Faculty Grants

The Clement and Linda McGillicuddy Humanities Center provides financial support for humanities initiatives through three grant programs open to UMaine faculty, lecturers and adjuncts. 

1. UMaine faculty can apply for MHC Sponsorship Grants of up to $500 to support public humanities and innovative teaching programs on-or-off campus.  There is no application deadline, new applications will be considered as they are submitted. For more information about Sponsorship Grants, contact the Center Director at zachary.r.ludington@maine.edu
2. The Clement and Linda McGillicuddy Humanities Center Faculty Grant award applications are being accepted for maximum awards of $5,000 to support faculty at all levels, for their research, community engagement, or innovative teaching proposals. Funds are used for expense reimbursement and cannot be used as compensation for faculty time. Email completed grant applications and budget forms, available for download below, to Director zachary.r.ludington@maine.edu by March 17, 2025 for the Spring 2025 deadline.
3. One Clement and Linda McGillicuddy Humanities Center Faculty Grant award of up to $10,000 is available per application cycle. If an award is granted in this range, it will be funded from a separate pool of resources and will not impinge on the availability of funding for smaller proposals. This expanded award can be made for projects that meet at least one of the following criteria: 1) the project entails the collaboration of scholars, institutions, and/or communities beyond the University of Maine; 2) the proposed work is necessary to the preparation of a competitive application to a larger extramural grant (NEH, NEA, ACLS, Fulbright, etc.); and/or 3) the project requires specialized resources (consultants, equipment rentals, etc.) whose costs exceed the usual maximum of $5,000. A commitment of financial support from other sources is viewed favorably in the review for this award. Proposals must carry the approval of the applicant’s chair, director, or supervisor. Funds are used for expense reimbursement and cannot be used as compensation for faculty time. Email completed grant applications and budget forms, available for download below, to Director zachary.r.ludington@maine.edu by March 17, 2025 for the Spring 2025 deadline.
4. For the 2024-25 academic calendar year, McGillicuddy Humanities Center will offer limited travel grants of up to $800 to UMaine faculty outside of its October/March faculty grant deadline. More information on this program and application instructions are available at https://umaine.edu/mhc/research/for-faculty/2023-24-mhc-faculty-travel-grants/.

NOTE: MHC event support for short-term events (single-day lectures, masterclasses, Zoom panels, etc., with potential expenses under $500) will be considered on a rolling basis throughout the year. Those applications will still use the budget template provided below, with descriptions of the event and the budget sent to Zach Ludington (zachary.r.ludington@maine.edu). Support will depend in part on availability of funding, particularly towards the end of the fiscal year.

To see the faculty research proposals that have been funded in the past, click here. 

All McGillicuddy Humanities Center Faculty Grants are awarded in compliance with the University of Maine System Board of Trustees Policy Manual, Section 209: “Intellectual Property”.   Specifically, acceptance of an Award constitutes agreement and acceptance of all definitions and policies described in the “University of Maine System Statement of Policy Governing Patents and Copyrights.”

Faculty Grant Forms:

For outside funding opportunities in the humanities, check out our Resources page.