humanities cultures, and mobilizes the collective capacity of the humanities to engage the most pressing issues in society today.
MEMBERSHIP: Through the CIS membership, UCR faculty and students are invited to participate in CHCI Annual Meeting at reduced cost and can apply for fellowships and research opportunities through their extensive network.
Formed in 1919, ACLS is a nonprofit federation of 78 scholarly organizations. As the preeminent representative of American scholarship in the humanities and related social sciences, ACLS holds a core belief that knowledge is a public good.
MEMBERSHIP: UC Riverside joined the ACLS Research University Consortium in 2022.
Learn More:
Fellowships and Grants programs
MEMBERSHIP: UC Riverside joined the Social Science Research Council’s College and University Fund for the Social Sciences in 2022.
Learn More:
The National Humanities Alliance (NHA) is a nationwide coalition of organizations advocating for the humanities on campuses, in communities, and on Capitol Hill. Together, we promote the value of studying the humanities, make the case for the public value of the humanities, and cultivate support for federal funding for the humanities.
MEMBERSHIP: UC Riverside is a member of the NHA.
Learn More:
California Humanities is an independent nonprofit organization and a partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities that produces, funds, creates, and supports humanities-based projects and programs, eye-opening cultural experiences and meaningful conversations. For more than 45 years, California Humanities has awarded over $38 million in grants across the state, reaching every Congressional district.
Learn More:
Founded in 1982 as a “forum for interdisciplinary exchange”, the Western Humanities Alliance promotes innovative research in humanistic fields related to current social, cultural and scientific issues. With on-going cooperation between distinguished universities, the Western Humanities Alliance (WHA) emphasizes the importance of the humanities in the western United States and Canadian provinces, and is dedicated to the idea that humanities research has a central role to play in shaping the world in the 21st century.
MEMBERSHIP: CIS is a long-standing member of the WHA.