Mellon Foundation Higher Learning Call for Concepts CFP
4/26 Workshop
The Obermann Center will hold a virtual grant writing workshop for this grant in collaboration with Ann Knudson and Mary Blackwood on Tuesday, April 26 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. Please register via Zoom.
Overview
This grant application process is a collaboration among the University of Iowa's Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, Office of the Vice President for Research, and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The Mellon Foundation has just announced a new Higher Learning Call for Concepts that invites ideas for research and/or curricular projects focused on any of the three areas outlined below:
- Civic Engagement and Voting Rights
- Race and Racialization in the United States
- Social Justice and the Literary Imagination
These grants are for $250,000 to $500,000. Work should begin January 1, 2023. The work period can be extended for up to three years. Mellon anticipates allocating up to $10 million for this call for concepts; the final number of proposals selected will depend on the number and substance of the submissions.
The Principal Investigator (PI) should be a faculty member or dean in a program or department in the humanities or humanistic social sciences and should have the support of the institution’s senior academic leadership.
For this limited submission grant, the University of Iowa will only be able to nominate three Concepts. At the first stage, any faculty member can indicate an interest in applying by “registering.” At the second stage, applicants will submit Concept papers. From those Concept papers, a review committee will select three to forward to Mellon. In the third and last stage of the process, Mellon will select a round of finalists from “Concepts” submitted by faculty from across the country. These finalists will be invited to develop full proposals this summer.
To prepare, please read materials on the Mellon website very carefully. Information about the Higher Learning program can be found on the program website. The Guidelines are especially important.
These guidelines include
- detailed descriptions of the three areas of grant focus,
- a list of which disciplines are eligible, and
- what expenses are and are not allowed.
How Can You Prepare to Write a Strong Application?
Review the guidelines: Your Concept must speak directly to one of three identified areas. You can request $250,000 to $500,000, but you must be prepared to begin work on January 1, 2023. The work period can be planned for up to three years. https://mellon.org/programs/higher-learning/call-for-concepts/.
Consult with people with grant writing experience: We recommend that you share a draft of your 1,000-word Concept proposal with others, early in the process. The following have volunteered to offer assistance:
- Roland Racevskis, CLAS Associate Dean for Arts and Humanities
- Teresa Mangum, Director, Obermann Center for Advanced Studies
- Mary Blackwood, Sponsored Programs
Consult with budget experts: We strongly encourage you to make an appointment with Ann Knudson as soon as possible for advice about the budget. She can be an enormous help if you contact her early in this process.
Attend the grant writing session at the Obermann Center: Tuesday, April 26 from 1:00-2:00 at the Obermann Center at 111 Church St. Please email obermann-center@uiowa.edu if you plan to attend.
How to Apply
Stage 1:
REGISTER
Information DUE to Mary Blackwood (mary-blackwood@uiowa.edu) by Tuesday, April 12 at 5:00 p.m. or as soon as possible.
- Questions to answer: For the registration, simply cut and paste the following questions with your answers into an email:
- Which of the three topic areas your project will address?
- Civic Engagement and Voting Rights
- Race and Racialization in the United States
- Social Justice and the Literary Imagination
- First and last name:
- Job title:
- Work phone:
- Work email:
- Use the subject line: “REGISTER me for the Mellon Concept competition.”
- Send as email: to Mary Blackwood at mary-blackwood@uiowa.edu and copy CLAS Associate Dean Josh Weiner at joshua-weiner@uiowa.edu.
Stage 2:
CONCEPT APPLICATION
Concept Note, budget, and CV DUE Tuesday, May 10 by 5 p.m. to Mary Blackwood (mary-blackwood@uiowa.edu) and CLAS Associate Dean Josh Weiner (joshua-weiner@uiowa.edu).
Limited submission: The University of Iowa can only submit three “Concepts.” If you have registered and received eligibility approval from Mellon, you can then submit your Concept for consideration by an internal review committee. It MUST be submitted by Tuesday, May 10 by 5 pm to Mary Blackwood (mary-blackwood@uiowa.edu) and CLAS Associate Dean Josh Weiner (joshua-weiner@uiowa.edu). Mary Blackwood will submit the three successful Concept proposals. We will notify all applicants of the outcome of this level of competition.
Basic components of the application:
- P.I. Each proposal must have one lead P.I. on the form. Additional P.I.s can be added to successful applications at a later date.
- The Concept Note: The Concept can be up to 1,000 words (but no more than 8,000 characters, including spaces). The Concept Note must explain:
- Your ideas for a potential project
- The rationale in relationship to one of the three specified areas
- Specific activities the project might involve.
- The note should clearly state the necessity of the planned work, its goals, potential impact, and the fitness of the institution and/or network to the proposed work
- Budget: The budget section can only be 100 words (but no more than 800 characters, including spaces). Review the Guidelines document carefully to see what expenses are and are not allowed.
- The budget paragraph should provide a list of expense categories. For example, stipends, course releases, fellowships, workshops, etc. (We strongly advise you to make an appointment with Ann Knudson (ann-knudson@uiowa.edu) as soon as possible to discuss the budget.)
- Curriculum Vitae: One to two-page CV of the P.I.