Sustaining Public Engagement Grants Program – Dec 7

Posted by American Council of Learned Societies on November 16, 2021

American Council of Learned Societies Invites Applications for Sustaining Public Engagement Grants Program

The American Council of Learned Societies is inviting applications for its Sustaining Public Engagement Grants, a responsive funding program made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan initiative. The grants are designed to repair the damage done to publicly engaged humanities projects and programs by the social and economic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To that end, ACLS seeks proposals for grants that will support established publicly engaged humanities projects, initiatives, or programs in accredited U.S. colleges and universities. With $3.5 million provided under the SHARP initiative, ACLS will conduct a rigorous and inclusive peer review process to select up to forty projects or programs for grants that will redress programming setbacks and/or reductions in internal capacity and staffing support on the part of faculty, staff, students, and community partners due to pandemic conditions.

ACLS strongly encourages applications from across the diverse institutional landscape of U.S. higher education, including Minority Serving Institutions, regional public institutions, and community colleges. Applicants will be required to demonstrate how their programs engage with issues of urgent public interest in one or more of the program’s six key areas: racial equity; climate change; U.S.-global relations; public health and pandemic recovery; strengthening democracy; and exploring America’s diverse history.

One-year grants ranging from between $50,000 and $225,000 are intended to provide timely support, and applicants should propose an amount that reflects realistic public engagement activities and capacity building over the award term.

To be eligible, projects must be hosted by an accredited institution of higher education in the United States; demonstrate established relationships with partners and/or audiences beyond the academy; be led by a scholar in a field of the humanities; and be grounded in the publicly engaged humanities.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the American Council of Learned Societies website.

Deadline: December 7, 2021