Event Co-Sponsorship Grants of up to $10,000 support lectures and annual meetings co-sponsored by another unit at the University of Notre Dame.

To apply, please submit a proposal through the Franco Institute's web portal with the following:

• An application form through Submittable.
• An 800-word max. proposal that outlines the proposed training or professional development activity and its relevance to the applicant’s current and future scholarship or creative work.
• Budget (please use the institute’s budget template and include travel expenses as well as the fees associated with the course or professional development activity).

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the academic year beginning August 1 and continuing until allocated funds for this RFP are exhausted.

Application Requirements:

• An application form available through Submittable.
• An indication of support from the applicant’s department chair requested through Submittable.
• A 250-word abstract that outlines your project's primary goals and planned contribution.
• A proposal (2000 words max.) that includes 1) the primary goals of your project; 2) your sources and methods and how they will help you achieve the goals of the project; and 3) the specific contributions your project will make to scholarship, society, or both.
• A current CV.
• For Public Fellowships and Humanities Fellowships: An itemized budget (must use Franco Institute template) for associated research funds.

For Humanities Fellowships only: Two external letters of recommendation. These letters must come from scholars unaffiliated with the University of Notre Dame and must be uploaded to Submittable no later than 48 hours after the application deadline.

All text documents should be single- or double-spaced, at least 11-point font, Times New Roman or Arial, with one-inch margins.  

Applications must be submitted through the Franco Institute’s Submittable portal by 11:59 p.m. on October 14, 2025. Late submissions or submissions submitted via email will not be accepted. 

Restrictions

This competition is open to all regular faculty members with a primary appointment in the College of Arts & Letters. 

Applications accepted at any time until funds for this program are  exhausted. Supported projects must be completed by September 1 of the  following academic year. Grantees must provide a final report to the  Franco Institute within 30 days of the supported research activity.

Eligible expenses

Applicants may request up to $5,000.

Eligible expenses include research and creative arts materials needed  to directly support the completion of the project, such as  transcription services, travel, archive/library assistance, survey and  computer programming support, and human subject payments.

Funds may not be used for applicant salary/stipend, professional  development activities, teaching programs or course development, office  supplies, publication costs, or computer equipment.

Required application materials

•  An application form through Submittable.
   
•  A 100-word abstract that outlines your project's primary goals,  planned contribution, and engagement with this year's research theme.
   
•  A proposal (1000 words max.) that includes 1) the primary goals of  your project; 2) your sources and methods and how they will help you  achieve the goals of the project; 3) the specific contributions your  project will make to scholarship, society, or both; and 4) how your  project responds to this year’s research theme as outlined in the call  for proposals.
   
•  A project timeline outlining your plan for the grant period,  including key goals and targeted completion dates for each. (1 page  max.).
   
•  An itemized budget (must use the approved budget template).
   

Evaluation criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on the level of engagement with  the research theme, intellectual merit, the potential impact of the  project for scholars and the public, and the researcher’s qualifications  to conduct the proposed work.

Budget items with insufficient justification may be reduced or eliminated in an award offer.

Purpose
Small Creative Arts Grants support projects by Arts & Letters faculty in the creative and performing arts.
Restrictions
Small Creative and Performing Arts Grants may be used to cover costs such as:
 

• Materials
• Honoraria and payments to collaborators
• Exhibition, festival, or competition entry fees
• Travel expenses for Arts and Letters faculty to create, exhibit, or perform a piece
• Travel expenses to Notre Dame for external collaborators
• Performance or exhibition space rentals
• Instrument rentals
• Recording costs
• Shipping costs for artwork (limited to $1000)

These grants may not be used to cover:
 

• Domestic or international conference expenses
• Travel to an event at which the applicant is not exhibiting or performing
• Funds to upgrade Campus Workstation Program (CWP) computers
• The purchase of equipment or instruments; Notre Dame Research has a yearly competition for equipment purchase and replacement
• The purchase of electronic devices such as cameras, recorders, laptops/computers
• Salary for course buyout or summer salary for faculty
• Publication Costs; Please see our Publication page

