Â鶹´«Ã½ is fortunate to have spendable gifts from Susan ’61 and David ’59 Hirsch that have enabled us to establish the David L. Hirsch III and Susan H. Hirsch Research Initiation Grants. Tenured, tenure-track, and coterminous faculty in all divisions of the College are invited to apply.
Recognizing that it is often difficult for faculty in a liberal arts college to marshal the time and resources necessary to conduct pilot studies and to write major grant proposals, the Hirsch Research Initiation Grants are designed to provide seed money for promising large-scale projects. The grants can cover such costs as supplies, funding for research assistance, and travel to research sites, but not faculty salaries. A considerable sum has been provided each year for Hirsch Grants; one or more grants will be awarded each year. These grants can be comparable in size to Large Research Grants, or even larger, and have two year terms.
The research supported by the grants should be designed to assess the feasibility and scholarly value of larger research efforts and should be creative and original. While Hirsch Grants are especially appropriate to faculty preparing to submit proposals to outside granting agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation as well as private foundations, they are also appropriate for projects in fields for which outside funding is not likely to be available, if the projects would lead to further research, explorations in the liberal arts, or benefits to society.
All else equal, there will be some preference given to proposals that involve students in the proposed research, and to proposals from faculty who have yet to establish a long track record of receiving grants in their current area of research.
Grant Proposals Should Include
- Executive summary of project (250 words)
- Project description
- Objectives
- Pedagogical impact: academic outcomes and impact in the classroom.
- Project budget and budget narrative
- Supporting information
- Faculty CV
- Academic collaborator bio/CV (if applicable)
- If the application is for a seed grant, please identify future larger external grant applications in planning stages
- Anticipated outcomes (publications, performances, products, etc.)
- Other information worth noting
Application materials should be submitted via . The application deadline is in late November or early December. The exact deadline can be found from SM Apply or from the Faculty Calendar.
Please contact the Grants Administrator, if you need any additional information.