Grants for Faculty
The Mandel Center for the Humanities is pleased to offer grants that support innovative faculty research, scholarship and writing. These include Public Humanities Grants for projects with scope beyond the academy, Research Grants for engagement and reception of new research, and Writing Grants for focused writing retreats.
To view past grant winners please click below:
Public Humanities Grants
The Mandel Center for the Humanities welcomes applications for Public Humanities/ Community Engagement Grants from Brandeis faculty working on experimental and/or publicly engaged projects in the humanities, the arts and the humanistic social sciences. These include projects that have audiences beyond the academy, projects in the experimental or digital humanities, applied humanities work, and/or collaborative projects that create and sustain mutually beneficial partnerships with community organizations, museums, libraries or other cultural spaces or media. Applicants are encouraged to browse the website Humanities for All for examples of successful public humanities projects. This year, grants will be awarded in the range of $5,000-$10,000, to be used for expenses or as a one-time stipend payment (note stipend payments are taxed at the salary tax rate), or a combination of the above. Funds must be used by June 30, 2025 or an extension must be requested at that time. Grant winners will be invited to present their project at a public scholarship symposium to take place in 2025 - 2026 as well as provide a brief write-up and photographs for the MCH website. All full-time Brandeis faculty (tenure-line and OTS) are eligible. Faculty also applying to the Faculty Research Grant must have a different project for this grant. The deadline for applications is February 1, 2025.
Faculty Research Grants
The Mandel Center for the Humanities is pleased to be able to fund two faculty research projects in the humanities, the arts or the humanistic social sciences for the 2025 - 2026 academic year. The grantee will receive $5,000 to be used for research expenses or as a one-time stipend payment (note stipend payments are taxed at the salary tax rate), or a combination of the above, as well as, optionally, an additional $2,500 to fund an event at the MCH in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026. The event should be related to the research project and should be designed to generate excitement for the topic among a variety of campus audiences, for instance by bringing scholars, practitioners, artists, filmmakers, authors and/or activists to campus. Ideally, such an event would complement a course the faculty member is teaching at the same time. All full-time Brandeis faculty (tenure-line and OTS) are eligible. Grant winners will be invited to present their project at an informal symposium to take place in 2025-2026 as well as to provide a brief write-up and photographs, if relevant, for the MCH website. To apply, please submit a brief project description (no more than 750 words), research/writing plans for the grant period, and, optionally, a tentative plan and budget for the event, which notes the intended audience and whether it complements a class being offered the same semester. Faculty also applying to the Public Humanities/ Community Engagement grant should have a different project for this grant. The deadline for the application is February 1, 2025.
Faculty Writing Retreats
Given that, for many of us, true progress in writing requires uninterrupted time, a space distant from the daily grind, and supportive communities, the Mandel Center for the Humanities is pleased to be able to fund communal writing retreats for Brandeis faculty working on projects in the humanities, arts, and humanistic social sciences. The retreat should be attended by 3-8 participants, and priority will be given to retreats that include multiple Brandeis community members and participants from multiple disciplines. Funding will depend on the number of people attending the retreat, at up to $350/person, with a maximum amount of $2,800. All full-time Brandeis faculty (tenure-line and OTS) are eligible. To apply, please send a brief (250-word) description of the retreat theme and purpose, a list of participants and their career/publishing trajectories (whether they are working on materials needed for tenure/promotion, etc), and an anticipated budget (which can include accommodation, reasonable travel expenses, food and supplies). Priority will be given to faculty members who have not received retreat funding in the past. Funds must be spent by June 30, 2025. After the retreat, the Mandel Center will conduct a short interview with the participants and request a group photo to be used on our website. The application deadline is February 1, 2025.