IDRH Micro Grants

Micro Grants from the Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities support digital humanities projects and ideas at the University of Kansas.  

Through the generous support of the Hall Center for the Humanities, the KU Libraries, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the IDRH has allocated $4000 for micro grants in the 2023-2024 academic year. The funds will be distributed at the end of March to multiple applicants. The maximum single award amount is $2000, although several smaller awards may be given.  

Deadlines 

March 1, 2024, 11:59pm CT.   

 

What can be funded  

IDRH Micro Grants may be used for a wide range of purposes, but they must support the development of a digital humanities project or idea. Allowable expenses include travel (for conferences or research), software, hiring graduate student support, paying survey participants, materials and supplies required by a project, web development or hosting, copy editing, design work, pedagogical resources or training, course development, training in digital technologies, or supporting a visiting scholar.  

IDRH Micro Grants may not be used to provide summer pay.  

Eligibility 

Faculty (tenure track and contingent), Staff, and Graduate Students at the University of Kansas are eligible to apply.  

Application process  

Submit the following materials as a single PDF file. The file should be named “lastname_firstname_MicroGrantApplication” and submitted via email (idrh@ku.edu) by the deadlines noted above. 

  1. 1-page Cover Sheet that includes the following information 
    1. Name, title, and contact information of applicant.    
    2. Title of Project. 
    3. 1000-character (with spaces) abstract of project.  
    4. Total amount of funding requested.  
    5. External funding sources that could be pursued for this project  
  2. 2-page (double-spaced) narrative that:  
    1. Explains the project, its significance, history, goals, and current status. 
    2. Competencies, skills, access, and qualifications of the applicant.  
    3. Explains specifically how the Micro-Grant will help the project. A specific deliverable must be identified, even if it is not a final product. Concrete and measurable benchmarks to track the progress of a project should be identified. (Examples of possible benchmarks: visiting an archive, cleaning data, designing a website, engaging with community...) 
  3. 1-page itemized budget and budget narrative.  

Review and selection process 

Applicants will be ranked according to the following criteria.  

  1. Intellectual significance of the project, including its value to digital humanities scholars, students, or public audiences. How does the project contribute to applicant’s larger research identity?  
  2. The quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project, and the applicant's clarity of expression.  
  3. Evidence of a desire to grow in the digital humanities.  
  4. The feasibility and appropriateness of the proposed plan of work and the budget. 
  5. The likelihood that the applicant will achieve the identified benchmarks   
  6. The likelihood that the Micro Grant will move the project towards external funding.  

Awards and obligations 

Awards will be announced by the end of March. Maximum funding for a single applicant will be $2000, although several smaller awards may be given in a single cycle. 

Successful applicants will be reimbursed for approved expenses. Receipts must be submitted. Please consult with the IDRH in advance of spending money to ensure proper documentation. Funds not claimed through reimbursement will return to the IDRH. For example, if $400 of receipts are submitted on a $500 award, the remaining $100 will remain with the IDRH. If the reimbursement model presents financial hardships, the IDRH will make arrangements to pay for certain items up front.  

Grant money must be spent and receipts submitted within 12 months of receiving the award.   

Within one year from the date an award is offered, the successful applicant must submit a final one-page report to the IDRH. The report must explain how the money was spent, and how the spending moved the project forward. Reports should be concrete and focus on the same deliverables identified in the application. If relevant, the report should include products created through the grant: papers, syllabi, websites, databases, etc. The successful applicant will allow the IDRH to feature their projects in its own advertising and metrics.  

Questions 

Please contact Dave Tell (davetell@ku.edu) at the IDRH with questions