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Humanities Fellowships and Grants

Preparing to Apply

On a university level, proposal submission and post-award support is managed through the UF Office of Research and UFIRST submission tool. In the case of private foundations, the UF Foundation may also support  proposal submissions in some ways. Different colleges have different procedures for submitting proposals through this infrastructure. CLAS scholars should visit the CLAS Research Office (opens in new tab). Faculty in CLAS need to adhere to CLAS policies. They should consult the CLAS Associate Dean for Research at least four weeks prior to the funder’s deadline to obtain the appropriate CLAS internal policies and timelines for application.COTA scholars should visit the COTA Proposal Studio. In general: all questions can be directed to your Associate Dean for Research.

The information below is provided as a general service to help humanities scholars navigate these structures. All College and UF policies overwrite any information below.

Before you Apply – Determine Feasibility

  • Quickly determine feasibility of the idea for a specific funding opportunity. This is achieved by creating a rough timeline of all activities necessary to execute the project and then developing a budget to resource the activities, based on the sponsor’s allowable and dis-allowable funding guidelines. If there is synergy, then proceed.
  • **If research leave is required, faculty in CLAS should submit the CLAS Faculty Fellowship form (opens in new tab) to have pre-approved the amount of support the college will be able to provide during the proposed fellowship period. (This form must be submitted at least three weeks prior to  proposal submission.)
  • If only a limited number of proposals from UF can be submitted, review the internal UF deadline with the Office of Limited Submission Programs (opens in new tab) to submit your pre-proposal through InfoReady.
  • Learn as much as you can about the agency/program to which you are applying. This may involve navigating the funding body’s website to locate mission statements, press releases, annual reports, and related materials. *Look, in particular, at what kinds of projects have been previously funded.
  • Locate and study any reviewing criteria, and familiarize yourself with the funding agency’s peer-review process if it is made public. Where possible, take advantage of the availability of Program Officers to ask questions or discuss your proposal. Create a working title and 3-5 sentence description of your proposed project to send to the program officer by email, along with your request for a phone call.
  • Then, contact one of the following offices to alert them to your plan to apply for funding:
    • Different colleges have different procedures and deadlines for submitting proposals. CLAS scholars should email the CLAS Research Office (opens in new tab). COTA scholars should contact their Associate Dean for Research.
    • For opportunities at corporate, private, and family foundations, contact the UF Foundation office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (opens in new tab) or your department’s Development Officer (for humanities departments in CLAS, this is Christy Popwell; in COTA, this is Lula Dawit). These offices can offer insider advice on the funding agency, support communications with the foundations, and check for possible conflicts with other UF proposals in development.
    • The Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere (opens in new tab) may also be able to alert you to whether or not UF faculty have been awarded funding from this funding body or reviewed for it.

Proposal-Writing Assistance

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who do I contact with questions about pursuing external funding? If you have any questions about grants/fellowships support or resources for pursuing funding, please contact your Associate Dean for Research.
  • Will UF take money from my grant? UF takes a percentage of indirect costs (IDC) off of a grant (opens in new tab) unless the funder’s guidelines explicitly prohibit this. The percentage of IDC varies with the project activities. These indirect costs are an important way in which UF’s overhead expenses are recovered for research-related resources and services provided to faculty. In addition, UF gives back up to 10% of IDC to the principal investigator (PI) on the grant, and 7.5% to the department(s) and/or center(s) where the PI or Co-PIs are appointed. In situations where the faculty member does not believe IDC is an appropriate expense, an IDC waiver can be requested from the Office of Research. For grants going through the UF Foundation (UFF), the UFF maintains a 5% processing fee unless the funder’s guidelines prohibits this.
  • What happens if a fellowship or grant doesn’t cover 100% of my needs? Sometimes scholars need a little extra money to help make use of an external award. Scholars can make personal requests to their department, CLAS, the Graduate School, and the Office of Research for additional support to supplement a grant. Receiving support from one office may also support the request for support from another office.