Faculty are limited to one Small Creative and Performing Arts Grant or Small Research Grant per academic year.
Application Instructions
Review Criteria:
 

• The clarity and persuasiveness of the proposal
• The likely impact of the project for the applicant’s field and the campus/local community
• The qualifications and track record of the applicant
• The overall likelihood that project will be successful

To Apply:
Please submit an application through the Franco Institute's web portal with the following:
 

• A brief proposal (1000 words). Your proposal should include: A description of the proposed project that outlines the chosen materials and methods and a rationale for your artistic choices
  A discussion of the impact the project will have both within and beyond the applicant’s field
  Information about the project director and collaborators, if any. Explain how and why the people involved will make for a successful project.
   
• Abbreviated CVs (no more than 2 pages) for the project director and any collaborating artists or scholars.
• A well-justified budget. Your budget should include specific amounts for each budget item and an explanation of how you arrived at that cost or estimate. Provide sources for estimates when possible.
  In addition to the support requested from the Franco Institute, list all other sources of funding to which you have applied or will apply, including amounts.
   

Large Grants ($3,000 to $20,000) for Humanities Research and Creative Work
 

• Two annual competitions: Second Tuesday of October and Second Tuesday of February. 
•  (October 14, 2025 & February 10, 2026) 
• These grants can be for collaborative research projects.
• Expenses must be well justified.

Subventions

When a reputable academic press initiates a request, the Institute may make a subvention to support the publication of manuscripts, if funds are available. Similarly, the Institute will consider a subvention to support a scholarly or artistic sound or video recording upon request by the producer. You must have a contract from the publisher before the Franco Institute will negotiate with them. The typical range for a book subvention is from $1,000 to $3,000. 

Imaging Grants

        Image Grants are ordinarily limited to $2,000. In extraordinary cases where the cumulative image costs exceed this limit, faculty members may discuss an exception with the Institute Director before submitting an application.

• Please provide a list of images to be acquired and their associated costs.
• Franco Institute funding may not be used to pay image researchers or research assistants.
• Recipients of publication support must acknowledge the Franco Institute in the final product. 

Indexing Support

The Franco Institute will provide up to $1,500 to cover indexing costs for faculty book projects. 

These funds must be used to hire a professional indexer.

• Please supply budget justification and information about the indexing service you are using in your proposal. 
• Limit: one indexing grant per book and academic year.
• Recipients of publication support must acknowledge the Franco Institute in the final product.

 No publication grant applications are accepted between June 1 and July 31.

• Partial support is available to faculty members who present a paper or poster at a professionally organized conference. The conference must be a society conference or a conference sponsored by a professional organization. Typically these organizations have an annual meeting, in addition there is membership, regisration fees, call for papers, peer review of submissions, and so forth. This award does not cover invited lectures, working groups, at hoc conferences, time-limited organizations, or informal gatherings of scholars. For those events, faculty members are encouraged to use their discretionary funds.  Submissions must be completed one month in advance of the conference. No post awards will be given.
   
• A website for the meeting and evidence of the acceptance of a presentation must be included for the proposal to be considered for funding.
   
• Please present a detailed budget (e.g., quotes for airfare, hotel, ground transportation, registration) 
• Total expenses (that is, travel plus other expenses) cannot exceed $1,500.00.

Apply anytime (except June 1 to July 31)
 

Large Grants ($3,000 to $20,000) for Research in the Social Sciences

Bi-Annual deadline dates second Tuesday  in October and second Tuesday in February
October 14, 2025 and February 10, 2026

Because of the extent and length of many social science research projects, faculty must often seek external funding to help underwrite their research. In order to be competitive for grants, preliminary data collection and analysis are necessary as a basis for formulating and justifying larger research projects.

The Large Grant for Research in the Social Sciences initiative provides funds to cover the costs of conducting these preliminary studies.

• Grants range from $3,000 to $20,000, depending on the scope of the project and the number of personnel involved.

 The Franco Institute encourages faculty to use the Center for Social Research services. 

