Humanities Innovation Grants FAQs
Eligibility
No. You only need to fulfill one of the two criteria to be eligible for the grant. Not a member? You can find more information about individual MLA membership as well as departmental or institutional membership in MAPS (ADE and ALD) on our Web site.
CloseYour department chair and administrator should know whether your department’s membership in MAPS (ADE or ALD) is current. You can also e-mail Michael Reilly (mreilly@mla.org) to inquire about your department’s membership status.
CloseYes. Instructors who are either individual members of the MLA or whose departments are members of MAPS (ADE or ALD) are eligible to apply, regardless of the location of their institution.
CloseYes. All instructors who fulfill the eligibility criteria are invited to apply for a Humanities Innovation Grant, including part-time and full-time faculty members in adjunct, tenure-track, or tenured positions and graduate student instructors.
CloseNo. The grant is intended to spur the development of new courses, so only future teaching projects or substantially revised and expanded courses are eligible for funding.
CloseMembers of the MLA Executive Council, the ADE Executive Committee, and the ALD Executive Committee are eligible to apply for this grant once their terms have concluded. All others who have roles in MLA governance, such as members of forum executive committees or the Delegate Assembly, are welcome to apply for this grant while they are serving in their respective roles.
CloseSo that the grant can support a wide range of institutions and their students, and a diverse group of instructors, applicants may only receive the grant once every three years.
CloseAbsolutely. The grant is intended to support innovative educational programs that build enrollments and revitalize student interest in the humanities; the MLA encourages instructors with proposals that go beyond the semester-long college course to apply.
CloseBudget
We do not allow institutions to charge a fixed overhead rate. Specific costs (e.g., lab fees, A/V costs, etc.) that would directly benefit the teaching project are permissible as long as they are both necessary and reasonable.
CloseYes. In your budget you may include a stipend for the instructor(s) developing the course. Single applicants may allocate up to $1,000 for this purpose; teams of two or three project leaders may allocate up to $1,500. As part of the evaluation of grant proposals, careful consideration of all costs associated with the proposed course is a selection criterion.
CloseThe grant is intended to cover costs associated with the development and implementation of the course or project. This may include food or beverage purchases (for example, to treat students during an event or excursion); however, we ask that you limit purchases in this category to 10% of the total grant amount.
CloseApplication Process
Yes—see winning examples from the 2020 competition and the 2021 competition. Please be advised that these examples are unedited (except to protect student privacy) and are provided for illustrative purposes only. Instructions for applicants are modified each year, and it is the applicant’s responsibility to review current guidelines.
CloseHumanities Innovation Grants are individual, not institutional, awards. Thus, we do not require that they be approved by a sponsored programs office, research office, or other university department. However, policies differ, and instructors may be required by their institution to obtain permission to apply for a grant of this type. In such cases, we trust that all instructors will follow the relevant rules as set forth by their educational institution.
CloseOnce you have filled out the section on eligibility, the application form will expand, and you will be prompted to submit an abstract (150-word maximum) and attach your proposal.
CloseAfter the Application
The grant committee will review applications in a two-step process in January and March. Winners are typically notified in April and are asked to officially accept the grant and submit tax information. Once we have the necessary information in hand, the MLA will process the checks for grant winners and inform all other applicants of the status of their application. All grant-related communication is typically completed by early May. Given the timeline, the grant is not appropriate for projects planned for the spring semester of the year in which the grant is disbursed.
CloseThe names of winners of Humanities Innovation Grants will be posted on the MLA Web site and in related print and digital materials. We also ask that all grant winners complete a survey and a progress report to help us better target, manage, and assess our grant programs. By applying for a grant, you consent to have the names of project members included in the public listing of grant winners and in other program materials, to have your abstract and syllabus featured on the MLA Web site, and to complete a postaward survey and a progress report. Grant winners will be honored at the award ceremony during the MLA convention and will be invited to present their work in the convention’s Language and Literature Program Innovation Room.
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