The Center for Social Research is an academic support unit dedicated to improving the quality and efficiency of social research at Notre Dame by working with faculty, students, and staff across all disciplines.  Whether you are designing new research or developing an existing project, consider consulting with the CSR’s expert staff who specialize in statistical analysis, survey design and implementation, and data acquisition and management.  For more information, visit the CSR website at http://csr.nd.edu or contact Managing Director, Kate E. Mueller, at (574) 631-6166

(574) 631-6166 or kate.mueller@nd.edu.

These projects should have some quantitative dimension to the methodology or are proposing rigorous qualitative methods. Faculty in the social sciences whose work is more closely aligned with the humanities are encouraged to submit their proposals to the Large Grants for Humanities funding initiative.

Please note:  

Recipients of the Large Grant for Research in the Social Sciences must submit a grant proposal to a major external agency within 18 months of receiving the grant. 

Awards are given on a competitive basis for research travel, summer student research assistance, research materials, artistic creation, and other costs of carrying out research and creative work. Both individual and collaborative projects are eligible. Whereas the Small Research and Creative Works grant cannot be used for domestic travel for conferences, it can be used for research-related domestic and international travel. International travel for presenting at conferences is covered under the Franco Institute International Conference Travel Grant.

Restrictions:
     Small Grants for Research and Creative Works cannot be used to cover:

• Funds to upgrade Campus Workstation Program (CWP) equipment; (the Office of Research has a yearly competition for equipment purchase and replacement: http://or.nd.edu/funding-opportunities/nd-internal-funding-programs/;
• Equipment (cameras, recorders, laptops/computers);
• Travel to domestic conferences.
• Grants do not cover salary for course buyout or summer salary for project director.
• No graduate student support is allowed as an expense.
   

 Also:

• Apply at any time (except June 1 to July 31);
• Limited to one small grant each fiscal year (July 1  - June 30) per faculty member.

Grants of up to $25,000 to cover the costs of:
 

• an academic conference on campus or in one of the University’s international sites,
• a series of lectures or performances, or
• a single, significant visiting lecturer or performer.

Departments, institutes and interdisciplinary groups can bring scholars to Notre Dame for two or more days of public events including a lecture, colloquium, panel, or performance. Visiting scholars and performers must be among the leaders of their field. While all events may not result in a publication, the Institute expects that proposals will be designed with the goal of having a lasting effect beyond a series of lectures or performances. In addition to the support requested from the Franco Institute, please list all other sources of funding. Finally, Henkels Funds are for events that have broad impact; therefore, it is important to present a plan to involve faculty, students, and, potentially, the larger community.
Deadline for submission is one year in advance of proposed conference dates (cycles are 2nd Tuesday in October  and February)
 

•  Funding sources must be identified and documented by including an award letter or e-mail included in the proposal
• Must be hosted at a University facility or Global Gateway

All Large Henkels proposals require budgets  prepared with the assistance of the Franco Institute's Academic Conference staff.

The Franco Institute can provide partial support (up to $3,500) for academic conferences held on Notre Dame sites. Preference is given to projects that have matching funds from other sources (e.g., foundations, departments or institutes). In addition to the support you are requesting from the Franco Institute, please list all other sources, the amount you are requesting from those sources, and contact information for those sources (name, email address, phone number). Faculty are limited to one Small Henkels or Mini-conference award per academic year. Please note the Henkels funds are for events that have broad impact; therefore, it is important to present a plan to involve faculty, students, and potentially, the broader community.
 Applications are accepted at any time for a Mini-conference award up to $3,500.00 (except between June 1 and July 31)

All Arts & Letters faculty seeking to use Franco event services must submit an intake form through Submittable. This intake form asks for:

• Main faculty organizer first and last name, email address, and department
• Tentative title, date, and location for the event
• Estimated number of attendees
• Preliminary schedule
• List of cosponsors
• Level of services requested with related eligibility questions
• Option to upload schedule or draft budget

After submitting this form, please schedule a consultation with the events team using this link.